IT'S SPRING! TIME TO SHAKE UP YOUR MORNINGS WITH 8 EASY STEPS

It's spring! Time to shake up your morning routine to increase your energy, productivity and positivity. Your mornings set the tone for your entire day - it can mean the difference between a productive day or a sluggish one, having a powerful ripple effect on your mood, happiness and focus. Here, fitness expert and THE BOD founder, Sophie Guidolin, reveals eight simple ways to shake up your morning.

1. 5AM Rise & Thrive

Set your alarm (heck, set 2 if you have to!) and get up. The hardest part is getting out of bed, so put your phone/alarm on the other side of the room so you actually have to get up to turn it off.

Starting your day at 5am gives you time to enjoy your morning instead of rushing around in a panic. The first couple of days are the hardest, but once you establish the routine it’ll get easier to naturally wake up and go.

2. Hydrate

Drinking water first thing in the morning, an underrated yet essential part of any healthy routine, immediately helps rehydrate the body.

The six to eight hours of recommended nightly sleep is a long period to go without any water consumption.

Don’t reach for anything fizzy or caffeinated first thing - a refreshing glass of water can really revitalise you and help you to feel more positive about and prepared for the day ahead.

3. Meditate

Meditation is such a powerful practice for the mind and can help us focus, shift negative thoughts, and regain a sense of calm.

Spending 10 minutes each morning with your own thoughts can do wonders for the day ahead. You’ll find you’ll be able to focus and fight distractions a lot easier.

4. Journal

Spend at least 10 minutes each morning writing in your journal what you’re grateful for, your daily mantra, and set your intentions for the day ahead.

I love using my Flourish & Fulfilled Gratitude Planner to express my thoughts, plan my tasks, and to help inject a little more calm and mindfulness into my day.

5. Exercise

A great way to stay on track with your training is to do it first thing in the morning. If you leave your workouts until later in the day, there’s always a chance something will come up and you’ll end up rescheduling.

Plus, our physical energy peaks in the morning if we’ve had a good night’s sleep, so you’ll find yourself smashing your workout in no time!

6. Breakfast

Don’t skip breakfast! You need to refuel your body and give it the energy it needs to keep you going. If you're deprived of food, your body starts to find it difficult to process things or pay attention and starts to fatigue dramatically.

7. Plan your day

The morning is the best time to plan and organise ideas for the day. If you structure your day and plan your routine, you won’t find yourself in such a flap later on and end up rushing around or panicking that you’ve run out of time.

List your tasks, meeting, activities, etc for the day and you’ll soon realise how much more you can get done.

8. Enjoy your ‘you’ time

The morning is a great time to invest in yourself. Spend 30 minutes reading your book, repeating your positive affirmations, learning a new language, or studying a new course.

Give yourself a mini pamper session. Avoid your phone, emails, TV and social media. Use this time to relax and slowly prepare yourself for the day.

Having these few extra hours in the morning will not only do wonders for your health, but it will help you feel a lot more prepared for the day, ultimately allowing you to be more productive. Give it a try!