December 20, 2021

The Best Morning Routine for Seniors

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

brookdale associate helping resident get ready

When it’s dark and cold in the morning, it’s tempting to hit the snooze button over and over and over. But mornings don’t have to be the roughest part of your day. Here are a few tips to help improve your AM routine so when you wake up, you feel like seizing the day instead of sleeping through it.

To Breakfast, or Not to Breakfast?

It turns out, this question isn’t as critical as you might think. Contrary to popular belief, it’s OK if you don’t eat breakfast every day. It’s a common myth that breakfast makes your metabolism faster, and that it’s the “most important meal of the day” — but that may be attributed to a marketing ploy.

Whether you eat breakfast or not may not make a significant difference in your weight, according to recent research. But if you do choose to make breakfast part of your morning routine, try kick-starting your day with healthy options, like these five superfood breakfasts packed with nutrients.

Start with Morning Meditation

When you think of meditation, you might think of gurus and week-long retreats. But meditating can be as simple as taking some deep breaths and thinking of a few things you’re thankful for.

Meditation has been shown to help reduce stress, improve memory and decrease pain, anxiety and depression. Try starting your morning with a 10-minute mindfulness walk outside, focusing on each footstep you take. Or check out our webinar with meditation expert Sharon Salzberg.

Write Down Your Thoughts

Don’t consider yourself a writer? You don’t have to be a novelist to enjoy the rewards of keeping a journal.

Writing in a journal has a host of potential benefits, including boosting the immune system. Sitting down to journal in the mornings can help you organize the day ahead, set intentions or goals or simply keep a record of your life story that you can one day share with family.

Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day

Stop right there. Before you hit that snooze button again tomorrow, consider this: waking up at the same time every day may help improve focus and short-term memory, decrease irritability and make waking up and falling asleep easier.

Try choosing a wake-up time that works for you on both weekdays and weekends. At first, you may need to use an alarm clock, but over time, your body may adjust to waking up on its own and on time. If this is difficult, try opening the blinds. The morning sun may help the body regulate its circadian rhythm.

Jump Start Your Day with Exercise

Sometimes, exercising feels like the last thing you want to do when you wake up in the morning. But research suggests that morning exercise has many potential health benefits.

When you get your arms and legs moving, it releases neurotransmitters in the brain that can help make you feel refreshed and energized, even before you’ve had your first cup of coffee. The good news is, you don’t need to run a marathon to feel these effects. Just a few light stretches can help improve blood flow, decrease stiffness and get you ready to take on the day.

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