Weight Loss Morning Routine
If you are looking to improve your health and maybe lose some weight, or at least release some body fat. Here I share a super simple weight loss morning routine for the midlife women.
As a midlife woman, maybe you have forgotten what it feels like to wake up with the energy and enthusiasm to take on the day.
Struggling through your days challenged by ever-changing hormones, a sluggish, bloated, achy and tired body. Forever struggling to keep the weight from ever creeping on, one soul-destroying pound at a time.
Yep, been there too. Even as a health coach I found myself in this exact situation and didn’t seem to have the energy or motivation to do a damn thing about it.
As I started to inch my way closer and eventually surpassed the age of 40. Having the wonderful appearance of early menopausal symptoms, maintaining my body weight seemed to become more and more of a challenge, even whilst still working out and eating a generally healthy diet.
I am never going to be that person who is completely ripped, I have a belly on me and I value my relaxed social life, and foods I love too much to be that extreme. I’m not naturally lean either, I do have to work at staying an ‘average’ shape and size.
But when I started to work towards intentionally supporting a healthy and flexible metabolism with some simple yet highly effective tweaks and changes to my weekly habits, I found that weight maintenance, and even weight loss, became a possibility again after feeling like I had been stuck.
One of the significant changes was a micro shift in my morning routine.
The creation of a metabolism-boosting morning routine that can help support your energy levels throughout the day and transform your body to burn energy more effectively, whilst also supporting your ability to maintain body composition more effortlessly.
Meaning that I could still maintain my generally healthy eating patterns, and still have some of the things I love, without continuing to pack on the pounds.
I’m a huge believer in the power of a morning routine and notice a huge difference on the days when mine isn’t in place.
“You’ll never change your life until you change something that you do daily. The secret to your success is found in your routines” — John C Maxwell
The 4 steps I’ll be sharing are specifically designed to boost your metabolism, ignite fat-burning, and set the stage for a vibrant and healthy day ahead.
Your midlife journey with your health and your body doesn’t have to be miserable and feel like you are at a dead end.
I believe in feeling your best at any age, and you deserve to feel good in your skin.
So try out these steps for a simple shift to your morning rituals that can lead to bigger and long-lasting improvements to health, wellbeing and your ability to feel good in your skin.
You can watch here if you prefer to listen/watch, or you can always read on below.
Your 4-Step Metabolism Boosting Morning Routine
1. Water First
Are you someone who gulps down coffee as the first liquid of the day?
Well, yeah, stop that!
This one change will support your body and your energy levels. Don’t worry, I’m not taking your coffee away from you, more on that in step 4.
This may be common sense to some people, but you would be surprised how many women I speak to that are doing coffee first.
Switching to water first is going to rehydrate your body after sleeping where your body can become dehydrated. You will replenish lost fluids in the night, improve digestion, brain function and promote healthy skin.
A study in 2003 found that drinking 500ml of water on an empty stomach can boost metabolism by up to 30%
This small change is such a simple way to support your health and metabolism, so drink up first thing before anything else.
2. Sunlight
This is one step I implemented after listening to The Huberman Lab podcast.
“Viewing sunlight within the first hours of waking (as soon as you can, even if through cloud cover) increases early-day cortisol release (the ideal time for elevated cortisol) and prepares the body for sleep later that night. A morning spike in cortisol will also positively influence your immune system, metabolism and ability to focus during the day”
I’m all for implementing tools that will help me to have more energy in the day and sleep better at night.
3. Protein At Breakfast
Prioritising protein at breakfast can help you feel fuller for longer, support the preservation of muscle mass, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce your cravings throughout the day.
More recently I read some work of Dr Donald Layman who has looked a little deeper into optimising breakfast for improved metabolism and supporting weight loss, or more importantly improved body composition and health.
Research by Dr Donald Layman has shown that the optimal breakfast to support a healthy and flexible metabolism is to make sure you are getting enough protein at your first meal of the day.
Dr Laymans recommendations for the optimal breakfast is 30–40g of protein for breakfast with no more than 30–40g of carbs. A 1:1 ratio of carbs to protein.
Layman explains that high-protein foods can help reduce total daily food intake by regulating appetite. “Proteins are the most filling, and can help you feel satisfied longer, plus they trigger an array of hormones in the intestine and in the brain to reduce hunger”
Target: At least 30g of protein with a meal that is 250–350kcal
My go to is always my morning protein smoothie which you can see how to build the perfect smoothie in this post below.
4 Caffeine With Or After Breakfast
See I didn’t take your coffee away from you. I’m just suggesting that you have it after water and then with, or after food first.
Delaying it can help reduce the rate at which the caffeine is absorbed so you reduce the chances of getting that jittery feeling that can often come with too much coffee.
The mornings are the time of day when your cortisol is naturally at its highest. Whilst cortisol is essential for you to get up and go, too much of a good thing can be a problem if you have extended cortisol elevation over a longer period of time. This likely will leave you feeling more drained come afternoon and reaching for another cup, which could then impair evening sleep.
This is especially important for the midlife woman who is already more stress sensitive. So delaying your caffeine will help to manage the peak as well as deliver a slower and more prolonged energy boost.
It may also serve as a great pre-workout boost if you choose to workout in the mornings, but that is really a topic for another article.
This is really a suggestion that makes more logical sense, though I must say that there are yet to be studies that confirm this.
So try it out for yourself and take note of your energy levels throughout the day with this change.
For many people, this morning routine may only require some slight tweaks that can help you boost metabolism and support energy, hunger and cravings throughout the day.
It’s always my aim to help you get better results in less time and without having to give up your entire life.
Let me know if you think you could add these steps to your morning routine.
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