For the past month, I\u2019ve been trying out a new morning routine. I wake up, brush my teeth and grab a coffee. Then I head into my living room and read a book for 10 minutes. After that I write down three things I\u2019m grateful for and three things that I want to accomplish that day. The accomplishments need to be specific and actionable. Go for a jog. Call my mom. The gratitude list is a bit more lax. One day I\u2019m grateful for the friendly neighbourhood cat. The next it\u2019s gratitude for falling in love or the discovery of electricity. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s remarkable what a difference the routine has made to my mood. Prior to starting the new practice, I\u2019d wake up and immediately get sucked into my phone, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or jumping into work e-mails. A bit of existential dread to go along with breakfast. By contrast, this routine lets me ease into the morning. And the fact that the whole thing is over in less than fifteen minutes has made it easy to stick with. <\/p>\n
Studies have shown \u201cwake-up tasks\u201d can have an impact on behavioural changes.<\/a> A 2022 paper noted that \u201cearly morning behaviours can develop into productive habits.\u201d A 2017 study<\/a> noted that morning people tend to be more persistent, self-directed and co-operative. The research suggests that making an effort to be productive in the morning can have compounding results. But that doesn\u2019t mean we need to be mimicking the intense pre-dawn workout regimen of Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson or dunking our face into ice water like influencer Ashton Hall<\/a>. Being conscious about how you start each day, prioritizing the things that matter and making simple, consistent, changes can lead to compounding returns. <\/p>\n What can I learn from a biological age test?<\/a><\/p>\n I spoke with four notable Canadians about their morning routines, the rituals they start the day with and the advice they\u2019d give others if they\u2019d like to implement their own practice. <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Author Marissa Stapley starts her days journalling and writing in bed.Jennifer Roberts\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n Journalling in the morning can help kickstart creativity <\/p>\n Marissa Stapley is a New York Times bestselling author. Her thriller Lucky was selected as part of Reese Witherspoon\u2019s book club and was recently adapted for Apple TV with Anya Taylor-Joy playing the lead. While the life of an author is often romanticized in books and movies, in the early days of her career, she had to make time to write where she could find it.<\/p>\n \u201cI was doing those 5 a.m. wake ups out of pure necessity,\u201d said Stapley, before the rush of school drop-offs and the kids coming home for lunch. \u201cI needed to safeguard my writing time and getting up early was the way to get things done.\u201d <\/p>\n In the early days, the effort, care and hard work in the early mornings paid off. Nowadays with one kid out of the house, the other heading off to university, and a massively successful creative career, the routine looks a bit different. <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Her morning routine includes writing and doing pilates at her Toronto home.Jennifer Roberts\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n Stapley has a comparatively luxurious wake-up time of 7:30 a.m. Her husband brings her a coffee and she spends the first hour or two of her day journalling and outlining stories with a pen and paper, working from her king-sized bed (where her cats also like to hang out). From there, Stapley gets in a walk or some exercise. By around 10, she\u2019s at her desk, writing or working on deadlines. The writer says she hits a wall creatively at around 2 p.m., and reserves the rest of the workday for administrative tasks. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a routine that\u2019s proved incredibly fruitful for the author. \u201cI find the morning, for me and for a lot of my colleagues, that\u2019s the time when the magic will happen.\u201d <\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have enough creativity in your life, Stapley suggests starting the day by putting pen to paper. Thoughts, feelings, big ideas, anything that comes to mind is valid. The journalling itself doesn\u2019t need to be for anything specific. Allowing yourself to write without any barriers beyond getting words on the page, she believes you free yourself up for creative ideas. <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Deborah Cox’s mornings in the Big Apple are slow and intentional.Mary Kang\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n Morning routines can look different at different stages of your life <\/p>\n Deborah Cox is a platinum-selling singer and actor. Cox \u2013 widely considered one of Canada\u2019s all-time great R&B artists \u2013 is currently starring in Titanique on Broadway, an over-the-top jukebox musical parody of Titanic from the perspective of My Heart Will Go On songstress Celine Dion. Performing eight shows a week, Cox prioritizes restful and quieter mornings, saving her energy for each performance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really a pretty heavy schedule when you\u2019re doing so much in a short length of time and you don\u2019t really have that recovery period,\u201d Cox said. \u201cI need to be really mindful of what I have in the day ahead of me and what I gotta do \u2026 my morning routine switches depending on where I am or what I\u2019m doing with my kids.