For those of us who aren’t morning people, it can be quite exhausting to hear about other people’s morning routines. Celebrities, politicians and captains of industry are particularly insufferable.
Actor Mark Wahlberg’s well-publicised and rather extreme morning begins at 2:30am with prayers, workouts and cryochamber recovery all in the mix. Apple chief Tim Cook is known to send work emails before 5am (cheers, boss).
Motivational speaker Tony Robbins does intense breathing exercises, gratitude meditation and a cold-water plunge before most of us have turned the coffee machine on.
Sounds tiring, no? Between the 4am alarms, super green juices and supplement stacks tall enough to count as architecture, the ‘up and at ’em’ mentality has become more the stuff of legend than a morning schedule that’s actually manageable.
Of course, a purposeful morning can do you good. Research shows, for example, that working out before breakfast burns more fat, improves the body’s insulin response and lowers your risk of diabetes and heart disease.
But there’s an ever-growing list of demanding tasks to fit into an already busy part of the day.
So, what does a healthy – and realistic – morning look like? Below, we hit snooze on the tech bro hype and ground things with eight simple, research-backed ways to start smart.
Don't try to wake up super early
Some people’s body clocks do naturally rouse them at hours most people would consider ungodly, but it’s rare.
We suspect it’s not the case with the CEOs who’ve biohacked their circadian regimes in the name of increased productivity and social media clout.
There’s also a lot of variability between us. Factors like your age and chronotype (whether you’re naturally a morning lark or a night owl) have a big impact on what your morning looks like, and that’s to say nothing about shift work or parenting.
Forcing yourself to get up earlier than your body wants to (especially without an early night) is simply not good for you.
Not only are you short-changing your sleep, but research at the University of Pittsburgh, in the US, found when your sleep is misaligned with your chronotype (such as waking up early on work days) it produces a kind of social jet lag that’s associated with poor metabolic health, increasing the risk of conditions such as obesity and heart disease.
Do wake up at the same time every day
Realistically, the time that most of us get up is dictated by start times at work or school. If you can’t rely on your body clock to get you up on time, the healthiest thing to do is set a consistent wake-up alarm.
“When we’re talking about general sleep hygiene, keeping a regular sleep-wake pattern is critical,” says Dr Victoria Revell, professor of circadian physiology at the University of Surrey.
Research shows that waking up at the same time every day – even at weekends – is good for us.
That’s because disruptions in sleep timing and inconsistent wake times are linked to negative changes in mood, stress, and poor cognitive and physical performance – especially if you’re a natural night owl forced to get up early.
Read more:
- 8 science-backed secrets to a more restful night's sleep
- This overlooked habit might be your best stress relief tool
Don't exhaust your body with hard exercise
High-intensity exercise (like high-intensity interval training, or HIIT) is undoubtedly good for many people, as it is linked to improved cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic health.
But HIITing yourself first thing in the morning may not be the best way to energise your body and soul for the rest of the day.
“Very high intensity exercise, such as HIIT, actually produces feelings of fatigue, not energy,” says Patrick O’Connor, professor of kinesiology at the University of Georgia, in the US.
Depending on when you do it, it can also affect your body clock. “Exercising between midnight and 6am causes a phase delay of about 40 minutes,” O’Connor says.
That means your body clock shifts, as though it’s been artificially moved to another time zone further west of where you are. The result: you’ll want to go to bed later and get up later.
Do get some moderate exercise, ideally outdoors
Morning exercise doesn’t have to be so intense – if you can squeeze some moderate exercise in, it will set you up well for your day.
“Experiments typically involving 20 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise show a consistent, moderate-sized improvement in feelings of energy compared to a resting control group. That group’s energy levels don’t change much,” O’Connor says.
Try a brisk morning walk that involves some hills, or a jog with a friend where you can just about keep up with the conversation.
As for O’Connor, he mixes his own workouts between running, biking and lifting weights but says there is no consensus on the healthiest form of workout.
“Moderate-intensity physical activity of any type that you enjoy is what I would recommend,” he says. “If that activity could be done with someone you enjoy and in a pleasant environment such as outdoors, then it’s even better.”
