Hi hi hi! We’re talking about a healthy morning routine, and what that consists of.
Currently, Andrew and I are on vacation in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I’m doing all kinds of things I don’t normally do…like fishing and sitting by bonfires. LOL. ( i really shouldn’t be working, but I couldn’t help myself).
K, let’s get into this post, so that I can get back to vacationing.
So, here’s the thing about mornings. Some people LOVE it and others HATE it. I feel like there’s no in between. You’re either up at 6am, making yourself a green smoothie and some avo-toast, reading the news, checking emails, and getting in a quick yoga workout…OR…you’ve hit the snooze button 6 times, and have exactly 9 minutes to brush your teeth, throw on some clothes, tinted moisturizer, mascara and be out the door.
WHICH ARE YOU?
Me? I definitely hate mornings. Like, more than anything. But I’m all about creating a healthy morning routine.
Today, on the blog, we’re not talking about my weekday mornings. LOL. We’re talking about my weekend mornings, and how much I love them. Does that make sense? I also want to talk about some necessary things you NEED to get in your healthy morning routine to have a productive rest of your day.
On weekends, I like to take my time in the mornings. I feel like during the week, we work so hard, that weekends are meant to rest. I like to give myself a good little sleep in and then ease into my day. No rushing. (Unless I absolutely have to). I do work on weekends as well, mainly blog work, but I take it at a slower pace. We do all The Chic Confidential content shoots on weekends.
Once I wake up, there are some essentials things I ALWAYS do for my healthy morning routine:
{ Hydrate: One glass of lemon water }
First things first. (I try and do this on weekdays as well) When you wake up, you’re usually a little dehydrated from sleeping 8 hours without consuming any water. You need to wake up your body with water before you get into anything. I love to squeeze half a lemon in my glass. There’s endless benefits from drinking lemon water. The main benefit being that it gets your digestive system moving, so it’s good to drink this first thing in the morning. This is SO essential for your healthy morning routine.
{ Stretch }
Again, your body is sleeping for 8 hours and NOT moving. So, as soon as you’ve had your glass of lemon water and are a bit more awake, take a couple minutes and stretch out your neck, arms, shoulders, legs, and back to the get blood flow going. Make sure you stretch each part for at least 10 seconds. Fact: it take a full 10 seconds for your brain to even recognize that your body is being stretched out. Which is why it’s important to give it at least 10-15 seconds.
{ Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize }
Obviously, skincare is a big part of my life. This happens every single day, TWICE a day. (At night as well) Once I’ve had my lemon water, and stretched out my body, I move over to the bathroom, and spend some time on my skin. I like to use a good exfoliating cleanser. Right now I’m using Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Face Wash. Then I tone with Pixi Beauty’s Glow Tonic. I pump a few squirts right into my palm and splash that on my face. I don’t bother with using cotton pads as I think that wastes a lot of product. After that, depending on where I’m going, I will either use my Vichy moisturizer or the Alumier MD tinted sunscreen. I don’t like make-up on weekends unless I have to be somewhere or do blog shoots. But I like my skin to breath during the weekends, so I usually have a no make-up rule.
{ Ice roll and facial mask }
DUH. You guys already know that I need a good ice roll in the mornings. I’ll grab my ice roller out of the freezer and give my face a good roll getting my lymphatic system moving and giving my whole face a full massage. It’s perfect if you’ve been drinking the night before. If you feel you don’t need an ice roll, then try out the Jade roller. ALSO amazing! You can also throw on a good face mask and Jade roll over that to maximize the benefits of your face mask.
+ Check this post out to see the face masks I love.
{ Coffee & breakfast while I check emails }
Andrew makes the BEST (& healthy) breakfasts, so we usually let him take care of that. He’s always whipping up different variations of an omelet. Sometimes with zucchini, or mushrooms and lots of cheese and spices. I’m very specific with my coffee, so I take care of that. And by coffee I mean espresso. And by espresso I mean one of those nonna-looking metal, moka pots. There’s really NOTHING better than those moka pots. It makes the best espresso you’ll ever have. If ever you’re thinking of getting one of those, make sure the brand is Bialetti, and nothing else. (No, this is not sponsored!) Just letting you guys know what the best brand for that is. So, while breakfast is being made, and espresso is getting hot on the stove, I quickly glance over my emails on my phone. I don’t respond to any of them. Just a quick scroll-through to make sure nothing is urgent. Checking emails first thing is the morning is like the opposite of a healthy morning routine.
Once breakfast is ready, phones go away and we enjoy breakfast together. I MAY take a photo or two for Insta. 😉 Gotta do it for the gram, ya know?
{ Answer important emails and check social }
I typically don’t respond to emails on weekends because EVERYONE should be taking a break. If there is anything urgent, I will respond after we’re done breakfast, but that rarely happens. While coffee is happening, I will scroll through Instagram. I take some time to respond to comments, DMs, messages, etc. After that, I enjoy some quiet time, while finishing up my coffee. It’s one of the favourite moments of my morning.
{ Plan the weeks social schedule }
Once breakfast and coffee is done, then we slowly start to pick up the pace. I start gathering my thoughts for the shoots that are happening today. Victoria, my photographer, heads over early afternoon-ish for a bunch of shoots. I also like to take a look at my content calendar and plan out what’s coming up in the week for content on the blog as well as social. I have a content calendar that’s super pretty in my office. It’s very visually appealing, and also gets me organized for the week/month.
{ Green smoothie and yoga }
Okay, this last point I’m not exactly doing but it’s something I’m working towards. LOL. I actually used to make myself smoothies every single morning, and then kind of fell off that wagon. Hoping to get back on soooon because that would be the perfect addition to my healthy morning routine! I also wish I was a morning-yoga person, and maybe someday I will be, but for now, I like my yoga/work out sessions later in the day/evening. I’ve also started a new work out routine called BBG (Bikini Body Guide work out) and it’s a 12-week program. Google it! It’s pretty intense, but I’m loving it so far. I mean, I’m only on week 2.
Ok, so there you have it. Try and get into a healthy morning routine doing these things. Your body, mind, and skin will thank you!
And with that, I’m going to shut off again for a bit and enjoy the rest of my vacation. My current status is sitting by the lake, with a glass of rosé, writing this blog post. NOT BAD, guys. Not bad.
Anyway, do you guys have any MAJOR morning routines? How do you start off the day? Share in the comments.
Xx, kim
I really need to start doing my blog shots on the weekend and plan things out better.
It’s worked WONDERS for me! I get to like…enjoy my life. Haha!
This is cute!