Start your day with the Sun Salutation:
The sun salutation is a series of yoga postures that warms, strengthens and aligns the entire body. Each pose coordinates with your breathing: Inhale to extend, and exhale to bend. If you spend a lot of your time sedentary, perhaps looking down at your phone too much, and have hip, knee or lower back discomfort this warm up yoga sequence will be sure to help relieve some of the pressure in those areas. This is a great way to link mind and body and start your day with clear thoughts.
Drink a pint of water with a slice of lemon in the morning: It sounds simple but when you lose more fluids than you take in you will be dehydrated. This means you will feel less energetic and that’s quite a big draw back. Imagine if you had an extra 30% energy each day. What could you do with it? Other symptoms include dry skin, constipation of some level, muscle cramps, dry mouth, bad breath and much more. I know it’s not easy drinking the recommended 2.2 litres for men and 1.8 litres for women each day, so I set alarms throughout the day reminding me to ‘take a sip’ and to make water a little more exciting I bought in a fruit infused water bottle which provides all the antioxidants from the fruit. Staying hydrated with change your life, trust me!
Eat more fibre:
Fibre cleans your colon, acting like a scrub brush through the intestines. This ‘scrub brush’ effect helps clean out bacteria and other build-up in your intestines and reduces your risk of colon cancer. A high fibre diet also helps you have regular bowel movements which reduces constipation helping you feel lighter throughout the day. Some examples of high fibre products are whole grain breads, cereals, brown rice, beans, fruit and vegetables.
Incorporate daily meditation into your morning routine:
In today’s fast paced culture, we tend to get caught up in the busyness of the day ahead of us we forget to take a moment to ask ourselves the questions that matter – are we focusing on what makes us truly happy? Is what we’re doing giving meaning to our lives at all? Am I losing touch with what matters the most? According to The Happiness Advantage, research has shown that regular meditation can ‘permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress, and even improve immune function.’ Taking even just 3-5 each morning to stop, connect with yourself & set intentions for the day allows you to cultivate inner strength and clarity. If you’re completely new to mediation, you don’t have to feel put off by not knowing where to start; there are plenty of great apps out there which offer guided meditations & daily reminders, providing you with an easy entry into meditating.
Dynamic stretching:
Static stretching is a deep, slow stretch which is held for 10 – 20 seconds I prefer a form of stretching which is more commonly used by athletes to warm up before exercise; Dynamic stretching is a series of challenging movements that are executed repeatedly so the stretch is felt deeper with each motion. Typically, dynamic stretching involves starting in a stationary position, holding the stretch for a few seconds, taking a step and repeating the same stretch but feeling it move a little deeper through the muscle.
Foam Rolling:
The benefits of foam rolling have to do with the mobility of the fascia. Fascia is a fibrous layer of connective tissue that surrounds all of the muscles in our body. Without proper mobility, fibers of the fascia become cross linked and they bind to muscles and nerves, inhibiting normal motion and causing pain.
If we don’t stay on top of our flexibility in our muscles, it will affect our joint movements and therefore lead to incorrect technique and further injuries. The good thing about a foam roller is that it can get right into your deeper tissue, like a massage but without someone else physically having to be there, and for me I feel it is a super important part of my routine and my routine.
