Your Lack of a Morning Routine is Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Efforts

You wake up to the buzz of your phone alarm, propped on your nightstand right next to your head.

You hit snooze a few times, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Eventually, you realize it’s time; you must get up now!

You roll out of bed, head to the bathroom, and scroll Instagram while doing your business.

Somehow, 20 minutes have already passed.

You rush into the shower, put on some makeup, and maybe wash your hair.

You stare at your closet for much longer than you’d like, try on a few different things, and eventually find something that will do.

Then head downstairs and pour yourself a cup of coffee to guzzle while also helping get the kids up, fed, dressed, unload the dishwasher, make lunches, sign permission slips, search all over for a kids’ lost shoe, and get out the door in the next 30 minutes before you head to work.

Sound familiar??

Your morning might look a bit different, but I’m guessing if you’re someone who feels stressed out each morning, there may be several similar themes you’re feeling —rushed, frazzled, and tired! And if you’re trying to lose weight or work on improving your overall health and wellness, I’m guessing you might not be aware of the impact your morning routine can have on your goals. You might be doing “all the right things” to try and lose weight, but skipping a morning routine can derail your weight loss goals due to various physiological and psychological factors. I’ll review how a lack of a morning routine impacts your metabolism based on sleep, circadian rhythms, hormones, decision-making, stress management, and your daily habits related to fitness & nutrition.

Let’s start with a bit on the science behind morning routines and how our circadian rhythms come into play. Circadian rhythms are our bodies’ way of regulating physiological functions in a 24-hour cycle. Circadian rhythms significantly regulate metabolism, which is how our body converts food into energy. Hormones such as cortisol, insulin, and ghrelin (the hunger hormone) follow a circadian pattern. Cortisol levels typically peak in the morning, helping to mobilize energy stores, while insulin sensitivity fluctuates throughout the day, affecting how effectively our body manages blood sugar levels. Skipping a consistent morning routine can disrupt these natural hormonal cycles, which are crucial for effective weight management. Without a regular morning routine, cortisol production can become erratic. Elevated cortisol levels, especially without a structured morning start, can increase appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods, contributing to weight gain. Irregular routines can impair insulin sensitivity, making it harder for the body to manage blood sugar levels efficiently, leading to increased fat storage and a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. A disrupted circadian rhythm can also lead to irregular eating habits like skipping breakfast and late-night eating.

A consistent morning routine often includes regular sleep patterns, vital for maintaining circadian rhythms. Irregular routines of going to sleep and waking up at one time one day and another time the next can lead to insufficient or poor-quality sleep, which disrupts the balance of hunger-regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin. Poor sleep increases ghrelin levels (making you think you’re hungry) and decreases leptin levels (making you less satisfied), leading to increased caloric intake and weight gain. A lack of a morning routine can also lower energy levels throughout the day, reducing the likelihood of engaging in physical activities like exercise and further derailing weight loss efforts. Maintaining a consistent morning routine helps regulate circadian rhythms, ensuring hormonal balance, efficient metabolism, and regular eating patterns. Disrupting these rhythms by skipping a routine can lead to hormonal imbalances, irregular eating habits, poor sleep quality, and difficulty managing weight effectively. Therefore, establishing and sticking to a morning routine is critical to achieving and maintaining weight loss goals.

However, a morning routine also has many psychological benefits, starting with supporting mental clarity and reducing stress. Starting the day with a structured routine improves our decision-making. We already have thousands of decisions to make each day, and having a better ability to support decision-making, especially as it relates to our food choices, significantly improves our weight loss journey. Morning routines also support self-care and reduce our stress levels. People who have ways to feel more regulated when dealing with stress and have lower stress levels, in general, are linked to lower emotional eating and better weight control.

A morning routine is the only way I have been able to consistently work out 5-6 days/week as a busy working single mom. Afternoon and evening workouts aren’t in the cards for this busy mama driving my kids to various activities. So having a morning routine is how I’ve ensured uninterrupted time for me to get my workouts in, which is key to maintaining my weight loss and also improving my mental health.

If you’re reading this and thinking, it sounds nice, Lauren, but I’m just not a morning person! Listen up…

This might be a bit of tough love, and I hope you’re open to hearing it.

If what you’re doing today isn’t working, it’s time to try something new. One thing I know that’s certain: nothing changes if nothing changes!

The science is there, and anecdotally, my client’s experiences have supported the benefits of weight loss, starting with implementing a morning routine.

And it doesn’t need to be super complicated or involve a red light mask unless that’s something you enjoy!

Not sure where to even start?

Building a personalized morning routine to support your goals is one of the topics we’ll cover in Unclutter Your Life in 14 Days, my new group program starting in late July. In this program, you’ll learn how to simplify and organize to reduce stress and waste so you can focus on the things that matter the most!

You can sign up for Unclutter Your Life in 14 Days at an early-bird discounted rate of $87. Pricing will increase on July 8th, so secure this great deal today. I hope to see you there!

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hi, i'm lauren!

I help successful, high-achieving women like you implement efficient, proven and sustainable ways to prioritize your health and find your confidence again.

Hi, I'm Lauren!

I help successful, high-achieving women like you implement efficient, proven and sustainable ways to prioritize your health and find your confidence again.