Fun ways to jumpstart your day

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The morning blues affect all of us. If not the hangover courtesy last night's escapades, it's the idea of going through an entire day with your grouchy boss breathing down your neck. Well, regardless of what's bugging you, it's the way you start your day that will decide the course of it - good, bad or ugly. That's why we put together 10 fun ways to jumpstart your day so that you would wish it wouldn't end! Here goes...

Ring in the morning
Your alarm clock is the first thing you have to deal with every morning. So why not decide to hate it less and start loving the sound of it? Your alarm tone has to be something different, something that will make you want to sit up and a) shut it up ASAP or b) listen to it and smile first thing in the morning! Something annoyingly funny or your current favourite song! If nothing works, the runaway alarm clock on wheels will called 'clocky'. How it works: It will jump off your side table, run away, hide itself and ring all the while. You'll be forced to wake up in an attempt to find it! You can pick it up from your nearest Crossword outlet.

An early start
Set your alarm for the earliest possible time. The morning air is fresh and will jerk you out of your slumber immediately! This will let you have plenty of time to prepare yourself a lengthy breakfast and leisurely enjoy it with a cuppa coffee instead of stuffing your face hurriedly while you struggle with getting your hair to stay in place. Plus, you know what panting can do that crisp shirt, right? Sweaty armpits. Ugh!

Food for thought
Food has the ability to get your mind working the way nothing else can. We suggest you plan a weekly healthy breakfast menu so that it doesn't get monotonous. And while you are doing that, remember the famous saying, "Eat your breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper." Here are some things you could include - fruit juices, dried fruits, honey, almonds, cereal, eggs, yogurt, fresh fruits, sprouts, green tea, oatmeal, warm milk and lots of water. Avoid the caffeine if possible.

Sweat it out
Mornings are the best time to work out. But make sure that the workout doesn't leave you drained. Apart from jogging, skipping and doing crunches, you can also opt for other unhurried routines such yoga (Surya Namaskar in particular) and simple stretching. It will only help you gather your thoughts and concentrate on the day ahead.

So you think you can dance?
You do realise that dancing and singing 'out loud' can do you good despite the fact that you have two left feet and can give Himesh Reshammiya a run for his money! Turn your little den into a stage! Silly songs, screechy tones, pelvic thrusts, Bollywood moves, failing to remember the lyrics and conveniently altering them, anything will do! Please note: its extreme fun when you sync your song and dance routine with your daily chores!

A cold shower
Stand under the shower and let the spray of cold water shock your body into waking up! Avoid hot water because though it relieves your muscles of stress, it could make you feel lazy and lethargic again.

A cup of humour
There's nothing like enjoying a cuppa coffee over the morning newspaper. But here's how you do it with a difference. Ditch the depressing news and hit the Page 3 or the 'agony aunt' section. We guarantee you a funny start to your day. If that doesn't work for you, the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip will lighten up your day, and it's legit to laugh out loud at these!

Horoscope or Horror-scope?
While you are with the newspaper, you might as well check your horoscope. It's not a bad thing to have a slight idea of how the day is going to progress. Will the boss call the day off? Will your pockets retain some money? Will the boyfriend gift you a puppy? Plus, if the horoscope throws up a whole lot of good news, we guarantee you'll be grinning. And if the news isn't 'good', you can always check another newspaper for a 'happier' horoscope!

Be prepared
We know how exhausted you were last night and that all you wanted to do was crash but consider taking some time out and deciding over what skirt and shoes to team up with that brand new shirt in the night before. It will spare you the last minute running around trying to hunt for this or that.

A sitcom re-run?
Considering that you've followed our advice religiously and have plenty of time on your hands before making a dash, we'd suggest you grant yourself the liberty of watching the re-run of your favourite sitcom, the one that you watched last night!! Or catch up on random television soaps? Or maybe watch a prayer channel or an early morning yoga show? We think it will give you just the start you need!