When the alarm clock sounds in the morning, it can feel tempting to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. But what if instead of rolling over and going back to bed, you get up and start the day with a morning routine. Establishing a morning routine is key to having a nice relaxing morning knowing that you won’t have to rush into things as soon as you wake up.

” I do actually have a special alarm. My alarm sound is called By the Seaside. I like it because it’s relaxing and it lets me have a relaxing morning,” said Maliya Trammell, a freshman at OHS. Some people don’t care about what they wake up to, as long as they get up on time to start the day. “I wake up to an alarm on my phone and the sound is just the normal alarm sound,” said Azya King-Story, a sophomore at OHS.

Incorporating stretching or exercise into your morning routine can make a huge difference in how you feel throughout the day. It helps you release all the tension that has built up while you were sleeping. This allows your muscles to relax and get them up and going for the day. “When I get out of bed I like to stretch my arms. I don’t really have enough time to incorporate any type of exercise in my morning routine,” said Jimena Chavarria, a freshman at OHS.

I like to stretch my arms as well and crack my back when I wake up. It makes me feel more relaxed but also helps me get out of bed in case I slept badly. Stretching really helps me get up in the morning. But some people don’t even think about stretching and exercising or they just don’t have enough time at all. “I like to crack my back but I don’t know if that really counts as stretching but if not then I don’t,” said Pricila Aroche, a freshman at OHS.

Having a morning beverage could be very crucial to a person’s morning routine. Some people like to have it as soon as they wake up, while others like to have it after they get ready.  “I have water with ice in the morning and in the night. It helps with my skin and hydration,” said Aroche. “I normally drink water after I stretch because I get really dehydrated during the night,” she added.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, some people don’t have enough time to eat breakfast, some make time to eat breakfast, and some don’t eat at all. “Sometimes I do have extra time to eat and if I do, I like to eat waffles with syrup and some grapes,” said Pamela Quiroz, a freshman at OHS. Your breakfast could be as simple as a granola bar or a banana as long as you have something in your system. I’m one of the people who doesn’t have enough time to eat breakfast, but then regrets it when my stomach starts to growl in the middle of class.

Whether you prefer listening to a podcast or the news or watching a show, at least it’s  something to get you up and going for the day. While getting ready, the key thing to have is music. Without music I don’t know what would motivate me to get up in the morning and get ready. “I like to listen to music while getting ready and I normally like to lean to Ken Carson because he’s my favorite artist,” said King-Story.

While others play music to help them relax before going to school and distract them from thinking of where they are going to be for the rest of the day. “I like to listen to music, especially calm music because it helps me focus on getting ready,” said Chavarria.

Over time, morning routines have changed quite a bit, mainly because of school. When I was younger, I would take my time waking up, enjoying breakfast while watching cartoons. Now, I have to wake up earlier to fit in my homework and sometimes a shower before school.  “I used to wake up like 40 minutes before I had to go to my bus stop but I realized that every time I would wake up a few minutes before I had to leave, I never had enough time to do everything so now I try to wake up as early as possible,” said Quiroz.

Whether you like getting up in the morning or not, it is key to have a good morning routine to accomplish great things for the day.

What does your morning routine look like? Tell us in the comments!