Just walking the dog counts, not least because getting outside (if possible) is important. “Light in the morning will wake you up,” says Revell.
Exposure to morning light regulates the production of hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate your sleep-wake cycle.
Production of melatonin – the so-called sleep hormone – is suppressed, while serotonin, associated with mood and alertness, increases. And it’s all associated with improved sleep, mood and cardiovascular health.
Try to get a minimum of 20 minutes, as early as you can. “It’s there, it’s free, and it’s very, very powerful,” Revell says.
Don't invest in a cryochamber
It works for Wahlberg and there’s certainly evidence out there to suggest that whole-body cryotherapy can improve sleep quality and reduce the markers of inflammation, especially in people who exercise a lot.
But building an actual cryochamber at home is both impractical and expensive for most of us.
They’re about the size of a generous walk-in wardrobe and will cost you in the region of £50,000. There are other ways to chill.
Do experiment with a cold shower
Research on cold-water swimmers has found that a regular brisk dip can improve the body’s insulin response and protect against cardiovascular disease, obesity and other conditions.
Even a cold blast in the shower seems to mimic the effects of exercise on the body: it can be both anti-inflammatory and increase your metabolic rate.
A recent study in the Journal of Thermal Biology also found that cold showers improved immune cell function.
Other research from Bournemouth University had people take a cold-water bath for five minutes and then recorded how they felt.
Researchers concluded that “participants felt more active, alert, attentive, proud and inspired, and less distressed and nervous after having a cold-water bath.”
This seems to be down to increased connectivity between areas of the brain involved in emotion and attention control.
Does that make it fun? Absolutely not. But neither is hitting snooze nine times. And if it helps you wake up faster than your third espresso, it might be worth a shot.
Just make sure to dip your toes in first (literally speaking) – a sudden ice water plunge, if you’re not used to it, can be a shock to the system.
Don't hit caffeine on an empty stomach
Most of us need a little wake-up juice in the morning, and caffeine is one of the best-studied and safest performance-enhancers known to science. But it is a stimulant, as Prof Alexandra Johnstone, a nutrition scientist at the University of Aberdeen, reminds us.
“It’s a stimulant for digestion, absorption and it impacts on blood glucose as well,” she says. “If you have caffeine on an empty stomach, then I’m sure we can all relate to feeling jittery and running to the toilet after having a strong one.
“There are also a few studies that show some metabolic effects if you have caffeine before you’ve eaten anything.”
For example, one study at the University of Bath found that having caffeine on an empty stomach can increase your blood glucose response when you do eat something, and it may also increase insulin resistance.
That means you may experience a spike in your blood sugar levels and crash harder later – and it’ll also increase your risk of developing metabolic disorders.
Read more:
Do indulge in your love of Joe
Once you’ve lined your stomach, having caffeine has almost no downsides.
We all know some of the effects, like improved mood, energy and alertness. But research has shown others that can be even more profound, such as a lower risk of cardiovascular and liver disease.
“I’m a coffee drinker, and I’ll admit my personal bias towards the data in relation to caffeine, but the key message is that you drink it in moderation,” Johnstone says.
Don't neck celery juice
A go-to morning ‘meal’ for several celebrities, celery juice has become a trendy, low-calorie breakfast option in recent years. Proponents claim it ‘detoxes’ the liver and mine sweeps the gut for harmful viruses and bacteria.
There’s just the small matter of evidence. Celery juice is mostly water with negligible nutrients, and there are about as many papers shining light on the benefits of celery juice as there are calories in your glass of it.
Johnstone points out that liquid calories are digested relatively quickly compared to solid foods, so hunger will creep back sooner.
“Also, a juice is only the juice. You are missing out on dietary fibre and other important phytochemicals that you can find often under the skin of fruit and vegetables.”
Meanwhile, research in mice has found that skipping breakfast altogether could compromise immune function, while other studies suggest it can increase inflammatory markers. So, what should you chow down on first thing?
