How did you spend the first 5 minutes of your day?
There’s no better time than the morning to take a moment to ground yourself and prepare your body and mind for the day ahead. How we spend our first few waking moments sets the tone, which is why we are big fans of morning routines over here at CS. But with the stress, lack of structure and sense of uncertainty during the past few months, morning habits are a topic worth re-visiting. When I can feel my sense of well-being slipping, it usually helps to take a look at my habits, especially those in the morning.
I doubt I’m the only one who’s AM schedule has gone off the rails in quarantine. If you’re anything like me, you might have spent your waking minutes lately hitting the snooze button, scrolling through instagram or checking your texts and emails first thing. On days like this, I’m already starting off in a reactive state, and I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet. I’m flooding my brain and body with the thoughts and needs of others instead of my own, stumbling throughout the rest of my day in a distracted, busy state.
Though it’s OK to have off days, I’m a true believer that a solid day starts with an intentional morning.
After interviewing multiple women I admire about life in quarantine, it was no surprise that these ladies still have a routine for taking care of their bodies and minds first thing. Some have meditation or journaling practices, while others get outside and move right away. Many of them choose to wake up before everyone else to fully soak up the silence, and find peace before the day begins.
During a time when so many of us are trying to find peace, the smallest rituals like getting outside or taking a moment to breathe, can have the power to ground us in the present, and remind us of our purpose throughout the day.
Read on for how these women set themselves up for a productive day, and I hope these glimpses into their mornings can help you start your day on the right note, too. We’re taking notes.
Riley Blanks, Founder – Woke Beauty, Writer & Photographer
“Even with our world seemingly on pause, I tend to move at a quick pace. I have found that finding moments of complete silence in the morning helps to slow me down and bring me back to my center. I love sitting on the deck – sun rising just behind our oak trees, both dogs at my feet – with a cup of coffee and a notepad for my thoughts.”
Lauryn Evarts Bosstick, Blogger and Host of The Skinny Confidential Podcast
“My mornings in quarantine are so specific because it’s important that I have control over my morning. Otherwise, everything gets out of hand and I bulldoze the day with pointless things that don’t actually need to be done.
If I wake up before the baby I’ll read (right now I’m reading Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle, highly recommend). When the baby is up we hang out, I feed her, & I don’t touch my phone so that I’m totally present. Then I’ll put her in the dog bed (not even kidding) while I make the bed, listen to meditation music, light candles & clean the space around me. We open the shades as soon as the baby comes in the room. I like to drink a shitload of water in the morning then around 8 I’ll turn on a podcast.
I’ll then go to my husband’s office to use the Joovv red light therapy while I do Wim Hof’s breathwork, then finish off with a 3 minute freezing cold shower. This might sound overwhelming but it really only takes about 15 minutes. Next up is my skin care routine, then I’ll grab a matcha from the kitchen and go for a 30 minute walk, then do a workout from 9-10. My workout is either The Skinny Confidential Body App at home which has really helped me tighten up postpartum, or I’ll walk to my private Pilates class.
On my way home I usually have calls scheduled so I can walk and talk. Typically I start my work day around 10:15. Having a morning routine in quarantine is more important than ever. I’m a big fan of doing the same thing every day. It takes too much energy to switch things up so I like to keep it the same.”
Lesley Thornton, Founder – Klur Cosmetics
“The most important part of week is my Monday morning walk. I’m not naturally an early riser and have to make a serious effort to get myself going. During the summer months I find myself enjoying evening workouts, due to the high temperatures in Los Angeles. However, Monday is the one day during the week I force myself to get up around 5:30am to walk for an hour. I find this helps me stay motivated and encourages me to get my week started on a positive note, it pushes me out of my comfort zone! And doing this bright and early, has helped tremendously with my focus and productivity for the rest of the week.”
Alex Snodgrass, Recipe Developer and Founder of The Defined Dish
“I love waking up before the rest of my family, making a cup of coffee, and sitting in my backyard. During this time, I say out loud 5 things that I am thankful for. It’s simple, but this kicks off my day with positive energy and a grateful heart, which I think is so essential right now.”
Louise Roe, TV Host and Writer
“With a toddler in tow, a couple of mornings a week I’m getting up an hour earlier before she wakes up. I work in total peace with my cup of tea and marmalade-on-toast! The house is silent, and I do get a lot more done. I’m also making sure I get outside early in the morning, even if it’s just for a few minutes for deep breaths. It can be easy to stay inside all day during quarantine, and I realized pretty quickly that wasn’t making us feel positive. Our grannies were right: fresh air no matter what!”
Juley Le – Blogger
“2020 didn’t give us much to work with, but it’s given me the gift of consistency because never have I ever been good with routines. The past six months in quarantine recalibrated my mental [state] and remedied this lack of structure. I now wake up bright and early, largely thanks to never installing curtains and my early bird toddler. The first hour of the day is getting him situated for breakfast: some days a pop tart, others hot grits. Then, it’s a walk for Jameson (you might remember him from here).
Around 9:45AM, I prepare a large glass of cold brew and log into the first of a string of meetings for my full time job. I usually get antsy and tired around 3:00PM. Instead of reaching for a snack, I’ve learned to immediately get in a workout or take a walk outside to energize myself. My hack: I have a workout bank of different workout apps in my iPhone notes where I’ll randomly select one to do each day. This mix and process has really helped keep me motivated. I’ve never kept to a workout routine for more than 12 weeks and feel healthier than ever, so I’m thinking this one is a keeper.”
Lauren Roxburgh, Author & Wellness Educator
“The most important part of my morning is my four step transformational ritual:
Body Brush – 3 minutes
Body Roll – 20 minutes
Body Bounce – 10-15 minutes
Body Sweat + Meditate – 10-20 minute
Dry body brushing is an incredible an Ayurvedic practice that uses a dry, stiff-bristled brush or gloves to exfoliate and massage the skin. To brush, I like to use a sisal natural fiber body brush or gloves – a few of my favorite gloves are from Amazon and Anthropologie. Start at the feet and brush your way up your inner and outer legs to your hips, waist, tummy, backs of the arms, chest, back, and shoulders, always moving the brush in the direction of your heart.
After dry brushing, I use one of my signature body rolling tools to invigorate the body and awaken muscles. Following this I do a short rebounding session for 10-15 minutes, using my signature rebounder, this further wakes up the body, gets my blood flowing, and helps release tension. Lastly I head to our Clearlite infrared sauna which I love to meditate in. This further flushes any toxins out, reduce inflammation, unwind and helps me sweat it out!”
*read the full article on Lauren’s morning routine here.
Naomi Elizee, Associate Market Editor at Vogue & Podcast Host
“It has definitely been a rough few months for me mentally and I am working to take better care of my mind, body and soul. For the last couple of days I have been waking up around 7AM to meditate and reclaim some time for myself before I need to start my workday. That has truly changed my days for the better, leaving me feeling more energized and focused.”
Ashley Merrill, Founder of Lunya
“I wake up every morning and make breakfast for the kids. This gives me a chance to connect with the kids prior to jumping into my work day and I really enjoy the process of getting creative with the cooking ideas – banana pancakes with strawberries? Breakfast sandwich? Egg tacos? We love to keep changing things up.”