\u201d <\/p>\n Practically, Cox\u2019s mornings in New York are slow and intentional, making sure she\u2019s putting her best foot forward for the stage. A 7:30 wake up is followed by a protein shake. At 8:15, it\u2019s time for 15 minutes of meditation, then off to the gym for a workout and yoga. When performing it\u2019s not irregular for her to spend most of the morning in silence, giving her vocal cords a much-needed rest before a vocal warm-up at around 10 a.m. <\/p>\n Making a protein shake and doing a vocal warm-up are part of her morning routine on a show day.<\/p>\n Mary Kang\/THE GLOBE AND MAIL<\/p>\n When she\u2019s not in the middle of a show, the routine is a bit looser, focusing energy on time with her kids and staying active. Breakfast with the family can look like pancakes and fried eggs. The workouts are a combo of strength training and cardio interval training. <\/p>\n \u201cI train my body to do these quick spurts of energy,\u201d Cox said. The training helps her stay ready for performances, where she\u2019s asked to perform difficult powerhouse songs between many smaller moments. \u201cIt\u2019s the same kind of energy I exert during a show.\u201d <\/p>\n Is VO2 max the best predictor of lifespan? I took the fitness test to find out<\/a><\/p>\n While Cox is undeniably a high-achiever, the difference between her mornings when performing on Broadway compared to being back home are a useful reminder: A morning routine should be setting you up for success in your day. Individual needs are going to vary widely depending on the time of your life, your ambitions and your obligations. Rather than trying to live up to some idealized notion of what you should be doing, finding the small shifts in how you start your day can make a big difference. Ten minutes really can make a difference. <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Will Tennyson, a fitness creator on YouTube has tried the morning routines of celebrities and reviewed their regimens in his videos.Will Tennyson\/YouTube\/Supplied<\/p>\n Avoiding your phone first thing in the morning can make time for other commitments <\/p>\n Will Tennyson is one of the top fitness creators on YouTube. With a channel boasting more than five million subscribers, he\u2019s developed a massive following through a combination of practical fitness advice, deeply personal storytelling and over-the-top self-experimentation. <\/p>\n For social media, Tennyson \u2013 based in the Greater Toronto Area \u2013 has tried out the morning routines of everyone from Mark Wahlberg<\/a> to Andrew Huberman<\/a>, creating viral videos reviewing the good and the bad of each regimen. <\/p>\n \u201cI think that people are interested to see if there are any secret weapons people are doing that they can implement themselves,\u201d Tennyson said. \u201cMaybe there\u2019s a specific supplement, a de-stressing routine, skin cream or a specific meal. What little thing might make a big difference in the morning?\u201d <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Tennyson installed a new home gym with a full-body red-light panel in it.Will Tennyson\/YouTube\/Supplied<\/p>\n Tennyson\u2019s own routine, including his workout, takes about three hours. He starts off the day by brushing his teeth and wearing a red-light cap, to help combat potential hair loss. After that he goes on a walk with his wife and dog, getting in some family time, and venturing for coffee. Back home, he spends 10 to 15 minutes in front of a full-body red-light panel. That time also doubles as a kind of standing meditation, a chance to reflect on the work that needs to be done that day. After that, he does a 45-minute fasted workout. From there it\u2019s a high protein, high fat breakfast. <\/p>\n I challenged myself to eat whole foods for four weeks. Here\u2019s how it went<\/a><\/p>\n While Tennyson notes that his job affords him a different kind of lifestyle than most people, he has also spent a lot of effort experimenting with morning habits that set him up for success. One of his biggest wins? Less phone time when waking up. <\/p>\n \u201cYou may think checking things will take five minutes. The next thing you know? It\u2019s been 15,\u201d Tennyson said. By eliminating some phone time in the morning, Tennyson notes that you can carve out some space for activities that are more important to you. \u201cI think a big thing people could do is just get up, get out and get some morning sun. Even a short walk lets you get some movement and prepare yourself for the day.\u201d <\/p>\n