Life & Style | General
10 ways to start your day better
Kick-start your morning with these simple energising tips and watch a great day unfold.
- By Louisa Wilkins, Aquarius
- Published: 00:00 July 1, 2010
- Image Credit: Camerapress
1 Be grateful
In those first moments of your day - right between bashing the alarm clock and flinging off your duvet - think of five things that are good in your life right now. Your list can be a mix of the serious, such as family health, and the simple, such as a fresh box of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in the cupboard. Lucy Mackintosh, life coach and founder of The Law of Attraction positive thinking social group, says, "Our own beliefs will dictate who we thank - the most important thing is to fill our body with positive emotions. When you start the day being appreciative of everything you already have in your life, the vibrations, or positive emotions, will attract more positivity and abundance and set the tone for the day."
2 Head outdoors
Ditch your gloomy, 90-minute technology-saturated gym session in favour of a morning run in the park. A study from the University of Exeter found that five minutes of green exercise in a natural environment can boost your mood and self esteem, and reduce the risk of mental illness. The positive emotional effects were even stronger when there was a patch of blue nearby, such as a pond, lake or the sea. The best news is that ‘green exercise' simply requires time spent outdoors, rather than squats and star jumps. So gardening, walking on the beach and horseriding all count.
3 Brush it off
Before you hop in the shower, spend a few minutes dry brushing your body with a soft natural fibre body brush. Not only will your skin be touchy-feely smooth, but dry brushing also combats cellulite, promotes detoxification of the body's internal organs and boosts circulation. For best results, choose a brush with a long handle and always brush towards the heart.
4 Kick-start your immune system
Forget virtuous wholegrain cereals, for a truly excellent start to your morning, fill your bowl with soluble fibre. Researchers at the University of Illinois fed two groups of mice exactly the same diet differing only in their fibre sources. The mice fed soluble fibre were found to fight off disease in half the time of mice fed soluble fibre - a sure sign that soluble fibre boosted their immune system. Good sources of soluble fibre include blueberries, strawberries, oats, apples, seeds, lentils and rice.
5 Take your daily multivit
A study from Northumbria University tested the effect of a daily Berocca tablet (containing vitamin C, vitamin B complex and minerals) and found that nutritional supplements can boost mood, vigour and mental health, while decreasing stress and mental fatigue. Remember, they won't do you any good sitting in the cupboard. Berocca supplements are available from The Nutrition Centre (04-3447464), priced at Dh22.
6 Get the blue stuff
Swap your habitual skinny latte for a glass of water. Dr Fereydoon Batmanghelidj has been heralding the health benefits of water for the past 20 years. In his book Your Body's Many Cries for Water (Global Health Solutions, Dh64, from Kinokuniya), he proposes that dehydration causes more than just a dry mouth and is in fact linked to various illnesses, including arthritis, diabetes and migraines. He says, "I did not invent water. I only discovered its importance to health and wellbeing. Understanding dehydration will empower you to become much healthier and you will be able to become your own healer." To work out how much water you need in ounces, halve your weight in pounds, says Dr Batmanghelidj. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds (68kg), you need to drink 75 ounces of water a day, which is the equivalent of about 2 litres.
7 Be straight up
Give your self-confidence a surge by straightening up your posture. Richard Petty, psychology professor at the University of Ohio, says, "Most of us were taught that sitting up straight gives a good impression to other people, but it turns out that our posture can also affect how we thinkabout ourselves."
8 Take three deep breaths
Debra Kochanczyk is an Abu Dhabi-based yoga instructor, relaxation therapist and stress management consultant at Hiltonia Health Club Abu Dhabi (02-6811900). She says, "Breathing techniques can have an enormously positive effect on our health and wellbeing. Our breath is our life force - learn to work with your life force for a greater quality of life." Sit in a comfortable position and lift up through the spine. Relax your eyes and close your mouth. Inhale through the nose expanding the abdomen and then the lungs for a count of four; hold for a count of seven. Exhale through your nose pulling the navel back towards the spine for a count of eight. Repeat this three times.
9 Have a good giggle
There doesn't need to be a stimulus, just force yourself to laugh and eventually you are likely to be genuinely chuckling away to yourself. Dr Madan Kataria, a physician and yoga practitioner from Mumbai launched Laughter Yoga in 1995 after researching the health benefits of laughter. He started with a group of five, which, within weeks, had swelled to 50 members a day. Now there are more than 6,000 social laughter groups around the world. Laughter Yoga is built on two premises: that the body cannot tell the difference between real and fake laughter, and that laughter offers the same health benefits as yoga's pranayama breathing exercises. Visit www.laughteryoga.org.
10 Whack up the volume
Ward off your daily dose of school run traffic blues with your favourite sing-along CD. Research from the University of London states that singing not only boosts health, it also reduces stress levels and makes us feel happier. Apparently there are even more benefits to be enjoyed when singing in a group, so get everyone in the car stretching their vocal chords.
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