Most upvoted comment
Good morning, Reddit. What are your tips for waking up earlier or becoming more alert in the morning?(r/AskReddit)
Know your sleep cycles – each lasts 90minutes. Use sleepyti.me if you don’t want to do math. This will ensure you wake up feeling refreshed rather than groggy.
Stretch in the morning. Don’t do this is a rushed fashion. Slow down, breathe deeply, and feel the stretch. It should feel incredible. Stretch everything, especially your hamstrings. When you walk around afterward you should feel your weight being carried by several muscle fibers and thus have more control over your movements rather than moving your joints and having your limbs tossed about like a marionette.
Do 25 runs of a dual n’back game, like Brain Workshop. Despite the corny title, this is one of the few exercises proven to improve working memory and fluid intelligence.
Do some mental math. I like using Lizardpoint. I do 20 of each (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) of incrementally increasing integers.
Exercise. Do either 15minutes of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), or lift weights (do a program like Starting Strength for novices, or 5/3/1 for intermediates).
Eat a large breakfast. Do this especially if you lift. I like to start my day off with 5-6 sunny-side up eggs, and whole wheat toast.
Eat whole foods, in general. Try to get as close to whole food as possible. Whole wheat bread, steel cut oats, free-range grass-fed meat, etc. I realize this can be expensive, but it is worth it.
Get your supplements in. Most are snake oil, but make sure you get a decent multivitamin (many swear by Opti-Men or Orange Triad, I’m satisfied with Centrum Silver) and Omega 3 (make sure you get 720mg of DHA, and 480mg of EPA – many omega 3 pills don’t have this, but Trader Joe’s Brand has this.
Meditate.Before bed, and after waking up. As much as possible, actually. Read this to learn how.