"The Golden Hour" is often referred to as the first and most important time period of the day. By jumping out of bed into a routine of healthy and enjoyable practices, you will notice that the quality of your day is heavily dependent on the quality of your morning.
1. Rise with the sun
Some people have different preferences on when to get up, but for me, waking up in time to see the sun rise over the horizon is always a pretty special moment. Waking up so early seems intense, but the groggy early-morning horror disappears when you see the glow of morning sunlight gently spill over the night sky.
2. Take a COLD shower
Whether or not you need to bathe yourself, stepping under freezing cold water is not for the faint of heart. Hot water brings dry skin, fatigue, and the curious desire to never leave the shower. Cold water refines the hair/skin, induces fat loss, and can even relieve depression. My favorite result is the unbelievable energy boost and circulatory response. The immediate effects on your breathing might make you look like a crackhead having an asthma attack, but the energy and health benefits are well worth a few minutes of icy torture.
3. Acknowledge one thing that you're grateful for
One ridiculous thing about college students, is the endless amount of complaints on hand. Everyone seems to be talking about what we want, can't afford, where we would rather be, or how little sleep we got. If students could look down at everything we are lucky enough to have, we would realize the youth, bright future, and abundance of resources we are blessed to have as attendants of a university. By appreciating all the blessings you have woken up to, you set an amazing precedent for the rest of a day that will be full of positive, humble, happy, and loving thoughts.
4. Exercise
Any form of exercise. Whether it be cardio, weight training, yoga, or walking, morning workouts shock your system in a lot of cool ways. If you prefer to do your workouts later in the day, it still feels amazing to get back into your physical body after hours of floating around in dreamland. When everyone else is dragging their feet and moving as if they were made of stone, you can be limbered up and ready for action, simply because you decided to stretch in the morning.
5. Do your favorite activity
Unless sleep is the only thing you're passionate about, beginning the day with a favored activity is the fastest way to becoming a morning person. President Truman would wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning to play the piano for two hours, not because he had to, but for the sake of starting the day with passion.
6. Eat breakfast outside
"Don't skip breakfast" and "get fresh air" are two of the most obvious (and ignored) staples of healthy living. In only ten minutes, you can accomplish both of them first thing in the morning. Even if you're a religious breakfast-eater, your body uses the sun for the natural production and use of vitamins, so it's worth posting up on a park bench outside. Receiving the combined nutrients from a hearty meal and the morning sun, it creates a powerful combination that I personally depend on to feel healthy daytime vigor.
