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Establishing a healthy morning routine might seem difficult, but once you know what habits to avoid, it gets a lot simpler. Plus, by adjusting your morning rituals (specifically avoiding the ones that are doing more harm than good), you make room for committing to new, healthier habits.
If you’re concerned with weight gain and inflammation, this is especially important. With that in mind, keep reading for 4 morning habits you should stop doing ASAP, according to health experts.
Skipping breakfast
Skipping breakfast is a bad idea, especially if you want to lose weight.
Ashlee Van Buskirk, who owns and operates her own fitness and nutrition coaching business called WholeIntent, explains, "One common morning habit that tends to lead to weight gain is actually a counterintuitive one: skipping breakfast."
"When you decide to skip your first meal of the day, you may inadvertently negatively impact your body's metabolism, which may in turn slow down your body's fat-burning process," she tells SheFinds. "Skipping breakfast also makes you more likely to make poor food decisions later in the day, and you may start to crave unhealthy junk foods that contribute to weight gain."
Choosing the wrong breakfast
Just because you shouldn't skip breakfast, does not mean you should start eating unhealthy foods in the morning.
Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, and author of Finally Full, Finally Slim, explains, "Starting your day with a donut, muffin, or bagel and cream cheese is not a good idea. And you should not be adding cream to your morning coffee either."
"These contain lots of calories which can lead to weight gain and are ultra processed, which leads to inflammation," she continues.
Skipping morning stretches
Ashlee Van Buskirk also recommends starting your morning with a simple stretching routine, which can help reduce inflammation.
She explains, "When you stretch in the morning, you'll increase your blood flow, relieve muscular tension, and prepare you for the day ahead. To make things even better, stretching has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body."
"Stretching may actually contribute to weight loss too," she adds. "This is because stretching can actually burn calories, so when you stretch right when you roll out of bed, you'll begin your day with a calorie deficit."
Scrolling on your phone
Although checking your messages quickly is fine, it's important not to spend too much time on your phone in the mornings.
Dr. Gan Eng Cern, physician, ENT specialist, and member of the Royal College of Surgeons at Edinburgh, explains, "Prolonged periods of sitting and laying down on your bed promotes inflammation and weight gain. A lot of people are guilty of checking their phones the moment they wake up, and then a huge chunk of your morning is spent on pointless scrolling through the web and social media."
Instead, Dr. Gan recommends starting your morning with stretches--or a more complete workout routine--to break out of this sedentary habit.
