What you do in the first hour of waking up in the morning can make all the difference between a successful, productive and healthy day versus one that goes pear-shaped with poor eating habits, lack of exercise, productivity and energy. Have you got a ‘first thing in the morning’ ritual or routine that works for you that sets you up for a winning day?

Our brains need triggers to push our buttons and change our emotional state. Using simple things like positive words or phrases, motivational images, upbeat or calming songs or simple rituals that speak to us directly can completely change our thoughts and feelings to get us motivated or calm us down. Practicing these triggers consistently every morning as soon as we get up, can help set us up not only for a successful day but for constant progress and moving forward towards reaching our fitness and nutrition goals.

So What’s in your trigger tool box?

Positive Words or Phrases

Decide on a mantra if you don’t have one already that speaks directly to you that you can say out loud every morning that will remind you why you are on this journey.  I have had the same mantra for the last 10 years – “Never Give Up” It speaks volumes to me and it has been a trigger to overcoming several obstacles in my life and reaching many goals, so much so that I used the phrase for the personalized medal hanger I had made when I completed my first Cape Argus Cycle Challenge in March 2020

Images

These could be inspiring images of something you have personally achieved, images that uplift or calm you, for example, pictures of the sea, or even images of someone that you look up to. These pictures should speak uniquely to you so they will not be the same for everyone

Songs

Music is a great way to change your emotional state especially if you are not feeling motivated to exercise. There’s nothing like an upbeat song to make you want to move. So next time you are not in the mood to train, try playing your favourite song to get moving and feel energized. Music can also be very soothing, so if you are feeling stressed, playing some relaxing music can do wonders for the soul to calm you down

Rituals

You might not pick everything in your trigger tool box every morning, but try choose at least one thing whether it’s your mantra, looking at an inspiring image or playing your favourite ‘get going’ song. What is important is to practice these rituals each and every morning within the first hour of waking up because they will truly set the tone for the rest of the day

Over and above these trigger tools, figure out what other rituals work for you. For me personally, I know that I need to have a huge glass of water first thing and then I have the same breakfast every morning. For some this might sound boring, but I am a person that thrives on routine and consistency, so if I deviate from my usual breakfast it throws me off for the day. For others, variety is the spice of life, so it’s important to practice what works for you.  I also need to exercise and write my to do list in my diary every morning.  It’s not that I don’t train well later in the day, but if I don’t get my endorphins going first thing in the morning and have a clear plan for what needs to get done, it generally throws me off track with my eating habits and productivity. Again everyone is different so figure out what triggers work well for you to ensure success and progress

So if you are struggling during this time to get back on track with consistency try pulling some triggers out of your tool box, even if it’s just one or two for now to do consistently first thing in the morning every day for the next week. The smallest trigger practiced regularly can lead to big results in the long term