3 ways to improve your mornings

A lot of people find it difficult to get up and get energized in the morning, and for valid reasons. Work or school stress, non-conducive sleeping areas, and poor diet are just a few reasons why you might feel sluggish in the morning.

While a work-life balance is recommended by most health authorities, it also helps to get the recommended seven hours per night of sleep. To get you going in the morning, here are some great tips that you might want to try.

1. Rise earlier. This doesn't mean that you should skimp on your seven hours of sleep. In fact, health authorities recommend to sleep earlier (put down your phones and turn off your computers earlier as well, as this contributes to your lack of sleepiness at certain late hours), and therefore wake up earlier.

Huffington Post reports that according to research conducted by The University of Toronto, "people who wake up early in the morning are generally happier and have higher satisfaction overall in their lives." Another study done in 2012 published in the journal Emotion also showed that those who woke up earlier reported feeling healthier, most likely because their daily routine were more in sync with the 9-5 work schedule, Women's Health reports.

More importantly, according to Women's Health, those who sleep late consume 248 more calories per day, twice more fast food, and only half as many fruits and vegetables than those who go to bed and wake up early, a 2011 Northwestern University study reported. Those who sleep late also had a higher average BMI.

2. Begin with a hearty breakfast. The Huffington Post reports that when we wake up, we're often hungry after a full night's sleep, so we need all the nourishment we can get to have enough energy to kick start our day.

According to registered dietician Joan Sage Blake, "Research suggests that eating breakfast, specifically carbohydrate-rich cereals, can improve your mood. Eating in the morning after a night's slumber will provide glucose to your starved brain. Most people are also likely to be happier and less grouchy when they aren't distracted by hunger pangs."

Pick a good breakfast that can pack a punch, such as oatmeal, which you can perk up with various nuts and fruits for flavor and texture.

3. Move! Whether it's zumba, yoga, or any form of mindful movement that can get your heart rate up and blood pumping energetically, make it a part of your day. Don't think about exercise or working out, which may sound daunting. Instead, think of it as moving for overall health, including your mood.

Huffington Post reports that according to psychology professor Michael Otto, "The link between exercise and mood is pretty strong. Usually within five minutes after moderate exercise you get a mood-enhancement effect."

James Blumenthal, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Duke University told the American Psychological Association: "There's good epidemiological data to suggest that active people are less depressed than inactive people. And people who were active and stopped tend to be more depressed than those who maintain or initiate an exercise program."