These days, I have been living for my morning routine. My day feels the most productive and full when I wake up with plenty of time before work and am able to take it slow. On an ideal morning, my alarm is going off at 6am. But honestly, it varies between 6-6:30 depending on what time I made it to bed the night before.
First Things First: H20 & Workout
First things first, I always drink a glass of water. Before bed, I put a full glass on my bedside table and I just grab that when I wake up and drink it as I move downstairs. Next up, I quickly feed the puppa and get set up for a morning workout. These days, I’m working out at home and I’ve found three apps that I’m really enjoying – The Pilates Class, Obé Fitness, and Melissa Wood Health. I like each one of these for different reasons.
I find Melissa Wood Health has some great yoga/pilates/barre workouts and also guided meditations that I use and love. Her style is more soothing and relaxed so on days I’m feeling a bit stressed out, this one is a good fit for me. The Pilates Class is probably my favourite – I just find the workouts are the perfect challenge and I’m sweaty and energized at the end of hers. And Obé Fitness has the most variety and a lot more high energy options (HIIT, Kickboxing, Pilates, Sculpt, Yoga, Dance Cardio). I just started a 28-day Sculpt challenge on Obé and after a couple of days, know this is going to be a great push.
Having a mix of options works best for me because I can easily get bored with virtual workouts if I don’t change it up. It’s also so simple to sign up for a month and easy to cancel and change it up the next month. All of these options offer free trials too, so you can see what you think before committing.
Next Up: Coffee + Collagen + Quiet Moments
After the workout, I pour my coffee and add in a scoop of collagen. Collagen has a ton of benefits – helps your skin maintain elasticity and supports healthy hair/nails/skin. We get ours at Costco and it dissolves into the coffee and doesn’t change the taste at all.
With coffee in hand, I settle onto the couch and open up The Five Minute Journal. This is a practice that I added back in December and it has been a welcome addition to the morning routine. I truly look forward to doing this each day. It’s really simple but it has prompts to identify three things you’re grateful for that day, prompts to name a couple of things that would make the day great, and then a place to set an affirmation for the day. After I’m done with the journal, I spend a bit of time reading. I’m trying to spend less time on social media, especially in the mornings, and getting through a couple of pages of a book feels like a much nicer start to the day.
Lastly: Getting Ready & Out The Door
After all this, it’s time to get ready for the day. I will usually listen to a podcast (post coming soon with my faves!) or an audiobook while showering and doing my hair/makeup. I have a whole skincare routine in the mornings but that’s a topic for a different post. Most of my makeup favourites from this post still hold true. So check that out if you’re looking for some new options to try!
At this point in the morning, I’m off to work. I used to eat a big breakfast at home before leaving for the day but was finding it left me feeling kind of bloated and gross all morning so now I bring something with me to eat mid-morning (usually a banana and nuts OR a smoothie) and that leaves me feeling so much better and energized.
It’s taken some time to really figure out my morning routine but now that I’ve got it down to a science, I will never go back. Mornings are my most productive time and I feel so accomplished by 8am this way. The best.
