MORNING ROUTINE (QUARANTINE EDITION)

GOOD MORNING!

Let’s be honest, I was NEVER a morning person. I’m the one who is vigorously hitting the snooze button to my alarm with my eyes still closed until I fall back asleep. But at the same time, I absolutely love when I am actually able to wake up early enough to catch the sun rise. There is something so invigorating about being awake in the early morning hours. The air is fresh and clean and the world is calm. But who am I kidding? I love a good sleep-in, especially with our “new normal” shelter-in-place order. The first few days of this whole lockdown situation, I nearly lost my mind on the roller coaster of fear, panic and anxiety given all of the uncertainty around the Coronavirus. I found myself in a bad habit of going to bed super late, waking up super late, thus setting the tone for very unproductive days. I found myself neglecting my body and not nourishing myself at all which made me feel like shit! I quickly snapped out of that funk and realized I was the only one holding myself back. I started to look on the positive side of things. There’s a lot going on in the world currently. We all feel it. The most important thing we can do right now is stay present with ourselves and focus on the things we can control— our hygiene, the way we protect ourselves and others by staying home, our thoughts/our mind including what kind of news, social media etc. we are consuming and choosing to nourish our bodies with whole real foods as well as keeping our immune system and gut microbiome healthy.

This is a time to look within, and fill our souls with all of the things we said or wished we were going to do back when we told ourselves we never had the time. There is no “right time”, there is just time and what we choose to do with it.

I really think creating a morning routine (and sticking to it) helps put things into perspective of what is essential for you to feel like your best self.

With that being said, below I have come up with a morning routine that works for me and my lifestyle, these are my essentials that get me through my day and most importantly, MAKE ME FEEL GOOD! I challenge you to do the same! Get specific and tag me on Instagram @rhhealth so I can see everyone’s morning routine! :)

Tip: Try to avoid any electronics within the first 30 minutes of your morning! It’s okay if you need a device to access meditations or workouts, but no scrolling through Instagram, checking emails or starting to WFH on your laptop. Give yourself at least 30 minutes without electronics and see how your day unfolds.

WAKE UP: Aim to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep if you can

SET THE MOOD: If you have a diffuser try using it during your morning routine. I love dropping uplifting or clearing essential oil blends in to help set the mood for my day. Peppermint is one of my favorites.

MEDITATE: My favorite way to accomplish this is through guided meditations. I usually meditate from my bed right after waking up, or you can always find a comfy quiet spot. There are a bunch of great apps out there that I have tried when I first started out and I have also found some other really great options. Now more than ever, I think it is so important to create the space to just sit with your body and your thoughts. Mediation doesn’t have to be this “hippy dippy woo woo” thing— come in to meditation with an open mind and no judgement. Start with 5 minute guided meditations and work your way up. There’s a misconception that when you’re meditating your mind is supposed to be empty? Not the case, let all your thoughts come and go as they please but it is SO IMPORTANT to come back to your BREATH.

—Headspace App

—Calm App

—Melissa Wood Health offers great, quick mediations through her App subscription. She also has some free guided meditations on her YouTube channel.

—Miki Ash also has great meditations through her App called The How. She also offers free guided meditations through her YouTube channel.

—The Hoffman Process has been offering free guided mediations on their Instagram Live

—Deepak Chopra (google search Deepak Chopra guided meditations)

BREATHWORK: I have recently been exploring breathwork followed by a meditation and I am really enjoying the sensations from deep breathing.

Wim Hof Method is amazing. https://youtu.be/tybOi4hjZFQ

READ: I try and give myself some reading time in the morning. It helps me shift my perspective and outlook for the day.

Currently reading “The Universe Has Your Back”, By Gabrielle Bernstein

MAKE THE BED: Seems like a mundane task but making your bed lowers stress and improves your mood (I think we could all use this right now) and it just feels good to have a tidy space.

LIGHT + AIR + HYDRATION: For light, I open up all the curtains in my bedroom and in the house to let in all the natural sunlight and then I crack open as many windows as I can to let in some fresh air. Next for hydration, lemon water. I cut half of a fresh lemon and use my lemon squeezer to squeeze the lemon juice into a big glass of water. Tip: drink with a reusable straw to protect the enamel on your teeth and helps you take in more water!

