YouTube video from the Living Proof Institute (December 4, 2023) in which Deepa (health coach and pharmacist) and Alice (health coach for the Metabolic Reset program) present six simple, practical strategies to improve morning energy. The six recommendations are: drink water on waking (approx. 16 oz; daily goal ~half body weight in ounces), get 5–10 minutes of morning sunlight within an hour of waking, take a 5–10 minute walk or stretch, avoid phone use for the first ~10–30 minutes, practice 5–10 minutes of meditation or breathwork, and delay coffee for 30–60 minutes (recommendation: Reishi-infused mushroom coffee such as Organo to stabilize energy). The hosts emphasize habit-stacking (combining hydration, sunlight, and brief movement) and tailoring steps for perimenopause/menopause-related sleep and adrenal concerns.
Questions this video answers
About 16 ounces (filtered) as a starting point.
Approximately half of your body weight in ounces per day (e.g., 150 lb → ~75 oz).
About 5–10 minutes within an hour of waking (even 2–3 minutes helps).
5–10 minutes (start with 5 minutes if needed).
They suggest staying off your phone for about 10–30 minutes after waking.
Chapters
Hi, everyone, my name is Deepa and I am a health coach and pharmacist at the Living Proof Institute.
Hi, everyone, my name is Alice and I'm the health coach running the metabolic Reset program at the Living Proof Institute.
And one of the complaints that we commonly hear from a lot of our clients is that they have super low energy, specifically first thing in the morning. So today we wanted to hop on here and share with you6 very simple and practical strategies that you can utilize to help you improve your energy first thing in the morning.
So one of the most important things that you can do for yourself is to make sure you are keeping hydrated throughout the day. Hydration is so important for so many things, especially first thing in the morning. The reason being is because our bodies have been fasting all night long, they've not been receiving that beautiful source of water. So first thing in the morning, super important to make sure you're staying hydrated, hydrated. So roughly taking about 16 ounces of filtered water as best as possible. And so what that's going to do is it's going to help you to detox and it's also going to help move those bowel movements as well. So with the extra hydration, you're able to have more effective bowel movements. And bowel movements are super important for multiple different things, but one of the biggest things being to metabolize estrogen and get rid of excess estrogen in the body. So proper hydration, stress, super important. A rough amount to kind of keep in mind or as a ballpark that you should be getting every single day is half of your body weight in ounces. So let's say somebody is about 150 pounds. You would want to focus on about 75 ounces of water each day.
Okay, great tip.
Thank you.
Next thing that you would want to try is getting sunlight exposure, you know, within an hour of waking up. And the reason why that's so important is because it can really help reset our sleep clock. So our sleep is aligned with the sun and so are a lot of our hormones. So when we get that morning sunlight exposure, then our bodies and a lot of our hormones are going to be more in sync with the circadian clock, so to speak. So you need to get about five to 10 minutes first thing in the morning. And one thing that we really like to promote here at the Living Proof Institute is habit stacking. So Alice was just talking about hydration. So you can drink that glass of water when you first wake up outside. And now I know you know in the winter months, this can be a little more difficult. And you know, it doesn't really need to be that, that long. Like I said, it can be anywhere from five to 10 minutes. But even if you get like two to three minutes, up to five minutes, that's going to be beneficial for you. So it's really going to help reset your circadian clock, help you get better sleep. Because poor sleep is something that we commonly hear from a lot of our clients who are experiencing perimenopause and menopause. And we really want to make sure you get proper sleep for proper hormonal balance as well.
Amazing points. And actually I love that you touched on the habit stacking because point number three is actually taking a 10 minute walk or stretch. And so, you know that's important for numerous reasons. But to keep this routine kind of as effective as it can be and as minimal time required, we recommend habit stacking. So what you can do is take your morning water, take it outside with that morning sunshine, and then you can layer on top and even add in a wok. So within five to ten minutes you are getting all three of these habits in, which is amazing. You're not creating extra time and extra space, you're compounding it to fit in all these things in a brief timeframe, still being super effective. So for the walk, super important in the morning, because our cortisol levels are actually highest first thing in the day. So if we can get some movement in, we can suppress our caffeine intake for a couple of hours. That's what's going to help give us that abundant energy all day through. We're going to kickstart those energy centers with the sun and with that movement because it's going to stimulate blood flow into our bodies and it's going to get our muscles working, it's going to get us warmed up. So 10 minute walk, start with five minutes. If that's all that you can do, if that's where you're starting from today, even a simple five minute walk around the block, or even doing some calf raises or anything, even just outside in your backyard or on your balcony, whatever is accessible to you. Stretching is also amazing at relaxing the muscles while also still stimulating them, which is all going to help with that energy, especially first thing in the morning. And what's cool about it is when you stack all three of those things, you get consistent energy all day through. It's not just for that morning period. So five to ten minutes of a walk or a stretch, and if you can Start stacking those habits. We recommend it. It's going to make a tremendous increase in your energy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, keeping with the habit stacking theme, another thing that can really help with just overall energy and motivation. Like, a lot of the clients we speak with, really struggle with motivation and just that sense of lethargy. And one of the things that we find can really impact people when it comes to low energy, poor focus, low motivation, is the fact that first thing that they do when they wake up is they check their phone and they're kind of scrolling their phone, and that can really deplete a lot of your neurotransmitters and set you up for poor energy and poor focus throughout the day. So first thing in the morning, when you grab that glass of water, when you go outside to get that sunlight, and maybe you're doing all of that together with a walk, do it without your phone, right? So go for a walk without your phone, without any distractions, and really just try to keep those first few minutes in the morning sacred to yourself, right? Because that's going to really help you focus for the day, really help clear your mind for the day and really keep those thoughts to yourself rather than, you know, getting outside influence and scrolling through social media with all the things going on in the world and kind of starting your day off, perhaps in a negative way, right? This way you're starting off your day more positively, maybe, you know, can practice a little bit of gratitude when you're out for your walk and really, you know, vision what your day is going to look like. So really recommend trying to stay off your phone for at ast the first 10 to 30 minutes first thing in the morning.
