How you start your day can have a big impact on your productivity, your motivation, but also your weight loss and muscle gain.
You may be familiar with the morning made bed theory, which basically says that simply taking 2 minutes to remake your bed would accomplish a lot more tasks throughout your day.
This would be due to the fact that we garner confidence as soon as we wake up by doing a simple task, which would produce a snowball effect.
In the same vein and in order to put you in the best mood in the morning, here are 9 habits to adopt to achieve your dream physique!
1. The glass of water on the bedside table
This should be your “numero uno” reflex, a glass of water placed on the bedside table each evening to be poured as soon as you wake up!
We lose nearly 400 g of water each day with respiration and most of these losses occur at night. It may even be more if you sweat at night or breathe more through your mouth.
Result: when you wake up, you are in a state of dehydration my friend, which reduces protein synthesis and is not good news for your muscle gain or your recovery!
It can also reduce your motivation to go to training, increase fatigue and lower performance.
Basically, anything you don’t want, so drink as soon as your eyes open, especially if you’re going to train in the morning.
2. Ruled like a Swiss cuckoo clock
Here’s an overriding rule, whether it’s bedtime or waking up, be regular.
Getting up and going to bed at the same time every day is the best way to improve the overall quality of your sleeptherefore your recovery, therefore your muscle gain.
Studies tend to show that people who are regulated in their sleep habits tend to have more body fat, regardless of the number of hours they sleep.
If you are consistent with your wake up time, you will naturally tend to go to bed at the same time every night.
Also try not to mess up too much on weekends, even though we realize that it’s not always easy.
Also think regarding take in as much daylight as possible and as soon as possibleit’s great for your circadian rhythm, your body’s internal clock that impacts many physiological processes in the body.
The circadian rhythm influences cortisol in particular, raising this hormone to feel awake and lowering it in favor of melatonin at night to make you feel tired.
Showing up in daylight will tell your internal clock that it’s morning and will improve alertness, vitality and overall mood.
If you don’t have a lot of sun at your disposal (hello Parisians) you can supplement yourself with vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency can hamper muscle development, performance, and recovery. Men with good levels of vitamin D would also have more testosterone.
3. A king’s breakfast
Coffee, croissant, jam, forget 2 of these 3 Cs!
While breakfast isn’t the most important meal of the day and not necessary for building muscle mass, it’s still a good idea to eat it every morning.
For the simple reason that building muscle usually comes with a calorie deficit.
It’s all regarding choosing smart, unprocessed, whole ingredients (eggs rather than a protein shaker, for example).
We also prefer, for example, whole milk to skimmed milk, even if it contains less protein, it is less processed.
Eating breakfast in the morning adds calories to your daily total while allowing time to digest before the next meal.
4. Morning training: safety
Regularity is the key when trying to gain muscle, what better way to be sure not to skip your training than to do it at the start of the day?
Although studies tend to show that training in the evening is more productive, training in the morning is still the best way to avoid making excuses later because you are too busy or have spent a rotten day.
And then, you feel so good when the sport has been secured early in the morning, you get into your day better and the mental load is relieved.
5. Arabica to get the baraka
An espresso before training is the best possible pre-workout.
Just 250mg would be enough to increase neuromuscular preparation.
Of course, it’s optional, but it’s good for the muscles, especially if you’re going to train followingwards.
This will improve your performance and your motivation. Be careful though, you can quickly develop a tolerance to caffeine.
More information on our article: The 3 best food supplements in bodybuilding, the rest is useless!
6. The effect of a cold shower
This is something else that can give energy and motivation.
So no, it’s not going to miraculously grow your muscles, but the benefits of a cold shower can range from mental boost to overall mood boost.
It’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself to do uncomfortable things.
In addition, it decreases levels of TNFα, a powerful molecule that increases inflammation. However, excessive levels of inflammation can slow muscle growth, among other things.
Taking a cold shower can have that snowball effect and help you make better decisions throughout the day, from choosing your food to motivating yourself to go to the gym instead of following work.
7. Protein or nothing
Most people struggle to get their daily protein quota and will resort to supplements.
The fact is, protein is the most satiating macronutrient, so eating 1.5g per pound of bodyweight every day can be a real challenge!
But always try to favor whole and healthy foods, even if shakers are easier to swallow.
For that, you might as well start early in the morning (we come back to breakfast). The earlier you start, the easier it is to supplement your protein intake and reach your calorie surplus.
It’s a little more complicated with a youngster, but not impossible.
In addition, studies tend to show that the best mass gain results occur with an equitable distribution of protein over all meals during the day.
8. Like the scout, always ready to eat
Taking time in the evening to think regarding your meal the next day can be terribly tedious, but it’s worth it.
If you don’t have a plan or a snack, you’re more likely to order or pick up a meal on the go.
Eating out means not being able to determine the macro distribution of your meals or the number of calories in them.
In addition, most of the time, take-out meals give less importance to quality proteins, which are expensive.
Morality, buy a good basic cookbook and some life-saving accessories (pressure cooker to name a few) and always be ready to take your lunch with you in the morning!
9. A calm mind in a muscular body
Everyone knows that too much stress doesn’t lead to much good when it comes to overall health.
Science has shown that muscle growth is no exception to this rule. In some studies, less stressed subjects tended to recover better, build more muscle.
A meditation app and 5 dedicated minutes each morning can go a long way. It’s a trick to take, it’s not easy to stick to, but it’s worth it.
The Calm application is the best in this area, but you can also opt for others like little Bamboo.
You don’t need to pay, many guided meditations exist on YouTube.
Finally, do not try to incorporate these 9 habits directly into your routine, it would be a sure failure. Just start with one or two that seem feasible to you.
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