PROBIOTICS: This is a game changer for me. It’s a great time to keep your immune system healthy and gut microbiome balanced. 90% of all dis-ease starts in your gut. Getting enough good bacteria to fight off all the bad bacteria is key. My current favorite pre and probiotic is by the brand Seed, the daily female symbiotic. It’s a monthly subscription delivered straight to your door so you don’t have to worry about running out. When taken on a consistent basis, I notice a difference in my digestion and my skin. Do your research and explore what works for your body. The main take away with probiotics is to make sure it contains live microorganisms, meaning it will survive the many stages of digestion; i.e. your stomach acid, past the small intestine and into the colon where the work begins. Also, look for the CFU (colony forming unit), the higher the number doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more potent. You want to look for the best dose per strain of bacteria, that is what will deliver the best results according to studies.

COFFEE/MATCHA: Lately I’ve been loving a cold brew with non-dairy mylk, preferably oat, cashew or coconut (I make at home) because cold brew coffee is less acidic than hot brewed coffee. I have also been loving a matcha-maca latte for an afternoon pick-me-up!

DAILY JOURNAL: This is something new I am trying and really loving it! I start a fresh page in my notebook, doesn’t need to be anything fancy, and I set my entire day up. I’ve been using the Ivy Lee Method, via The Skinny Confidential Him + Her Podcast. You should definitely give this productivity hack a try!

MOVEMENT: It is so important to get things flowing in our body! It’s amazing how 20 minutes can instantly shift your mood! Figure out how you like to move your body and do that! For me and my body, I like to focus more on long lean lines to sculpt my body— yoga and pilates. But do what works for you and your boady! Any movement is great, even going for a walk! And if you only have 5 minutes, work with what you got! My favorite workouts at the moment are:

—Hot Pilates, Instagram Live workouts and also on YouTube Highly recommend checking out!

—Melissa Wood Health App for low impact, long, lean lines.

—Miki Ash for yoga. On her App “The How” or on youtube

—Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide HIIT Training, Sweat App

—Long walk around your neighborhood. Love listening to a podcast while getting some movement in.

SHOWER: Nothing like a refreshing shower and putting on a sweatshirt and sweatpants (aka quarantine uniform) to hang out in the living room, right? Getting myself together even the slightest bit has helped with my mood. Definitely get out of your pajamas and enjoy a nice shower especially after a good sweat. Have you thought about ending your shower with 30 SECONDS OF FREEZING COLD WATER?! Tons of benefits from doing this. Try it!!

INTERMITTENT FAST: I try to give my body and digestive system a 12 hour break. So for example, if the last time I ate dinner was at 8pm, I won’t eat any food until 12 hours later, so 8am the next morning. There are many benefits to intermittent fasting. Not only does it help in weight loss, it also helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, keeps your heart healthy and helps with clarity and brain fog.

FRUIT FIRST UNTIL NOON ON AN EMPTY STOMACH: This one is a game-changer for me! I’ve been doing this now for several months and I’m addicted to the way it makes me feel! The reason behind this is because fruit digests very fast inside our body, it only takes about 30 minutes as opposed to other carb/protein heavy foods like toast, oatmeal, eggs, etc. which take about 2 hours minimum to fully breakdown and digest in our body. We want to make the elimination process (yes, poop!) as easy as possible on our bodies as possible. Also gives you an incredible burst of energy! I do this by either having a huge fruit bowl with mango, papaya, banana, berries.. whatever I can get my hands on. OR by having a huge FRUIT ONLY smoothie.

SECOND BREAKFAST/LUNCH: Depending on how hungry I feel or when my first meal is, I listen to my body to see if I need a second breakfast. This will usually be the other half of my smoothie or some coconut yogurt with granola. If i can hold off until lunch, my favorite go-to lunch is avocado toast.

These are my ESSENTIALS that I have set as my Morning Routine. I hope with these suggestions you can come up with your own Morning Routine.

CHOOSE TO FEEL GOOD!

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