20 Simple Morning Rituals to Lose Weight

Will my weight-loss ritual really work? 

Weight loss is possible when you change your food-intake habits, set up your fitness routine, and practice mindfulness. This way, you'll consume fewer calories and increase your physical activity, which are the main factors in returning to your ideal weight. But we believe that the most demanding work is the mental one.

You'll have to improve self-control and ensure your more-exercising and healthier-eating efforts are regular. Also, you'll need to enhance focus on positive thinking and give yourself enough support during the challenging periods. That's why the 20 rituals below help you smoothly and unobtrusively incorporate healthy behaviors into your after-wake-up activities. 
So if you stick to your morning routine for weight loss, it'll help you lose weight. Let's start!

20 Morning rituals to help you lose weight

1. Exercise under your blanket

The first thing in the morning is waking up. Opening your eyes is challenging, but getting out from under the snuggly warm blanket is even tougher. But it's possible to make you want to throw off that blanket –- with a three-minute warm-up! For instance, these can be 20 forward crunches followed by 20 bridges. 

Don't worry about the soft surface or the unideal technique of performing, as these exercises will still promote weight loss. Even one set will wake you up and make you feel warmer. But if you have more time to repeat the sequence, do it a maximum of three times. This little warm-up shouldn't be your morning workout and has to add only positive vibes. 

After the set is done, you'll feel less sleepy and sensitive to the surrounding temperature. Now you can pull the blanket off and go to the bath in no hurry. 

2. Weigh yourself

Keeping the right track of how you lose weight is critical for the result, so you'll need to monitor your weight loss and weight gain. Yes, there might be periods when you'll be gaining kilos, even when trying to lower body mass index. This can happen during ovulation or after a diet. Also, we gain weight due to growing muscles or consuming too much salt. Sodium makes your organism retain water to keep balance.  

Another reason for weight gain is stress, which prompts you to eat more and consume drinks with added sugar, gaining more calories than you need. So make regular weighting the second thing in the morning. And it would be ideal if you note the pounds with some comments that will help you analyze the reasons for your success or little rollbacks.  

3. Drink two glasses of water after the wake-up

Our bodies use water to evacuate toxins that cause headaches, allergies, insomnia, fatigue, bad-looking skin, dry hair, fragile nails, and other health issues. But surprisingly, anxiety, depression, and stress also belong to toxicity symptoms. So if you drink two glasses of water as you get up, you'll help your physical and mental health. 

Moreover, water is critical for body weight regulation as it helps burn body fat. The chemical process of removing fat is called lipolysis, and the trick is that our organism needs to add water to fat before breaking it down. This way, drinking enough water is one of the healthy habits that help you lose weight and keep your energy level high. Your first step is to make drinking these two glasses of water one of your morning habits. 

4. Dance for three minutes

It's time to add some fun to your weight-loss routine. Switch on your favorite song as you walk to the bathroom and dance like nobody's watching! This way, you improve your coordination, cardiovascular health, and flexibility and support your weight loss efforts. Among the non-physical impacts of dancing are reduced stress, improved social communication, and a higher energy level.

Use this morning ritual to boost metabolism and entertain yourself. Maybe after several days of this practice, you'll want to learn a couple of movements and try dancing with Shakira or Bruno Mars. In this case, your brain will have to form new neural connections, encouraging positive neuroplasticity, i.e., rewriting your mind to be positive.

5. Take a contrast shower

An after-the-wake-up shower is a must for many people. They wash away the toxins generated by their bodies throughout the night and find some relaxation under the warm water. Using a strong water stream and a stiff washcloth also massages your belly, legs, arms, and back, which helps you lose weight. 

However, warm or even hot water can leave some of us too relaxed, unfocused, and sometimes a bit lazy. That's why we offer to add another exercise for your vessels, a weight-loss tip, and a mood booster to your morning habits –- a contrast shower. Alternating water temperature trains your immune system, making your organism burn body fat to warm up. In addition, ending your shower with cool or cold water is so refreshing. 

6. Make 20 squats during your towel time

You'll be surprised how much time you actually have if you combine activities. For example, incorporating weight-loss exercises into other morning rituals like drying yourself with a towel. 20 squats will probably take you the same half a minute but will also help you lose weight and train your muscles. Once you have the time and energy, make 2-3 sets.

With time, as you feel stronger, try doing 10 push-ups or 10 burpees instead. The trick here is to be less demanding about how you perform the exercise, focusing on its regularity and the committed number of reps. In addition to weight loss, this experience will teach you discipline, which will help you stick to your morning habits no matter your mood, well-being, or weather. 

7. Massage your thighs

These morning weight-loss activities will probably make you spend more time in the bathroom, but it's worth it. That's because they improve your health and appearance. For example, spend several minutes massaging your upper legs with anti-cellulite massage oil. It increases blood and lymph circulation in the problem area, which you'll feel slightly burning and itching. 

