‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’

It’s 6:30 am on Monday morning, and your alarm is sounding, signaling the start of the day. You jolt awake to the irritating, monotonous sound, and hit the snooze button. ‘Just five more minutes,’ you think, ‘and then I’ll get up.’

The five minutes pass and your alarm sounds again, with the snooze button being hit once more.

Five minutes later, when the alarm sounds for the third time, you sluggishly drag yourself out of bed and check your phone. Due to the fact the alarm was snoozed twice, the time allotted for getting ready for school has been cut short. You rush to get ready in the bathroom, then throw on some clothes, grab your backpack and run downstairs to shovel down a quick breakfast before running out of the house so you can make it to school on time.

Whether or not your morning routine looks exactly like this or not, most teenagers can attest to the feeling of being rushed as they wake up early for school.

However, mornings do not have to look or feel like that.

WAKING UP:

Waking up and getting out of bed can prove to be difficult for many students early in the morning. Over 50% of the 66 people who answered the poll snooze their alarm at least once. There are ways to make waking up and getting out of easier. One solution to the problem of not being able to get out of bed is putting the device used for a morning alarm across the room. Doing this makes it necessary to get out of bed and move around to turn it off. Another way to start your morning well is to make an upbeat song your alarm, and change it up every once in a while so you don’t wake up to an annoying, ringing alarm. If you have a hard time getting out of bed after your alarm, and therefore are rushed because it gets later, a way to change this is to set an alarm earlier, even just five minutes earlier. Now, this could mean less sleep, but going to bed earlier is a healthy habit to get into.

EXERCISE:

While it can be hard to fit in exercise into a rushed morning, it proves to pay off. 73% of students who answered the poll never work out in the mornings, and only 8% work out every day.

“Exercising in the morning burns more fat than later in the day. If you exercise in the morning after fasting all night, you’re going to burn the carbohydrates and sugars stored in your muscles and liver,” says George Welch, MD, a cardiologist.

Working out in the morning also improves mood and mental abilities. It does not have to be a long workout regime if you don’t want. There are some quick ideas that are able to be squeezed into morning activities. As you walk downstairs for breakfast or out of the door to leave, do some high-knees, buttkicks, and lunges. If you watch TV in the morning, try to do some pushups, crunches, and maybe lift some weights while watching.

EATING BREAKFAST:

Around 90% of students who answered the poll eat breakfast before school at least once a week. The other 10% never eat breakfast before school, and 40% don’t eat it every day.

Sophomore Addie Morrisette said, “I usually wake up around 6:30, and I always pack my bag the night before so I have plenty of time for breakfast.”

Breakfast has many benefits, as long as the breakfast choice is right. Breakfast can make you more energized for the day, improve your brain power, and give you more nutrients. However, reaching for a sugary cereal such as Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the morning cannot promise these outcomes. Choosing a breakfast that is healthy and a good start to the day can.

If you have some time in the morning for a longer breakfast, here are some healthy ideas:

1. Banana pancakes
2. Whole wheat waffles
3. Smoothie bowl

Most students, however, do not have a sufficient amount of time for making these breakfasts. Here are some ideas for quick breakfasts:

1. Just some simple cereal, preferably on the healthy side, such as Honey Nut Cheerios, Chex, or Honey Bunches of Oats
2. Prepare a smoothie the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight; some possible ingredients: strawberries, bananas, protein powder, almond milk, blueberries, non-fat yogurt
3. Toast with peanut butter or jam
4. A healthy granola bar, such as Kind Bars,

Another healthy habit to start in the mornings is simply drinking a glass of water. While sleeping, your body cleanses itself of bodily toxins. Drinking water in the morning flushes the toxins out of your body and also purifies the colon which makes it easier to take in nutrients.