We’ve got a feeling that most of us overestimate mornings. Don’t get us wrong, we still believe that the right start of the day is key to productivity and happiness, The Jar Healthy Vending team has even got our own set of morning rules for a good morning mood.
But what if while everyone is becoming superhuman you are still struggling with waking up before 6 am, finding it difficult to do early morning workouts and even more impossible to happily get on with work?
It does sound like a perfect start of the day on the pages of books, magazines and Instagram feeds, but truth be told, a very little percentage of us can proudly say they manage such perfect mornings easily.
The reality hits and we once again press the snooze button, last-minute get ready, miss breakfast, have no energy whatsoever to go on with daily tasks and even healthy food is not helping to boost energy levels. Or in a better scenario, we spend a few hours trying to tune in to the upcoming chaos.
The paradox here is - we already know all the morning rules for a productive day but it’s not always easy to live by them, especially in the morning, especially if you are an evening person.
Which is why we thought, what if there are special rules to the evening beforehand that’ll help us maximise the productivity and mood of the following day, especially in the morning?
What if the evening beforehand has a bigger take on the next day than we think? Here are a few most important evening rules from The Jar Healthy Vending to help you achieve that unachievably grand morning routine.
4:00 pm rule - caffeine alert
It's reasonable to start with something as obvious as the quality of our sleep. To have a fresh start of the day, our nighttime sleep should be deep enough to restore energy and long enough to fully recover from the stress and fatigue.
Now, it’s important to remember that everything that you do after 4 pm affects your sleep. Since caffeine stays in your system for up to six hours it may be useful to avoid tea and coffee in the late afternoon to ensure that you won’t spend too much time rolling in bed and overthinking about life.
P.S. Same applies to alcohol. Try avoiding booze at least two hours before bedtime. Technically, the after-work happy hour might still fall in the safe zone.
Snacking rule
A very common belief is not to eat after 6 pm. Nonsense. In reality, you should avoid heavy meals a few hours before bed. And, mind you, no one said anything about snacks.
If you feel like you need that snack before bedtime certain foods help with sleeping better. Such as bananas, because they contain magnesium, melatonin and serotonin and help to relax muscles. Almonds, honey, oats also stimulate the release of melatonin, which again helps us to sleep better.
Check out our evening snack options that you can grab on your way home from the office:
Chocolate Almond Shake or Almond Butter Shake from Plenish. It's dairy-free and it contains only almonds and coconut water, which positively affect our sleep hormone production.
Pollen and Grace Cherry Almond Porridge tastes even better than sounds. Oats have been reported to induce drowsiness when consumed before bed. Also, a good source of melatonin.
But if you need a snack to accompany your evening series binge, go for our Popcorn Shed popcorn. It's whole grain and very low in calories. Good choice.
But bear in mind, digestion takes a lot of our energy, especially during night time. If you overload yourself with heavy food it will be simply impossible for the body to recover before morning. Consequently, instead of a fresh "rise and shine" you'll wake up to "snooze alarm" button.
One Hour Before Bed rule
This is very impossible yet important - step away from the phones, laptops and TV screens at least half an hour or an hour before bedtime. The earlier - the better. It's been proven a million times that the blue light we are exposed to is affecting the precious melatonin and, henceforth, the quality of our sleep.
Certainly, you can use night shift mode on your phone and minimise the exposure. Alternatively, you can do better and spend quality time with a good old book or practising the meditation, gratefulness and positive affirmations. Whatever you choose, remember to stay mindful and calm.
The bottom line here is - before setting a morning routine, always take care of your evening beforehand. And slowly, who knows, your whole lifestyle, in general, will change for the better and mornings will become your favourite part of the day.
Sweet dreams and meals from The Jar Healthy Vending!
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