7 Simple Ways to Start Your Day On the Right Foot

As an artist, I am always working to improve my skills. As a human being, I am always seeking ways to keep myself healthy in body, mind and soul. Here are some things that I have been incorporating into my morning routine that have truly helped me to start my day off on the right foot.

1. Stretch Your Body
When I wake up in the morning, the first thing that I do is stretch my body. I have lower back issues, so I focus a great deal on stretching that area as well as my hamstrings and legs since I spend a great deal of time on my feet.

2. Move Your Body
Getting to the gym can be a challenge with a busy schedule, but I feel so much better when I get exercise in. I have started to incorporate a small amount of exercise into my morning routine. After my morning stretches I will focus on one part of my body and work on that. For example, I will do as many push ups, squats, lunges, crunches, etc. as I can. I usually only have time to focus on one of these, but even that little bit will get my heart rate going and help me to have more energy through my morning.

3. Hydrate Your Body
After a night of sleeping, my body is generally pretty parched. Drinking a full glass of water gives me an instant boost and helps to keep away headaches and other aches and pains that might deteriorate my mood throughout the day.

4. Fuel Your Body
Your body needs fuel to function. So make sure that you keep breakfast as your most important meal of the day! I have personally found that 1 egg on a slice of multigrain toast will keep my body satisfied for hours. I will often pair it with a green juice or acai juice so that I get a nice dose of fruits and veggies too. Play around with what breakfast works the best for you, but stay away from overly processed items and make sure to throw in some fruits or veggies.

5. Stay Inspired
I personally find a great deal of inspiration in the bible. So I have an app on my android called Laudate that I refer to every morning for the daily mass readings. Each reflection that it has also contains a prayer. However, if this isn't your thing, there are plenty of apps and websites that have daily inspirational and motivational quotes, such as http://www.dailyinspirationalquotes.in/. Words of wisdom are always inspiring!
For art related inspiration, 'The Daily Book of Art; might be a good option for you. It has 365 readings that teach, inspire and entertain. It can be found on amazon.com here

6. Stay Cheerful
When you are in a good mood, it instantly changes the mood of others around you. You will also find yourself better able to handle the problems that you encounter throughout the day. I find that driving to work with my local Christian Rock radio station instantly changes my mood. I drive to work with Wally from The Wally Show (website here) and his show makes me laugh so much that it's difficult to be in a bad mood. We have all encountered the drivers who should never have been given drivers' licenses. Often these encounters leave us in a less-than-amicable mood. If I am playing music that makes me happy, I find that I stress less, drive slower and enter my workplace in a calm and happy mood. If you don't already have a favorite radio station, start experimenting. Otherwise, grab some of your favorite CDs or your Ipod.

7. Make Goals for Your Day
I find that setting realistic goals at the beginning of my day really helps me to stay on track. I'm personally a list maker, so I keep a small notebook where I can physically write these tasks down. I love being able to physically cross things off of my list. As I get things done, I feel a sense of accomplishment that helps me to keep my good mood going.

What are some things that you do in the morning to keep yourself healthy and happy?

Which of the things that I've listed would you find to be the most challenging to incorporate and why?