15 Minutes to a Faster Metabolism: The Morning Routine That Burns Calories All Day

Many people struggle to wake up in the morning. They’re bleary-eyed, still feel tired, and the last thing on their mind is exercise. Instead, they crave coffee and sugary cereals and struggle through the first few hours of the day.

But what if I told you there was an alternative, and just 15 minutes could be all that separates you from a better start to the day?

In this article, I share a tried-and-tested 15-minute morning routine that’s all but guaranteed to start your day right, increase your energy levels, and boost your metabolism.

Three Tips for a Better Start to Your Day

If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words, “I’m not a morning person,” I’d be a rich man! It’s one of the most common excuses for starting the day on the wrong foot.

However, I believe that anyone can learn to be a morning person and that there are tips and tricks you can use to make the start of your day easier and more productive. So, before I share my 15-minute A.M. routine with you, let’s take a moment to set the stage for a better morning.

1. Go to Bed Early!

Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night to feel their best. Kids usually have a set bedtime to facilitate this. However, adults are often very bad at going to bed early enough to get the required amount of sleep. If you go to bed at midnight and get up at six, there is no way you’ll get enough shuteye.

So, turn the TV off, put down your phone, and go to bed 7-9 hours before you plan to get up. Make this your new bedtime every night. While this will take some willpower and discipline, going to bed earlier is the only way to ensure you get all the sleep you need and wake up feeling refreshed.

Related: The Importance of Sleep for Building Muscle and Losing Fat

2. Stop Hitting Snooze on Your Morning Alarm

Many people like to use the snooze function on their morning alarm. Hitting this button means you get an extra few minutes to doze. You may even be tempted to hit snooze several times in a row.

Unfortunately, the snooze function could be one of the reasons you wake up tired. Rather than being restorative, a few minutes of extra sleep can leave you feeling groggy.

So, quit hitting snooze and get up as soon as your alarm sounds. Don’t hesitate or procrastinate. Instead, get up quickly to face the coming day. This burst of positive action will have a huge impact on the rest of your morning.

If you can’t stop hitting snooze, try leaving your alarm well out of reach so you have to get up to switch it off. Trust me – this is one of the best ways to break a snooze feature addiction!

3. Prepare What You Need for Your Morning Routine the Night Before

You don’t need many items for the morning routine I’m going to share with you in the next section. However, preparing the few things you do need the night before will make completing it much easier.

In fact, I use this strategy to ensure all my mornings go as smoothly as possible. As we used to say in the British Royal Marines, prior preparation prevents poor performance!

Steps you can take that’ll make your morning routine easier include:

• Make a serving of overnight oats for tomorrow’s breakfast.
• Pack your work/school bag so it’s ready to grab and go.
• Set up your coffee machine.
• Lay out your clothes for the day.
• Get your gym mat ready to use.
• Chill some water.

Needless to say, your preparatory steps will depend on your morning preferences. However, regardless of how you start your day, doing at least some of the preparation the night before will make the first hour of your day much easier, leaving time for the 15-minute routine that follows.

15-Minute Metabolism Boosting Routine

Boost your metabolism and maximize your energy levels with this simple, easy 15-minute routine. Get into the habit of doing it daily and enjoy a better start to every morning.

Step 1. Drink Chilled Water

Unless you are plugged into a saline IV drip all night, you’ll probably be somewhat dehydrated when you first wake up. This is why your first pee of the day is usually so dark and smelly. Proper hydration will have a significant impact on your metabolic health, and drinking chilled water has been shown to increase your metabolism by as much as 30% (1).

So, pour yourself a 500ml/16 oz. glass of chilled water and drink it over the next 15 minutes. Sip slowly to avoid giving yourself brain freeze!

Step 2. Simple Sun Salutations (3 minutes)

Sun salutations combine several classic yoga poses into one flowing sequence designed to warm up, mobilize, and stretch every joint and muscle in your body. It will also raise your heart and breathing rate, increasing your metabolism by default.

There are many versions of sun salutations, and some are more complex than others. However, this simplified version is ideal for yoga novices and as part of a morning routine.

How-to:

1. Stand with your feet together, arms by your sides.
2. Raise your arms and lean back slightly.
3. Bend over and place your hands on the floor by your feet.
4. Lift your hips, straighten your knees, and then bend them again.
5. Step back with one leg into a rearward lunge.
6. Step the other foot back and adopt the push-up position.
7. Bend your arms and lower your chest to the floor.
8. Keeping your hips down, straighten your arms and lift your upper body.
9. With your legs straight, lift your hips and push them backward.
10. Step forward into a lunge.
11. Bring your rear foot up to your hands.
12. Stand back upright and repeat.

Continue for three minutes, or 4-6 rotations, alternating lead legs round by round. Only breathe through your nose during sun salutations. This creates more of a metabolism-boosting effect and raises your internal temperature more effectively.

