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by Tony Gjokaj May 22, 2020 3 min read
Some people just aren't morning people. We get it, late-night work shifts or other obligations get in the way. That doesn't mean you cannot build the best "your morning" ritual or rise ritual to go out and do things to improve you.
In this article, we will go over five simple habits you can implement to reforge yourself.
These morning habits consist of things that have been personally used, and things that have been proven to work through scientific research.
Wake up 2-3 hours before you are obligated to do anything, whether it is getting ready for work, getting your kids ready for school, and more.
This allows you to get rid of "sleep inertia". According to one study, sleep inertia is the period between brain fog and wakefulness. Rising earlier allows you to either eliminate sleep inertia completely or give you time to eliminate it.
Depending on what your goals are, the trade-off might be that you may need to sleep earlier. However, we believe this will allow you to have the opportunity to take care of your wellbeing before work.
When I used to work 10-12 hour days, I would wake up around 4-5 am to go to the gym in the morning so that I can be energized for work. Accomplishing my personal obligations made it feel like I achieved so much in a day before work even started.
This improved my mood dramatically as a result. According to the Journal of Psychiatric Research, women who got up earlier typically did not have anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.
We recommend to start by sleeping earlier (by at least an hour) to wake up an hour earlier. As we are typically less productive in the evenings (we are home and we unwind), this is the perfect opportunity to give yourself more productive time.
Go get you some.
If you prefer exercising in the morning, we recommend using the previous "morning habit" to give yourself the prime opportunity to work out.
If you prefer to exercise after work, we recommend reading or doing some mindfulness exercises like meditation, yoga, or spiritual readings.
While some of these may not interest you, your mindfulness exercise can be as simple as deep breaths or stretching. According to one article from Entrepreneur, deep breathing or stretching exercises in the morning brought clarity and mood to the mind.
You can also exercise your mind by reading, studying philosophy, or other spiritual activities that you enjoy.
Find something that allows you to practice gratefulness and appreciation.
Set goals. Define them and consistently change them. Goals are just stepping stones and milestones that you want to execute on, then move onto the next step.
Just because you hit one milestone... you don't rest on those laurels. You move to the next one. This will propel you to even greater heights.
I covered my goal-setting philosophy in my more recent Building the Brand episode. You can watch it below:
As mentioned in our previous sleep article, sunlight helps produce serotonin which eventually becomes the catalyst to sleep by indirectly helping melatonin. As a result, sleep quality is improved when both these hormones are "working together".
If you can't get sun, Vitamin D3 supplementation will benefit you drastically. The sun's rays also give us Vitamin D, which helps with immune health, cognition, bone health, and more. It has even shown to reduce the risk of some forms of cancer.
We cover more about Melatonin and Serotonin here.
Recall that you can typically improve habits in two ways: small incremental steps, or influencing change in your environment.
Consistent action of executing your specific Morning or Rise Ritual will easily transform you. If you have to start small by implementing these habits one at a time, do so.
One of the things I learned in developing a brand is that small actions build desired results. We tend to worry about the end goal, so much so that it brings inaction. Entrepreneurs know that building from the first step is how to build the entire staircase to success.
1% a day.
With these five morning habits, we hope that you can use one or all of them to truly improve your lifestyle.
If there are any questions or insights that have directly helped you become a morning person, comment below, or message me.
You can email me at tony@reforgedperformance.com, or direct message me @ibtonyg.
Thank you for reading Reforged Legion!
Until next time!
Tony is the Owner of Reforged. He is a PN1 Certified Nutrition Coach and has been in the fitness space for over a decade. His goal is to help millions exercise their way out of depression and anxiety.
by Tony Gjokaj November 16, 2023 2 min read
I have been reading quite a few articles surrounding depression and its connection to lifestyle habits.
In recent years, scientists have started to discover that depression is not just a "chemical imbalance".
It's much more complex than that, and a lot of evidence is pointing towards positive habits helping to alleviate or reduce the risk of depression.
by Tony Gjokaj November 14, 2023 3 min read
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects millions of people worldwide.
It is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, despite the opportunity for adequate sleep.
This can lead to decreased energy levels, mood disturbances, decreased performance at work or school, and can negatively impact overall health and quality of life.
If you're tossing and turning at night, you're not alone.
In this post, we are going to go over the 5 natural ways to ease insomnia.
Let's dive in!
by Tony Gjokaj September 18, 2023 3 min read
Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in many bodily functions, including muscle and nerve function, blood sugar regulation, and bone health.
Despite its importance, many people do not get enough magnesium from their diets alone.
This is where supplements like magnesium glycinate can be helpful.
Magnesium glycinate is a highly bioavailable form of magnesium that is easily absorbed by the body and has several potential health benefits.
In this post, we'll explore the benefits of magnesium glycinate and why it may be a valuable addition to your overall health and wellness plan.
Let's dive in!