Do get protein and fibre in your breakfast
There is a delectable buffet of research showing the health benefits of a big breakfast. Most studies find that while there’s nothing wrong with starting your day with a green juice, we could all do with a bit more protein and a bit more fibre – especially in the morning.
Research from West Virginia University, in the US, found that regularly eating breakfast and consuming more than 25g (0.9oz) of fibre was associated with a 21 per cent reduction in all-cause mortality.
And in 2024, a Danish study reported that a protein-rich breakfast could increase satiety – meaning you’re less likely to snack during the day – and boost cognitive performance by improving concentration.
“Eating more calories at breakfast time is better for appetite control,” says Johnstone. “We know from other layers of evidence (the epidemiological data and other observational studies) that people who maintain a breakfast eating regime are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight.
"It doesn’t have to be steak and eggs; it can be plant-based. Beans and toast would be an amazing example. You’ve got protein and whole grains coming from the beans and cereal from the toast.”
A hearty breakfast means fewer snacks during the day and better insulin control, but there are behavioural effects, too.
“If you start the day well with a healthy breakfast, your intentions throughout the day also parallel those healthy intentions,” Johnstone says.
Don't grab your phone as soon as you wake up
There was a time when our instinct upon waking up was to sling our arm around the person next to us. Now, for many of us, we reach for our ever-present digital companion instead.
You’ve probably always suspected this isn’t good for you – and thanks to recent research, we finally know that it really isn’t. Last year, a study from Flinders University in Australia found that early-morning doomscrolling fosters anxiety and pessimism.
Another study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, suggests it can even create a feedback loop that reinforces negative emotions, making you even more vulnerable to what you see online.
Do try something to boost your mind instead
Those reels are hypnotic but swapping 15 minutes of finger-flicking for something a tad more mindful or mentally stimulating can set you up better for your day.
There’s plenty of research out there on the positive effects of mindfulness or journaling, but they’re not for everyone.
Alternatively, wake your brain up with a puzzle or, dare we say it, 20 minutes reading a fabulously written science publication instead.
A study published in Neurobiology of Aging found that mentally challenging morning tasks increase cognitive reserve and delay age-related cognitive decline.
Don't rattle around with 300 supplements in your gullet
If you’re taking so many supplements your kitchen pantry resembles an apothecary store, cutting down to the essentials will not only give you back a square foot of space – it will also target your money on what scientists think actually works (and save you time on opening all those pots, tubs and powder pouches).
From defying the ageing process to boosting your hair growth, supplements make all kinds of claims of effects on our bodies but the evidence for most is scant.
Taking all the available vitamins, proteins and everything in between that are vying for your purse’s attention may do nothing more to your body than produce expensive urine.
Do focus on vitamin D, creatine and magnesium
Given how little we know about a lot of these, celebrities who take dozens of bank-breaking supplements are walking, talking human experiments.
But if you’re not the average billionaire science project, you can still benefit from inexpensive supplements that have plenty of research behind their health claims.
Vitamin D is recommended for most adults in the northern hemisphere, especially in winter when we don’t get enough of this multifunctional compound from the Sun.
Magnesium is good for sleep and stress regulation and omega-3 reduces inflammation and improves your metabolic health.
Creatine is also increasingly supported for a wide range of health benefits. Once dismissed as something only vain and veiny bodybuilders should take, researchers are finding that it also improves brain health, cognitive performance and a range of other health factors.
“It’s the most studied and ergogenic (performance-enhancing) nutrient for strength- and power-type athletes,” says Prof Richard Kreider, director of the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M University, in the US.
“It’s associated with greater training volume and higher intensity exercise, leading to greater strength gains, muscle power recovery and increase in muscle mass.”
After 20 to 30 years of research, Kreider says that he and his colleagues started noticing a lot of other health benefits, including for the elderly, diabetics, children and adolescents, and people with various diseases and concussion.
He remembers a conference on creatine he attended in Cambridge. “The conclusion at that conference, from the health benefits alone, is that everyone should supplement the creatine in their diet with about 3g extra per day.”
Read more:
