Everyone has something that they want to change, especially in the New Year—it comes with the New Year territory.  Well, starting your day off on the right foot is one sure way to leave the bad habits of 2011 behind.

Here are a few helpful AM tricks to incorporate into your rise and shine.

No more muffins… no more muffin tops. Eat a healthy and hearty breakfast. Grabbing something from the local Starbucks is convenient and usually really tasty, but a single scone has about 500 calories.  We always tell ourselves, I’ll eat healthy the rest of the day, but we rarely do.  Starting your day off by bargaining with yourself is not the right way to begin. Plus the more healthy choices you make at the start of the day, the more your body will crave them later.

Set an intention. We do it in yoga, why not in day-to-day life?  Maybe you want to be more patient.  You don’t have to meditate. It can be as simple as a 30 second exercise where you repeat the word you’d like to incorporate into your day.

If you’re an early AM exerciser, lay your workout clothes out the night before.  It’s harder to ignore something when it is staring you in the face. Or leave a set of free weights at the foot of your bed.  It’s so easy to do 3 reps of 10 squats.  It will take you under 10 minutes, and if you do it again and again, every morning those minutes add up to a very firm backside.

Don’t hit snooze.  If you’ve gotten your required 8 hours, that extra 15 minutes isn’t going to make any difference. Snoozing will ensure you start your day groggy.

-Arianna Schioldager