Amazing point. And it's such a difficult one to stick to. And we see that with our clients all the time. But it makes the biggest difference, difference in terms of your overall mood, in terms of your overall energy, in terms of just how your day is able to pan out and how much control you're able to feel. So to touch on the fifth point is meditation. So it's embodying that mindfulness practice. And so how we start our day kind of sets the tone for the rest of the day. There's no shortage of stress. We see that with our clients all the time. They're constantly going through chronic stress, and that's something that's, you know, sometimes unavoidable in your workspace or in your family life or whatever is going on in your world at that time. So as a proactive approach, we love to Encourage meditation. We love to encourage breathing. Anything that gets you to be present and be in your body for those first few minutes in the morning. What that's going to do is going to redirect your focus into what it is that you actually want to cultivate in that day, in that week, in that month, whatever that time frame is for you. You set the tone by giving yourself five to 10 minutes in the morning of silence. Or you can do a guided meditation if that's where you want to begin. So that mindfulness practice is super important in having your body understand the state of mitigating stress. So that before you even reach those high stress, chronic stress states, your body is now programmed to come back down into a more relaxed state state with that daily and consistent, let's say, five to 10 minute meditation habit that you implement. So it's all that it takes. That's all where we want our clients to start. And it only takes about five to 10 minutes to reap the benefits, which is amazing. If you want to go longer, do it to your heart's content, but super important in terms of managing cortisol levels, which then of course impact your adrenals. So it's when we see clients, you know, super stressed out or when they feel like they don't have the time to add in a meditation, let's say that's when they need it the most. So if you are feeling like, I don't have time for all of this, you know, there's so many other things, then that is when I encourage you to take the time for yourself. Let it start with five minutes and watch how the rest of your day aligns and how differently you're able to see the day and how differently you're able to focus.
Great point.
Yes.
And so lastly is coffee, right? So I'm sure many of you, first thing in the morning, you may, you know, reach for that cup of coffee. And it's fine if you want to drink coffee, you know, first thing in the morning to help with your energy levels. But one of the things that we recommend is trying to delay the coffee for at least 30 to 60 minutes when you wake up, we want those cortisol levels to rise naturally. And if you are going to drink coffee, then we do recommend mushroom infused coffee. So there's lots on the market. The one that we specifically use is from a company called Organo, which is infused with Reishi mushroom. And the reason why we like that is because the Reishi mushroom really helps to stabilize your energy levels. So instead of with regular coffee, it's a split stimulant. It really spikes your energy levels. And then, you know, a lot of people experience a crash and feel like they need to grab another cup of coffee. And, you know, before you know it, you're on your fourth, fifth cup of coffee for the day. Whereas with the mushroom coffee specifically, when it's infused with reishi mushroom, it keeps your energy levels more stable. So you probably will only need that one cup of coffee instead of reef reaching for multiple cups throughout the day. Reishi mushroom is also great for modulating your immune system. Really helps to support your adrenals, which is a big issue with a lot of women who are in perimenopause and menopause. You know, their adrenals are burnt out or exhausted. So the reishi mushroom really helps to support the nervous system and the stress response. And then, you know, if you don't drink any coffee. Kind of alluding to Alice's previous point with regards to meditation, one of the things that we teach our clients to do is, you know, not specifically with meditation, but with breath work, is to implement a specific type of breath work called yogic coffee, which is basically using your breath to help breathe with increasing energy levels rather than using coffee. So it's a very specific practice, and maybe we can go into that in another video in terms of how to implement that specific breathing technique to optimize your energy levels if you don't want to reach for that cup of coffee as well. So those are our six tips. I hope you enjoyed them. If you did, please make sure to like and subscribe and watch the next video for more helpful tips. Thanks for watching, everyone. Bye for now.
