Getting to Sleep
1.Dried Cherries
First of all, these delicious dried morsels are an excellent, chewy treat. I eat them on my cereal every single morning. They are also delicious on salads, or just by themselves. The sleep benefit they provide is also a nice perk. Cherries are a natural source of melatonin, which helps you sleep. Most packages of dried cherries boast this information on their labels, but there is also a lot of independent research that backs this concept up. So--dig in! Dried cherries are fat free, taste great, are packed with antioxidants, and can help regulate your sleep cycle.
2. Warm Milk
Urban legend, along with more reliable sources like Web Md and The New York Times, all tout the ability of warm milk to sooth us into sleep. This effect, however, is not due to tryptophan, as many believe. In fact, it appears as though no one really knows exactly why warm milk is so soothing. Either way, you will be getting a little more calcium and protein before bedtime.
3. Count Your Blessings
Whether you are particularly religious or not, thinking about the good in your day is much more soothing than dwelling on the bad. As famous author Ralph Waldo Emerson once advised,
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day."
So, as you lay your head down on your pillow tonight, try not to think of your mistakes, your worries, your problems. Instead, run through your mind all the good you experienced today. Some days, this may be harder than others, but every day it is possible. Tonight when I lay down, these are thoughts I will take with me to sleep:
*I had a lovely run in the sunshine this afternoon
*I am beginning to notice I have the first hints of a tan
*The weather was gorgeous today
*Dinner was easy to make and delicious to eat
*I am already ahead on my homework for my next graduate class
*It is almost the weekend
...and so on.
4. Rise and Shine
Seems like weird advice for going to bed at night, right? But it's not. Getting outside during the early morning hours when the sun is just rising can actually help improve your ability to fall asleep at night, largely because sunlight helps regulate our biological clocks. Check out an article on Discovery Fit and Health to learn more about the science behind this.
When I first learned about this phenomenon, I started taking my dogs for short, ten-minute walks every morning before I left for work. Now, the dogs and I get up early enough to make time for 30- to 40-minute walks every morning.
Henry David Thoreau, a friend of Emerson, who is quoted above, once said,
"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."
One
of my favorite parts of the day is my morning walk with my dogs--even
though, during the work week, we have to take it before 6:00 in the
morning. Those 30 to 40 minutes of time with my dogs, fresh air, sunlight (unless it's winter, in which case, it's usually moonlight) and
physical activity set the tone for the entire day. It's time I can use
to mentally prepare myself for the goals I want to accomplish that day.
It's a quiet, peaceful way to begin any day.
Waking Up
1. Refresh
The first thing I do in the morning, whether I plan to shower that morning or wait until that night, is wash my face. The reason is simple: it makes me feel more awake and refreshed. The water and the cleansing are invigorating. I have washed a bit of the sleepiness away.
2.Break the Fast
This is such an obvious tip, but I felt like I had to include it because. Obvious though it is, it is also very important. People who eat breakfast tend to weigh less than those who don't--probably because they give their metabolism a jump-start first thing in the morning, and it keeps working from there. In addition, many breakfast foods are fairly light and healthy. Think whole grain cereal with dried or fresh fruit, whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a banana, Greek yogurt, etc.
3. Orange Juice
Even if you opt to skip breakfast, drinking a glass of orange juice can prove a healthy and more natural kick-start to your day than coffee. I don't really know the science behind this, but my own experience, several health magazines, and a ton of info on the web back it up. Plus, unlike coffee, orange juice is packed with Vitamin C and doesn't require a hefty addition of sugar or cream to make it taste good.
4.Count Your Blessings (Yes, Again)
I won't lie to you. I really hate getting up at 4:50 during the work week, especially during the winter when the sun hasn't even begun to consider rising and it's really cold outside, but really warm in my bed. I have found, though, that a powerful motivator, however, can be taking just one minute to think of things to which I am looking forward to that day. Before you force yourself out of your comfortable bed (where you have probably just found the perfect sleeping position and now you have to get up), list a few good things about the day ahead. Tomorrow, my mental morning list will probably look something like this:
*It's almost Friday
*I have really good cheese dip in my lunch
*I'm wearing a comfortable sun dress
*We're eating leftovers for dinner, so that's one less thing to do
*I'm going to try a new hairstyle and maybe some new makeup
*I get to talk to my sister on the phone for our weekly catch-up chat tonight
See? These are simple, small things--but each of them will make me a little more willing to get up and take on the day. After all, I have to get out of bed before I can do any of those things (well, I suppose Friday would arrive regardless--but the other things require me to be out of bed).
Fast Fitness Tip: If you are a morning exerciser, there are bound to be days when you are faced with this dilemma: Do I get up and work out, or stay in my cozy, comfy bed that much longer? A good rule of thumb is this: If you have gotten at least six hours of sleep, go on and get yourself up for your morning exercise routine. If you have gotten less than six hours of sleep, you will probably benefit more from skipping your workout and getting the extra hour or two of shuteye.
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