Many of us pay little attention to how we wake up. The alarm goes off. Some of us turn it to snooze and prefer another 10 minutes of slumber. Others throw back the covers and immediately get up and into action mode. This jolt taxes the system and creates strain on weak artery walls. Additionally, the body experiences a sudden and dramatic increase in blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate compared to its sleep state. When this is taken into account, it is no wonder that strokes and heart attacks commonly occur between six a.m. and noon.
There are various ideas about the best ways of waking up and preparing for your day.
I always have a full glass of water on waking that I keep next to the bed. This rehydrates you and some evidence suggests that this helps to reduce risk of stroke. If you have lemon in it, all the better. The lemon will stimulate your liver and wake it up so it’s raring to go for all the jobs you ask it to do for the rest of the day.
My yoga teacher suggests having a gentle stretch before you even get out of bed. You have been lying down for a long period with limited movements. Stretch out your arms, your legs. Move your fingers then wrists and ankles. Do a few rotations of the joints in the ankle and wrist. This will get the qi or energy awakening before you ask it to do anything more strenuous.
Taoists suggest an alternative massage. Begin massaging your sensory organs—your eyes, nose, lips, and ears—as soon as you wake up. Gently tap and brush your scalp with your fingertips. Then massage the rest of your body with a stroking action from your neck down to your shoulders, elbows, hands, chest and abdomen, hips, knees, and all the way down to your feet. Stroke your lower back with your palms. Inhale deeply into your nose and exhale through your mouth three times; this pushes out toxins. Then take three deep inhalations, filling your cells with vital oxygen.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gives you the energy you need to function during your daily activities. Instead of your usual cold cereal or toast or breakfast bar, try substituting a warm bowl of whole oats. Your body will thank you for years to come.
Whole oats balance the body’s blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates, and they also prevent colon cancer by binding toxic minerals and acids. Rich in antioxidants, whole oats keep cholesterol from sticking to artery walls. The outer coating of oats contains a high concentration of soluble fibers, which help trap cholesterol and move it quickly through the intestines. The saponins in oats increase production of natural “killer cells,” which play a critical role in the body’s supervision of the immune system.
These benefits are reserved for whole oats only; the oats that many people eat in refined form will not share the same lifelong health rewards because they contain very little of the precious bran that contains beta-glucan and saponins. So stick with unrefined whole oats.
Add to whole oats a good mixture of berries in season—especially blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. As another option, try apples or mandarin orange. For a sweetened taste, add raisins, honey, or date pieces. Simply add soymilk or almond milk, and you have a blockbuster breakfast!
There you go- ready to start your day!