Best Morning Routine for Optimal Health

According to a Registered Dietitian

So you want to workout and eat all those nutrients that help with mood, reduce stress and the risk of chronic disease, and help with memory and cognitive function, but you feel overwhelmed with how to get started. Although there are lots of ways to go about improving your health, simply changing your morning routine could be all you need to jumpstart your health transformation.

This site may contain affiliate links. (Read full disclosure here).

This article is written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit.

A Dietitian Transforms Her Health

In case you haven’t read any of my blog posts yet, let me give you a little background. I am a registered dietitian who saw drastic improvements in my mood and health after I transformed my diet. I even lost 50 pounds. Now I share posts like this to help others transform their health as well.

I lost 50 pounds and transformed my life, and I jumpstart my day with this morning routine.

Why The Morning Routine?

Everyone’s morning is different; therefore, different routines will work best for different people. This, however, is the routine that works best for me and my current lifestyle. With this routine, I am able to get in crucial nutrients and exercise before I even go to work. Before 8:00 AM, I have consumed nutrients that help my immune system fight off germs while I am touching doors and shaking hands. By the end of the morning, I have also consumed nutrients that promote a positive mood and help me cope with the stresses of the day.

The morning routine for optimal health according to a dietitian who has lost 50 pounds and transformed her health.

Here My Morning Routine For Optimal Health

5:00 AM

I wake up and say a prayer, and I think of all the ways I am thankful.

Fill up my water bottle so that I have water on hand for the rest of the day. Confession: I have trouble drinking water during the day, so these gallon jugs with a water drinking schedule on them help me get in more water during the day. I also love the “pump you up” words on the jugs.

5:00-5:30 AM: Exercise

Next, I run for 10 minutes and do 10 of my favorite exercises. (See videos of my sample workouts below.) Before I exercise, I take a moment to thank God for the opportunity to move my body. I like to exercise outside and notice my surroundings. This is my way of mindfully exercising.

Sample of my Morning Exercise Routine: I pick 10 exercises to do each morning. The whole workout only takes about 10 minutes.

5:30-6:30 AM: Eat Breakfast

Before I eat breakfast, I take a moment to thank God for all the nourishing foods I am about to put into my body. Then, I slowly and mindfully enjoy one of the following:

A handful of berries with yogurt and granola made out of either hemp, oats, or chia seeds (Sometimes I break up bars in my yogurt and berries).
A handful of berries and nut mix or trail mix along with a drink like Humm Zero Kombucha or the Gut Check KOR shot. (Kombucha and yogurt are good sources of probiotics.)

Yogurt + Berries + Chia Seeds and Nuts Clusters

Why I Make Sure I Eat Berries, Probiotics, Nuts and Seeds Each Morning

Berries are a great source of antioxidants. Research shows that antioxidants in berries are important for brain function and mood, and may reduce the risk of chronic disease and cancer. Probiotics help regulate our GI tract and may reduce the risk of a host of chronic conditions and mood disorders. Nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber. Chia seed, hemp seed, flax seed, and walnuts also contain ALA Omega-3, which is anti-inflammatory and important for optimal cognitive function and immunity. Omega-3 may even help with mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

Breakfast Variations Recap:

Variation 1: Berries + Yogurt + Granola

My Favorite Granolas:

Variation 2: Berries + Yogurt +Nutrition Bar

My Favorite Nutrition Bars:

Variation 3: Berries + Trail Mix and a Gut Check KOR Shot

My Favorite Trail Mix

Variation 4: Berries + Trail Mix and a Humm Zero Kombucha

6:30 AM: Take My Supplements and/or Drink a KOR Shot

I like to take an Omega-3 multivitamin like Nature Made Multi + Omega-3 because Omega-3s are important for brain function and mood. During the fall and winter I alternate each day between the Omega-3 multivitamin and the Bluebiology Immune Essentials since fall and winter are cold and flu seasons. I also drink KOR shots each morning. I rotate between the Vitality Kor Shot, which contains Turmeric and the Wellness Kor Shot, which contains ginger. Ginger and Turmeric are immune supportive and have antioxidant properties. KOR shots have a fantastic ingredients list. Many of the ingredients are nutrients I try to incorporate naturally through diet but sometimes have a hard time getting them in regularly.

6:40-7:40 AM: Get Dressed For My Work Day.

And done! By 7:40 AM I have already finished my workout and consumed a powerhouse of nutrients like antioxidants, fiber, omega-3, and probiotics!

For the rest of the day, I try to include even more nourishing energizing foods that will continue to help me seize the day! I create and eat a nourishing lunch and dinner using The Nourishing Meal Builder strategy, or I eat left overs.

How to Destress and Reenergize After Work

Then I have an after work decompress routine: You can see it here.

Evening Routine

Finally, I have an evening routing that helps me unwind before bed. You can see that routine here.