Morning routines can be grouped into four major categories: exercise, reflection, food and productivity. To figure out what type of routine would be the right fit for you, take our fun quiz here. Once you know where you’d like to focus, we have several different ideas for morning routines that you can start and customize for you:
1) Exercise—
Getting a little more activity in our day has GREAT benefits for diabetes management. Here is a 7-day exercise plan that can you get you started down a road of being more active…
Here’s a link to workout videos on YouTube that are specifically designed for people with diabetes:
And be sure to talk with your doctor about what level of activity is right for you before starting on an exercise program.
2) Reflection—
Taking some quiet time in the morning can really help us manage stress more effectively which can lead to better blood glucose numbers.
Meditation, prayer, breathing exercises and journaling are all great ways to start our day off in a positive peaceful way.
Here are three audio meditations that anyone can use to get a meditation practice started:
Breath meditation
Loving-kindness meditation
Body Scan
Here’s a gratitude journal that you can use to get started with a gratitude practice (which is linked with higher levels of happiness in many studies!)—download it from here:
3) Food—
From eating a healthy breakfast to taking some time for meal prep, mornings are a great time to make your healthy eating goals a reality!
Here are some delicious recipes for healthy breakfasts from our dietitian:
Here are some great ideas for brown-bag lunches that you can make in the morning to ensure you have a healthy, well-balanced meal for lunch at work or on the go:
4) Productivity—
In a recent study, Harvard researchers found that having a purpose as we get older is really important for living a longer and healthier life. A morning routine can be a great way to make progress on the projects that mean the most to you.
Take thirty minutes each morning to read, learn a new language, work on a craft, or make progress on any project that is meaningful to you.
If you’re not sure where to start, de-cluttering is something that helps many people with diabetes feel less stress—here are two great articles to read about that:
DuoLingo is a great free app for learning a new language—download it here: https://www.duolingo.com/
If you’re looking for some reading inspiration: here’s a great list of the most-loved American books: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books/#/
And here’s our handy project management guide that can help make ANY long-term project you have feel more do-able: