The wonders of a good workout have been well documented by researchers. Even though it’s been said that there’s no “right” time for exercising, scientists have argued that morning workouts increase your alertness, improve your focus, support weight loss, and leave you in a better mood. 

In addition to these, exercising in the morning also has some other benefits, namely:

• There are fewer distractions in the morning so you can focus better on the workout.
• You have more energy and motivation in the morning to exercise.
• It’s not as hot in the mornings as in the rest of the day. This helps you sweat those calories out without feeling the humidity take a toll on your mental health.

Now that we know how beneficial working out in the morning is, it’s important that we proactively take steps to incorporate it into our routine. But how does one go about it? This post discusses seven tips you can implement right now to start exercising every morning before you start your day.

1. Sleep well

If you have a good night’s rest, you will have no trouble waking up early. Don’t cut on the number of hours as less sleep can adversely impact your health. No matter how hectic your routine is, aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

2. Gradually adjust your schedule

If you’re habituated to sleeping late and waking up in the afternoons, it might be difficult for you to suddenly accommodate a lot of exercise in your mornings. Don’t pressure yourself into making sudden changes.

Instead, gradually adjust your workout time. Instead of aiming to start exercising at 8 AM, slowly move your time to wake up time earlier and exercise right after you get out of bed.

Follow the steps in this post to wake up early.

3. Prepare your workout gear

Before you go to bed, set out your gym clothes, shoes, Yoga mat, and whatever else you need for your exercise. That way, when you wake up in the morning, seeing all your workout gear stored in one place will leave you with fewer excuses to skip your exercise for the day.

4. Plan breakfast the night before

The night before, make plans for an energizing meal to start your day. You can cut up and keep the ingredients ready so it doesn’t take you much time to make your breakfast. You can even prepare your meal and keep it in the refrigerator to be consumed in the morning without any extra effort.

5. Have an accountability partner

Having a friend who also has the same goals of working out in the morning is a great way to stick to your goals. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have like-minded people in their network. 

An easy way out of this tricky situation is to hire an accountability coach. These are experts trained in habit coaching and can help you stick to your goals and get back on track if you fall off the wagon for some reason.

You can also download a habit tracker and mark your progress each day. That way, seeing a calendar build up with an unbroken streak of working out in the morning will motivate you to keep pushing yourself.

6. Do exercise you enjoy

Before you make a workout plan with help from an expert or by taking tips from people who have done it on the internet, try new exercises and see what you like most. Your body will help you decide a plan that you enjoy the most and feel comfortable doing. 

When you are truly excited about starting your workout right after you wake up, it’ll be easier to get out of bed and start your exercise regime.

This post discusses five useful tips on how you can cut alcohol out of your life. Read on for an actionable list of steps to get rid of your addiction and embrace a healthier lifestyle. 

1. Take some time to understand your drinking habits

Before you embark on this life-changing journey, understand why you want to do it. What is it that’s motivating you and making you wish to quit alcohol. Here are some questions to help you ponder:

• Why do you drink so often?
• How much do you actually drink?
• What habits do you do after drinking that make this problematic?

Next, consider your approach. Figure out ways to have a healthier relationship with alcohol in such a way that you control it, and not the other way round. You should only drink when you consciously wish to, and not when your body compels you or you feel you absolutely have to drink now.

Once you’ve got this figured, you can move on to the next steps.

2. Find a community

Involve your friends and family. Talk to them about why you plan to quit alcohol and how you intend to go about it. You can also join groups and find a community to do it together with.

In case you still struggle to hold yourself accountable, you can download a free habit tracker to maintain your progress. When you mark the days on the calendar when you’ve gone without alcohol, it will compel you to keep that streak up and not break it. 

You can also hire a certified accountability coach from the directory of coaches to track your progress, celebrate your small successes, and help you get back on track if you sometimes fall off the wagon.

3. Change your environment

If you keep your fridge stocked with alcohol or your minibar constantly in sight, you might feel your motivation weaken. Instead, change your environment and get rid of all the alcohol at home.