Step 3. Hindu Squats (2 minutes)

Squats are one of the best exercises for raising your metabolism. After all, they work every muscle in your lower body, demanding increased oxygen and blood flow. That’s why a set of squats will often leave you out of breath.

Hindu squats are a traditional Indian exercise that elevates your squat game to the next level and makes for an even better metabolism booster. That said, feel free to do regularair squats if you prefer.

Read more about Hindu squats in this detailed exercise guide.

How-to:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
2. Raise your arms to the front so they are parallel to the floor.
3. Inhale, push back your hips and descend into a squat while raising your heels off the floor.
4. As you descend, bend your arms in and circle them behind you.
5. At the bottom of the movement, you should be resting on the balls of your feet and your hands should be above your toes.
6. Exhale, drive your feet into the floor and return to the starting position. Simultaneously raise your arms to parallel and lower your heels to the floor.
7. That’s one rep – continue for two minutes, or approximately 15-20 slow, smooth reps.

Step 4. Hindu Push-Ups (2 minute)

Like Hindu squats, Hindu push-ups are a traditional Indian strength and conditioning exercise. However, unlike conventional Western-style push-ups, this exercise involves your entire body and takes multiple muscles and joints through a large range of motion, making it a better metabolism booster.

How-to:

1. Adopt the push-up position with your arms and legs straight. Brace your core. Lift your hips and push them back so your body forms an inverted V.
2. Bend your arms, lower your upper body toward the floor, and imagine you are ducking under a low obstacle.
3. Keeping your hips low, extend your arms and arch your back.
4. Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
5. Continue for two minutes, or approximately 10-15 slow reps.

Step 5. 4-Way Planks (2 minutes)

When it comes to abs training, most people focus almost exclusively on the muscle at the front – the rectus abdominis. However, that’s just one of several muscles that make up your marvelous midsection. This mini-routine works your abs from front to back and side to side in two minutes flat!

How-to:

1. Lie on your right side with your weight supported on your bent elbow and forearm.
2. Brace your core and lift your hips so your body is straight. Tense your oblique or waist muscles as hard as possible. Hold for 15 seconds.
3. Next, roll over onto your front and rest on your elbows and forearms. Tense your abs and lift your hips so your body is straight. Hold for 15 seconds.
4. Roll over onto your left side with your weight supported on your bent elbow and forearm. Lift your hips so your body is straight and hold for 15 seconds.
5. Finally, lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat. Push your hips up to form a straight line with your knees and shoulders. Clench your glutes and hamstrings and hold this position for 15 seconds.
6. Repeat this four-move sequence once more to total two minutes.

Step 6 – Cold Shower (3 minutes)

Forget coffee – the best energizer known to man is a cold shower! Standing under an icy jet of water won’t be fun, but it’ll wake you up like nothing else can. As an added benefit, research indicates that cold showers can have a notable impact on your metabolism (2). So, turn down the temperature, get under the water, and stay there for three minutes.

Related: How to Use Cold Showers to Protect Yourself from Post-Workout Fatigue

Step 7 – Overnight Oats (3 minutes)

Spending 15 minutes on your morning routine may leave you short on time for breakfast. However, you prepare overnight outs well in advance, so you can grab them and go in just a couple of minutes.

Oats are loaded with fiber and slow-acting complex carbohydrates, both of which will raise your metabolic rate and keep you feeling full and energized until lunch (3).

This is my go-to overnight oats recipe, which I eat almost every day:

1. 1 cup old-fashioned oats
2. 1 cup milk
3. ¼ cup Greek yogurt
4. ¼ cup blueberries
5. 1 tablespoon natural honey or maple syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or jar and leave overnight in the fridge. Alternatively, here are five delicious overnight oat recipes to try.

Conclusion

15 minutes might not sound like long, but it’s all you need to boost your morning energy and metabolism. Use this routine to kickstart your day and turn yourself into a certified high-energy morning person. The effect will be dramatic, and your friends will want to know your secret, so make sure you share this article with them!

References:

1. Boschmann M, Steiniger J, Hille U, Tank J, Adams F, Sharma AM, Klaus S, Luft FC, Jordan J. Water-induced thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):6015-9. doi: 10.1210/jc.2003-030780. PMID: 14671205.
2. Huo C, Song Z, Yin J, Zhu Y, Miao X, Qian H, Wang J, Ye L, Zhou L. Effect of Acute Cold Exposure on Energy Metabolism and Activity of Brown Adipose Tissue in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Physiol. 2022 Jun 28;13:917084. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.917084. PMID: 35837014; PMCID: PMC9273773.
3. Hou Q, Li Y, Li L, Cheng G, Sun X, Li S, Tian H. The Metabolic Effects of Oats Intake in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2015 Dec 10;7(12):10369-87. doi: 10.3390/nu7125536. PMID: 26690472; PMCID: PMC4690088.

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