Rise and shine, surprising as it sounds it's morning time again! That wonderful sounding alarm clock has just gently – or maybe not so gently – stirred you awake from your peaceful slumber and it's time to get the day started.

Before you get into your typical morning routine, how about making a slight change in what you may usually do and try out a few, or better yet each one of these 5 healthy ways to start your day? By doing so you can make the most out of the time you have before heading out and increase the likelihood of sticking with healthy living habits for the better part of the day.

5 Healthy Ways to Start Your Day

Morning Routine # 1: Don't Hit the Snooze Button

You set your alarm the night before for a particular time you wanted to wake up so stick with that plan. Hitting the snooze button can easily turn into 10 – 30 more minutes of time taken away from what you could possibly accomplish in the morning before leaving for work. During that additional snooze time you will not be able to get another REM cycle of sleep so it is basically just wasted time. If you are trying to improve your health, do yourself a favor and simply pop out of bed and get on with all the things you need to accomplish that day.

Morning Routine # 2: Drink A Large Glass of Water

Once you make it out of bed, pour yourself a tall glass of water to drink. Remember your body has likely not had any nourishment in 8 to 12 hours so it's a bit dehydrated. If you want to take this healthy habit one step further, buy a bottle of Metamucil which is a fiber supplement that aides your digestive system. One spoonful in a glass of water will not only help reduce your cholesterol, but the additional fiber will actually make you feel more full so when it comes time for breakfast you won't have the desire to overeat.

Morning Routine # 3: Eat A Healthy Breakfast

As you likely know, breakfast is the healthiest meal of the day and should never be skipped. Again keep in mind your body has been without any food or drink for 8 to 12 hours so one of the first things you need to do is put some fuel into your engine. Try to keep your breakfast as healthy as possible. Eating breakfast does not mean you should go through the McDonald's, or any other fast food drive-through since often their breakfast meals can easily total near 1000 calories. That is far too much for a single meal. If you stock your refrigerator / kitchen with healthy options there's no reason why you won't be able to quickly whip together something appropriate to eat at home.

Morning Routine # 4: Write A To-Do List

Another morning routine to get used to is while you're eating your breakfast, jot down a few things on paper you want to accomplish that day. This "To-Do" list can include any immediate goals you want to finish that particular day. These goals can be in relation to your work, home, children, or weight-loss efforts. By having a To-Do list, that gives you specific things to focus on and will increase the likelihood of accomplishing them and in turn you'll be more productive.

Morning Routine # 5: Pack a Lunch With 2 Snacks

Finally, if you leave your house for work or for a lengthy amount of time, pack yourself a lunch along with two appropriately portioned snacks. This is of utmost importance if you are on a weight loss mission. Having a lunch handy along with two snacks will keep you properly nourished the entire time you're away from home. Guess what that means? You won't have to resort to going out and getting a fast food meal or vending machine snacks all of which offer entirely too many calories with little or no nutritional value.

Conclusion

Hopefully you take these five healthy morning routines to heart and start using them on a daily basis – at least during the work week to start with. You'll find that once these become habits, your days will become much more nutritious and productive which will lead to weight loss success. The decisions you make with the choices you're faced with everyday will be the difference.