7 Easy things you can do every morning to lose weight FASTER

What you do in the morning can do a great deal to set the tone for the day ahead. If you grumble and groan as you pull yourself out from under the covers and then proceed to waste the morning on your smartphone, you'll find that your productivity takes a hit for the 24 hours that follow.

The same goes for exercise and weight loss. The way you start the day will not only have a big impact on the way you feel going forward (and thus your activity levels) but it will also set the pace for your body itself – by putting your metabolism and hormones in the right gear and keeping you satiated.

Here we will look at some of the things you can do early in the morning to set yourself up for a day of effective weight loss…

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1. Get right out of bed. Trying to prevent 'sleep inertia' (that groggy feeling of 'not wanting to get up-ness')? Then don't hit the snooze button. This is the absolute worst thing you can do for your energy levels, so instead let yourself sleep just a tiny bit longer and then jump out of bed as soon as the alarm sounds.

2. Get some sun. Getting sunlight in the morning will a) ensure that you're producing vitamin D and thus regulating your hormones correctly and b) help you to feel awake and energized. Not fortunate enough to live somewhere bright? Try investing in a 'daylight lamp' that will mimic the effect of the rising sun in the morning. You can also supplement with vitamin D.

3. Hydrate. One of the reasons we often feel so rough in the morning is that we're dehydrated. Gulp down some water to freshen up and to get your body working. Warm lemon water first thing in the morning, has been shown to promote smooth bowel functions, eliminates toxins and it also balances the pH level in our system. Additionally it helps fight off cravings during the day.

4. Stretch. Stretching first thing in the morning will help you to limber up and will get blood circulating oxygenating our entire body.

5 Exercise. Want to burn more calories during your morning routine? Do it before breakfast. This way you will be doing what's known as 'fasted cardio' – cardio exercise performed at a time when you're low on blood sugar and your body is thus forced to burn up fat stores instead. If you're working towards developing muscle mass, avoid exercising on an empty stomach as it will burn up your muscle mass too. It is important to keep in mind that if you are training before breakfast don't exceed 45 minutes in your exercise routine.

6. Protein. Tim Ferriss, best selling author recommends chowing down on protein within 30 minutes of waking up. This is hard if you're performing fasted cardio but waiting an hour won't be the end of the world. Basically protein is incredibly satiating and it has a 'thermogenic' effect meaning it requires calories for your body to digest. Having protein first thing in the morning in the form of eggs or salmon appears to be the trick for many people struggling to make headway in their diets.

7. Have a cold shower. Taking a cold shower will wake you up by triggering the release of norepinephrine in your body. At the same time it also encourages the production of testosterone (leading to weight loss and muscle gain) and it causes you to burn calories from all the shivering! A rude awakening, but a healthy one!

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