How to Use Morning Rituals for Keto Success

Billionaires, moguls, savvy entrepreneurs… there is something many of them have in common: regular morning rituals to set them up for success!

Upon awakening, Gary Vaynerchuk checks the news and starts his workout; Barack Obama has breakfast with his family; Arianna Huffington does yoga and meditation and sets her intention for the day. Just look at the morning routines of other successful people and you’ll see similar patterns.

Bottom line: having a structured routine helps you start the day on the right foot to accomplish your goals. And that applies to keto, too! Let’s dive into how to use morning rituals for keto success. Our hope is that you can create your own morning rituals that will greatly impact your ketogenic diet and have you crushing your goals.

Your Morning Rituals Mindset

Before you create a ritual that works for you, think about the bigger picture: why are you following this way of eating? What’s truly motivating you?

• Consider Your “Why”
• What’s the main reason you’re following a ketogenic diet? What’s your goal?
• Do you want to experience weight loss, mental clarity, better athletic performance, or better health in general? And what are the underlying reasons you want to experience this? —To be able to pursue your passions with a clear mind, to be healthy enough to play with your kids, and/or to live each day not feeling sick?

Think about your “why” (or “whys”) and keep that in the forefront of your mind.

Set Reminders

After you’ve determined your big “why,” write it out on a piece of paper (or in your phone) and keep it somewhere you can reference as needed. Dieting is hard, and there will likely be moments of weakness — a regular reminder of your motivation is a helpful tool to have from the beginning.

Track Your Progress

As you set up and try a new ritual, don’t forget to notice how you progress and what works. You might need to tweak things here and there as you go along, but you can only make changes if you know ahead of time whether or not the current one is working.

Also, celebrate wins. If you meet your weight goal for the week, hit a certain number of reps at the gym, or notice clearer thinking at work, recognize it! Even small wins will help you push forward and stay consistent. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come if you’re only focusing on the end goal. Celebrate the little steps.

Now, let’s talk about the actual rituals you can put in place to set yourself up for success on keto. It all starts with a plan.

Decide What You’ll Do

Your morning rituals should be highly individualized based on what works best for you, but here are some suggestions:

 

Get up 15 minutes earlier: Even if you’re a self-proclaimed night owl, consider going to bed and waking up a little earlier. A study in 2008 showed people who get up earlier tend to be more proactive and show more success than late rises. Start your day a little earlier this week and see what shifts in your diet success.

Meditate: Meditation first thing in the morning is a great way to stay grounded and centered for the day. Daily meditation can be great for reducing anxiety and increasing mental focus and calm. If you struggle with emotional eating, having a meditation practice each morning might help with that.

Have the same breakfast: Try eating the same keto breakfast every day or have 2-3 meals you rotate every few weeks. Having a breakfast planned out beforehand as your “usual” eliminates time or energy spent on make a decision first thing in the morning. Decision fatigue is real! (Try one of our breakfast recipes if you aren’t sure what to make.)

Journal: Writing about what’s on your mind is a good way to calm, clear, and quiet it. Set aside 10-30 minutes each morning to write about whatever’s on your mind. You might just notice you’re better able to work through any mental blocks you’re experiencing, boost your creativity, and work through any troubles you’re struggling with mentally. If you’re looking for a journal that helps you define your goals, structure your days, and review your weeks/months, make sure to check out the Daily Domination Journal.

Set an intention: Our minds naturally go to the negatives first — unless we train them not to, and a lot of diet success has to do with your mindset. Start your day by voicing a positive intention out loud about how you want it to go (i.e. “I intend to be open to success” or “I intend to make choices that benefit me”).

Affirmation: Just like with intentions, positive affirmations help set you up for success and put you in a mindset of personal development each day. Examples could include “I eat well and exercise to enjoy lasting good health” or “I have control over my feelings, thoughts, and choices daily.”

Workout: This is a common one. Get your workout out of the way soon after you wake up to reap the benefits of feeling fit and energized throughout the day.

Set phone reminders in the morning: Type out your “why” into one sentence, and set it as a reminder on your phone shortly after you wake up. That way, you’ll instantly receive a reminder each morning about why it’s important to stick to your diet.

Testing ketones: No better way to see where you are progress-wise than to test your ketone levels. Plus, it’ll put this intention foremost in your mind, so you know where you start each day.

Staying Consistent

No matter what you choose to do, make sure it’s something with which you can do long-term each morning. Try it out for at least a couple weeks and note any physical and mental changes you notice.

Then, if you need to make changes or struggle to stick with your ritual most days, reassess. But remember to give yourself enough time to implement and get used to the changes before giving up on them.

Practice Honest Appraisal

Be honest with yourself when implementing a new ritual. Are you doing it every morning? Are you giving it enough time to see whether it makes a difference? Just like with the ketogenic diet, big changes take time to implement and to see results. Be honest with yourself about how you’re doing and whether you’re giving your ritual a fair try.

Making Morning Rituals Happen

We’ve talked about how morning rituals can make you more successful with your ketogenic diet and help you meet your goals. Now, all that’s left is for you to go out and try it! What rituals will you choose to start doing?