You can do the massage manually, using massagers, or apply vacuum cups—whichever fits your morning weight-loss routine better. Again, don't focus on the correctness and thoroughness of the process; you'll master the technique with time. At this point, it's critical to do it regularly to improve self-control. 

8. Make 10 standing back leg raises while you brush your teeth

We'll incorporate another exercise into your morning activities to help your body lose weight. This time we'll make your legs busy while brushing your teeth. Make 10 leg kickbacks with each leg as you stand. You may need time to find the balance and coordinate the movements, but soon doing several things at a time will be a piece of cake!

If there's enough space in your bathroom, try alternating this exercise with back or side leg raises. Try them with straight legs and knees softly bent, with your toe toward you and the opposite direction, and slightly rotating your hip inward and outward. These exercises can be hard, but they strengthen and build your hips when done regularly. 

9. Do 30 standing calf raises as you comb your hair 

Combing your hair doesn't have to take more than one minute. This time is enough to do 30 or 50 calf raises as you stand. You can do this simple exercise almost anywhere, so why not warm your calves while styling your hair? Performing the two actions together can require some mindfulness training, but it's only a matter of practice. 

If you need to grow your calves, add several sets of this workout to your regular gym training or morning exercise set. Still, don't make this on-the-go ritual exhausting as you have the whole day ahead. It should be easy and fun, leaving you inspired and energised throughout the day. You need to stay positive while making tiny steps to lose weight. 

10. Pack 2l bottle of water for the day

Don't worry about the temperature of the water you drink. The Boschmann et al. research shows that if you drink room temperature water (20-22°C), your organism will have to warm it to 36,6°C by burning many calories. This process is called water-induced thermogenesis. But soon, scientists stated that irrespective of its temperature, drinking water didn't impact your weight loss directly.

But what water can do is remove toxins from your blood, increase your metabolic rate, and give some relief when you feel hungry. Regular water intake has a positive impact on your weight. It's your responsibility to supply your organism with a minimum of two liters of water. So pack a nice water bottle with your daily portion and remind yourself to consume it throughout the day. 

11. Start a food diary

When you want to decrease your body mass index, creating a plan for losing weight will help. So start a weight-loss diary to monitor what you eat. There you'll add calorie intake and meal planning, note body weight and hours of sleep, and share your diet achievements and moods. If you like paper notes, create your own unique health journal with inspiring quotes on how to lose weight.

However, the digital format can fit our smartphone-focused lifestyle better. And you'll find many tools for planning your eating, analyzing each meal, and committing to your diet. The Eleviate app is an excellent mental health and mood tracker if you want to share your emotions. Keeping these records will help you identify triggers that make you feel bad and provoke you to consume more calories. 

12. Add 20 minutes of exercising

Exercising and eating healthy food are two essential activities that contribute to significant weight loss. So, a workout is a must if you want to reduce your body mass index. Though regular training is quite challenging, you can make it enjoyable. This way, you don't have to spend hours in a gym if you prefer bodyweight exercises. Or you needn't do tons of pull-ups if you love jogging. 

Though our recommendations on morning habits include fitness elements, it would help if you dedicate 20 minutes to a more focused workout at home. For example, you can do burpees, push-ups, squats, leg raises, exercises for abdominal press, back extensions, or alternative workouts for the problem zones. Yoga sequences also fit into your morning routine because asanas activate your organism smoothly. 

13. Make 108 Kapalabhati

Kapalabhati is an intensive yoga breathing practice with many positive effects. Firstly, it generates internal heat, burns calories, eliminates unnecessary fat, and removes toxins from your body. Secondly, it improves digestion and blood circulation, enhancing the functioning of your liver and kidneys. Finally, this practice fills your cells with oxygen, refreshing your mind, activating your energy, reducing stress, and fighting sleep deprivation. 

You can do 108 breathing cycles while standing or sitting in a quarter lotus or on your calves. Keep your back and neck straight but relaxed; leave your hands palm-down on your thighs, slightly bending your elbows. Now quickly pull your abdominal muscles and make an intensive exhale. Immediately breathe in naturally while relaxing your belly. 

You'll need approximately one second for one breathing cycle. So this practice is pretty intense but rewarding. 

14. Practice meditation

While you still have an empty stomach before the first meal, practicing mindfulness meditation will be great. That's because, in the mornings, our minds aren't yet overloaded and tired. Then meditation will help you extend that freshness and quietness and prolong the mindfulness effect. Moreover, calming your feelings will help control your appetite and avoid emotional eating. 

The analysis of 2017 showed that meditation reduced heart rate, blood pressure, triglycerides, and cortisol levels. The last two chemicals are directly linked with gaining more weight. Our bodies convert extra calories into a type of fat called triglycerides, and the stress hormone cortisol initiates the production of more triglycerides. 