If your daily commute from work to home involves driving through a bar, change your route and pick one that doesn’t involve you seeing a bar or an alcohol shop. When you get rid of the triggers, you will find it easier to stick to your habit. 

Varying your routine and filling your usual time for drinking with other activities can help. You can also find a new favorite drink — if sipping while working has become a habit.

4. Prioritize self-care

While embarking on such a life-changing journey as quitting alcohol can require a lot of determination, you can make things easier if you prioritize self-care. 

• Make it a point to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
• Stay hydrated.
• Make time in your schedule to rediscover old hobbies.
• Explore new ways to cope like reading a book or maintaining a journal.

These activities will keep your spirits high (no pun intended) and make sure you don’t fall into the need for alcohol again. It might seem you’re being extraordinarily hard on yourself, but finding ways to reward yourself in other ways will help take care of your mental and emotional well-being.

5. Learn from experts

You can learn from the experts at Better Humans and follow all the steps they took to get rid of alcohol from their daily routine. Such a huge habit change is not meant to be easy, but reading stories from people who have successfully done it will make you feel like you’re part of a community and not in this struggle alone. 

The Ultimate Self-Tracking Study on Sleep, Caffeine, Alcohol, and More
The results of two years of self-tracking with the Oura Ring and personal logging of caffeine and alcohol consumption…

What Happened to Me After Giving Up Booze for a Year
I’ve had a wild, whirlwind romance with alcohol since I was about 15 years old. At first, my drinking didn’t seem any…

How One Year No Beer Unlocked My Performance in Business And Life
Over the last 18 months, I have helped more than 10,000 people in the OneYearNoBeer (OYNB) community transform their…

5 Misconceptions About Sobriety
Here are 5 misconceptions to ditch about sobriety, and the reality you should understand for each.

But knowing its several adverse effects on health is not enough to make one strong enough to quit sugar. It takes a lot of hard work and determination. This post discusses seven simple strategies you can use to cut sugar out of your life.

1. Throw away the table sugar

Replace it with a healthier alternative like honey, molasses, and syrup. Cutting it out of all dishes you use it for will help you reduce your intake of sugary foods.

2. Stop having canned drinks

Soda, cola, or other sweetened drinks have a tremendous amount of sugar content. You can save yourself from all that sugar by simply cutting these drinks out of your life and only drinking water when thirsty.

3. Choose fresh fruit over processed sweets

Processed fruits are often canned in syrup or sugary water, which only adds to your calorie intake without adding any nutritional value to your diet. Replace the canned food by choosing fresh fruit, which will have many health benefits instead of simply filling your tummy.

4. Take smaller portions

If you’re in a party or social gathering that requires you to have sugary food or drinks, choose to have a smaller portion size. You can also refuse the extra serving to ensure you remain on track with your goals to delete sugar from your life.

5. Read labels

Reading the nutritional information on the labels of every processed food item you pick up from the supermarket will go a long way in reducing your sugar intake. The labels will also help you make healthier eating choices and only pick the food items best for your body.

6. Learn from experts

If you’re finding it hard to delete sugar from your life, learn from the experts at Better Humans. They write the best, most in-depth pieces on how to live a better life. You can use their experiences to fuel your life towards a healthier direction:

How I Quit Refined Sugar Using a Commitment Contract
Putting money on the line and partnering up for accountability helped me stay the course and overhaul my eating…

Everything You Need to Know About the No Sweets Diet
Getting Started with Lift’s Quantified Diet

How To Begin a Sugar-Free Life
How I cut refined sugar out of my family’s diet for improved health

Does Sugar Cause Heart Disease?
Does sugar cause heart disease? Evidence points to it.

How to Conquer Your Sweet Tooth with a 30-Day Sugar Fast
Learn how to reset your sweet cravings by giving up all added sugar for a month-or more.

7. Hold yourself accountable 

Get a friend to track your progress or hire an accountability coach from the list of certified coaches on coach.me. They will support you on your journey and help you get back on track if you sometimes fall off the wagon and miss your habit for a few days.

You can also download a free habit tracker to track your progress and make sure you can build and maintain an unbroken streak of healthy habits.