Katie Austin Teaches You How to Become a Morning Person

When I was younger, my mornings started around 9 a.m. Now I wake up at 6 a.m. and I absolutely love that I still have an entire day to get things done! But don’t be fooled, this was a gradual process for me. You aren’t going to become a morning person overnight, but with practice and patience, it will happen. Waking up early truly sets the tone for the day. Having a productive morning for me is key to my mental and physical health. It can make or break my day.

Here are some of my top tips and tricks to make the most of your mornings and become a morning person:

1. Productive and meaningful mornings start the night before. A great night’s sleep is super important. I need my eight-to-nine hours of sleep to feel good the next day. Remember, turn off social media and technology at least 30 minutes before you go to bed.
2. Find little things in your morning that make you happy like having a cute coffee cup that brings back a fun memory for you or just makes you smile.
3. Set an alarm that doesn’t stress you out. Wake up with peace and calm.
4. Don’t hit the snooze button. Get up and out of bed within three minutes of opening your eyes. One of my best friends, fellow SI Swimsuit model Christen Harper, gave me this amazing tip: she physically jumps out of bed each morning to give her body a quick jolt of energy and movement and get ready for the day.
5. Stay off social for the first 30 minutes of your day. If you take those first 30 minutes to yourself, it sets the tone for the day in the best way possible. I like to do a quick meditation. I journal how I’m feeling in that exact moment and write it all down. It helps to process and de-stress my thoughts.
6. Write down everything you have to do for the day. Make a robust to-do list, time-blocking out your entire day, breaking it down into 30-minute segments.
7. Visualize positivity throughout your day. Once you visualize what you want, you can set the tone for the day and it will happen exactly the way you want it to.
8. Before you drink your coffee, you must drink water. If you drink coffee first thing after waking up, you are actually hurting your night’s sleep as you’re training your body to need caffeine to wake up. Wait at least 60-90 minutes before you have that first cup.
9. Movement is key in the morning. We need some circulation in our body and getting some quick movement makes you feel more energized and awake. People always ask me the best time to work out and I always say that anytime that works for you and your schedule, you should make it happen! But for me personally, I like to work out in the morning. I feel so energized and accomplished if I get in a workout by 8 a.m. Also, if you knock it out in the morning, you’ll be less prone to procrastination (the more time you think about doing your workout, the more likely you are to postpone it). Always plan your workout the night before and schedule it. The Katie Austin app has nearly 200 workouts that are all under 40 minutes, so there is no excuse to not squeeze in some movement.
10. If you can, go outside and get some sunlight first thing in the morning, whether it’s for your workout, to grab a cup of coffee or to go for a quick walk around your block. Your body will thank you for getting that Vitamin D and a boost of serotonin in the morning.
11. Eat a good breakfast. I eat a big, hearty breakfast (these breakfast tacos and overnight oats and chia seed pudding combo recipes are two of my favorites) and it makes me feel fueled and energized throughout the day.

My key takeaway: make sure that you have a routine. Create a 30-minute plan for you and your mornings that rings true to you. Routine is the most important thing for your mental health, physical health and overall well-being. Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day and waking up in the morning will give you the extra time to fit in everything you need to get done.