This 90-minute morning routine will perfectly kick-start your day

By focusing on waking up, hydrating and nourishing your body in a morning routine, you will set yourself up for the day with energy and focus, rather than feeling tired and sluggish.

A good morning routine will be specific to the individual, and now it’s spring and we have more daylight, it will be easier to build. The experts at Bio-Kult are here to help with a tried and tested routine example.

Example morning timings

6.30am - wake up

This will depend on the time you need to leave for work, but it is best to aim for 60-90 minutes before you need to grab the bus or start driving.

6.30-6.40am - get out of bed

Use this time to make your bed, brush your teeth and put on workout clothes to ensure that you get some movement in the morning. Putting on the clothes first thing will hold yourself accountable, and you are more likely to stick to a routine.

6.40-6.45am - hydrate

If you’ve just woken up from a wonderful eight hour sleep, chances are you won’t have interrupted it to have some water, so you’ll be waking up very thirsty!

Dehydration is not good for the body, with dry lips, sunken eyes and headaches being some of the symptoms. But it is also bad for the gut microbiome. A lack of hydration will lessen the ideal environment for the growth of a healthy gut microbiome and could lead to issues such as bloating.

Aim for a glass of water every morning to help rehydrate.

6.45am-7.15am - get moving

We’re not suggesting that everyone needs to get out for a morning run, but moving your body in some way will help appease our naturally high energy levels in the morning.

Bio-Kult’s Ellie Mason, personal trainer and online coach says:

“Believe it or not, your energy levels are highest in the morning. Our stress hormone, cortisol, is naturally high in the morning to help us wake up. Despite being called the stress hormone, cortisol has a lot of benefits and helps to prepare our bodies to be ready for actions such as exercise.”

“Moving your body in the morning doesn’t have to be a run or a strength session; you could also take this time to go for a walk outside or for stretching.”

7.15-7.30am - get ready

Take this time to shower and get dressed, ready for the day.

7.30-7.40am - nourish your body

Ellie highlights the importance of breakfast in a good morning routine: “You should aim to consume a well-rounded breakfast including carbohydrates, fats, protein and a good source of fibre to help regulate blood sugar levels.”

“It’s also a good idea to add a live bacteria supplement to your breakfast to aid your gut health. Live bacteria supplements help to balance the gut-friendly bacteria in your digestive system, and if your gut is functioning as it should, your overall health will benefit.”

Supplements such as Bio-Kult Everyday contain 14 gut-friendly live bacteria strains to get your morning off to a good start.

7.40-7.50am - practice mindfulness

Research from the British Journal of Health Psychology reveals that just 10 minutes of mindfulness a day can improve wellbeing, ease depression and anxiety and help with motivation.

The morning is a great time to do this, and it will really set you up for the day.

Ellie says: “There are no set rules to journalling; you can put pen to paper and see where it takes you. If you need a suggestion on what to journal to get the ball rolling, writing down what you’re grateful for can be a great way to go into the rest of your day with a positive mindset.”

7.50-8am - do something for yourself

One thing that a lot of people like to do in the morning is spend a short amount of time on themselves before heading to work.

Reading a chapter of a book, or listening to your favourite podcast can help improve your mood and help you with your cognitive thinking.

This is just an example of a morning routine, but it highlights some of the important things that you should be doing as soon as you wake up to set you up for a good day. And it doesn’t have to be 90 minutes if you don’t have that time, highlights Ellie: “Let’s say you have children, or your day starts earlier than the average person; you might only have 15 minutes. You can still put together a routine in this time which will set you up better, as opposed to not having one at all.”

More tips and advice on how to build a good morning routine can be found on Bio-Kult’s website.