A vital component of a good lifestyle is having a healthy heart. Genetics and age do play a part in heart health, but what we do every day is much more important than either of those factors! The habits we establish in the mornings can have an enormous impact on how we feel physically and mentally throughout the day as well as our overall cardiovascular health. You do not have to drastically change how you start your day to form a heart-friendly routine — just a few simple habits that you do consistently over time can help keep your heart healthy and improve your quality of life.
Start Your Day with Enough Water
Your body will have been sleeping for several hours before you wake up to start your day, during which time it will have become dehydrated. By drinking a nice glass of water before anything else, you will increase blood flow to your body, which helps the heart pump effectively and gives you a head-start on keeping your blood pressure steady throughout the day. And drinking sufficient water is important for keeping your blood pressure at an acceptable level.
When you drink warm water with lemon in the morning, you are starting your day out on an energizing note. However, plain water will work just fine. Do not start your day off drinking sugary drinks, because eating too much sugar regularly will lead to obesity or increase your odds of developing heart disease!
Get Up Early and Don’t Rush Yourself
If you wake up late, you will typically find yourself rushing out the door. This rush causes stress and many times chronic stress is not good for the heart. Getting up a few minutes earlier allows your body and mind some time to get into the groove of a new day before having to rush out the door.
Hurrying in the morning can elevate cortisol levels (a stress hormone), which can lead to increased blood pressure and possible heart complications over time; A stress-free start will help you maintain emotional balance and will promote your heart health (cardiovascular wellbeing).
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Use Deep Breathing or Meditation
Mental stress is highly connected to heart disease. Taking just 5 to 10 minutes to do deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness can help to relax the nervous system and reduce anxious feelings.
Deep breathing techniques increase the flow of oxygen to your body, resulting in lowering heart rates and blood pressures. Meditation also fosters emotional stability, improved focus, and a positive outlook on life. With continued practice, these techniques have been shown to reduce the risk of stress-related heart problems.
Include Morning Exercise
Exercise has been shown to be one of the greatest gifts you can give to your heart. Morning exercise increases blood circulation, builds heart muscle and keeps cholesterol levels normal.
You don’t need heavy cardio routines every day. A brisk walk, a bike ride, yoga or light cardio for a minimum of 30 minutes a day can have tremendous effects. Regular exercise will help maintain a healthy weight, manage diabetes and high blood pressure which are all significant risk factors for heart disease.
Eat a Heart-Healthy Breakfast
Metabolism and energy levels may suffer if you do not eat breakfast. When you eat a well-balanced breakfast, your body will receive ample fuel for the long day ahead, helping you to refrain from eating excessively later on in the day.
Breakfast choices should be high in fibre, healthy fats and protein. Foods such as oats, fruit, nuts, seeds, eggs, whole grains, and yogurt are great sources that promote cardiovascular health. These food sources will help to moderate cholesterol and blood sugar.
Stay away from processed foods, which are generally high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Fried snacks and sugary cereals may taste good but can increase your risk of developing heart disease if eaten too frequently.
Get Some Morning Sunshine
Getting some sunlight in the morning helps your body produce Vitamin D, which is essential for maintaining cardiac health. Sunlight may also positively affect your sleep pattern and elevate your mood.
Exercising outdoors for a short period and basking in the sun can provide a mental boost and physical energy. Consistently sleeping well and balancing your mental health will assist you in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system.
Limit Morning Screen Time
A lot of people will check their emails, the news, and get on social media first thing in the morning. Depending on your mood, doing these things could potentially add stress to your morning before you even start your actual day.
Instead of sitting in front of a screen the first part of the morning, do something calming, stimulating, joyful, or peaceful. Stretching, reading, writing in your journal, or having breakfast mindfully will help improve your mental clarity and emotional well-being.
Less screen-related stress in the morning may equal less anxiety and lower blood pressure.
Don’t Smoke and Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
Smoking is one of the biggest risks to your heart. If you smoke in the morning, if you have a habit of smoking when you first get up, try replacing that habit with something else like walking, herbal tea, or breathing exercises.
Excessive caffeine in the morning can also cause increased heart rate and blood pressure for some people (but moderate coffee or tea consumption does not generally cause these issues for most people); therefore, excessive caffeine use may put an additional burden on your heart. Balance is the key to building healthy habits.
Plan Your Day Positively
Having a positive outlook has potential to have an impact both on physical health and mental health. Taking time each morning to layout your tasks for the day and set realistic goals can help alleviate stress throughout the day when you do not feel that you are unorganized.
Practicing gratitude, using positive affirmations or simply thinking of something you look forward to can help improve your emotional well-being. Research shows that individuals who are generally optimistic about life tend to have longer-lasting effects on their health, especially when it comes to their hearts, and also tend to have an overall lower risk for developing a cardiovascular disease.
Consistency matters the most
What is most important is maintaining consistency in creating an effective morning routine that you can consistently do. You will not be able to make drastic lifestyle changes overnight. By starting out with 1-2 habits and then slowly adding 1-2 more to create a routine that works for you will help you to establish a consistent way to create a positive routine.
As you do daily activities such as hydrating yourself, being physically active, having a balanced breakfast and managing your stress levels on a daily basis, you will be creating ways to improve upon your cardiovascular system and therefore improving more than just your heart, but also improving your body’s overall health and happiness as well.
Most healthy hearts come from healthy starting points during the morning. By choosing to make a special effort to create positive habits in your daily life, you are creating a lifestyle that will promote long term well-being allowing you to have greater energy, balance and confidence in your life on a daily basis.