So mindfulness meditation is worth adding to your mornings, as it helps reduce eating disorders and prevents overweight women and men from gaining more weight. 

15. Find a minute for self-motivation

Whether you add another minute or two to your meditation or make it a separate practice, find some time for motivation. You can thank yourself for your efforts and write it down in your diary. Constantly admitting that you do a great job will help you find energy to go on and stay focused on the result. 

For example, you can place your gorgeous-looking picture on the fridge. It will remind you of your weight-loss and well-being goals. So every time you get there to cook a meal or eat something, this image will trigger you. Do you really need that piece of chocolate or cheese before you go? How far will it take you from your ideal weight? 

16. Have protein-rich breakfast 

By now, your body must have produced the hunger hormone, signaling it's time to have the most important meal. You probably used to have your morning cup of coffee and eat a sandwich and biscuits for breakfast. However, you'll need to start having a high-protein breakfast with the idea of losing kilos. Protein helps you feel well-fed longer and keeps the average sugar level in your blood low. 

Your high-protein breakfast can include turkey sausage, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken meat, and black beans. Check out some recipes with protein-rich products to vary this important meal. It's also beneficial to eat vegetables for breakfast as they contain fiber. Fiber also has plenty of health benefits, like promoting weight loss, reducing the risk of heart disease, and normalizing blood sugar levels. 

It's also great to drink green tea for breakfast because it includes fat-reducing antioxidants. Still, if you're a coffee lover, the good news is that caffeine improves metabolism. So having it for breakfast is also beneficial, unless you have health issues. 

17. Use stairs 

Technology and progress entered our lives long ago, and often we pay with our health for comfort. But as you've decided to make your mornings more activity-friendly, refuse elevators. Whether you use it at home or work, switch to taking the stairs. As stated on Cleveland State University's page, such a walk will help you stay in good shape. 

It'll train your legs, improve your heart, boost your endurance, and burn calories. You can trust this statement since most doctors of the famous Cleveland Clinic are this university's graduates. Moreover, taking stairs is more environmentally friendly as you'll help decrease carbon dioxide pollution. 

However, going up might be an issue if you work or live on the 10th floor or higher. Still, this height is also bearable—you only need to allow more time for that. 

18. Walk to your work 

Cars let us complete ten times more tasks, while buses and the metro help us move around the city faster. However, transport lets us stay less active and gain more weight. That's why we suggest adding some walking to your mornings. For instance, you can leave your car 10 minutes' walk away from your office. 

Walking these 500 meters will help you switch to the working rhythm and get fresh air. And after you finish, you'll get a chance to distract from the corporate routine, relax, and recover. If you happen to start your day with a particularly nourishing meal, this enjoyable cardiovascular workout before work will help you feel better and more active. So, walking is a great way to increase your physical and mental well-being. 

19. Wake up earlier

Many web resources state that sleeping for at least 8 hours is critical to waking up fresh and energized. However, the time you have this "enough sleep" also matters. You'll notice that after going to bed at 2 pm and waking up at 11 am, you won't feel as rested as after sleeping from 10 pm to 8 am. This is especially true for people aged 30+. 

The hours between 10 pm and 2 am are the most regenerating due to the day-night cycle. Ideally, our circadian rhythms ("internal clock") have to coincide with the natural ones. Once they do, you'll be able to wake up earlier and have more time for your morning habits. However, disturbed sleep-wake rhythms can result in sleep deprivation. 

When you go to sleep at 10 pm and wake up at 6 am, you have enough time to train, meditate, and enjoy your protein breakfast. So set the alarm clock to remind you to go to bed on time.  

20. Sleep well 

A good night's sleep will never be too much for your body. Once you fix your day-night rhythms, ensure a regular sleep of approximately 8 hours. This time is essential for recovering your physical and mental health. But to make your sleep more effective, incorporate your evening routine. For example, limit your screen time to one hour and stop scrolling one hour before sleep.  
Quality sleep is also good for weight loss as it'll prevent you from consuming more calories and gaining more weight. That's because our organisms often try to balance the lack of energy with food. After a night of work, your typical breakfast with a high protein content will hardly be enough. Also, clinical endocrinology states that sleep disruption can provoke hormonal imbalance. So quality sleep is critical for your health and beauty.

Create your daily routines to lose weight with Eleviate

Morning is a perfect time to build your weight-loss routine. Incorporating short pieces of training on the go, normalizing sleeping rhythms, adding enough water, and planning your meal for the day are only a few examples of what you can do after waking up. However, intensive workouts and a diet ideally work for losing kilos in the short term. 

But to get stable results, you need to have discipline and motivation. Eleviate app will help you with both like a loving but demanding mentor. Its exercising plans will help you reduce food intake for breakfast and consume fewer calories during each meal throughout the day. Regular cardio training will promote burning fat and building muscles.