Start your day with some self-care. Good news: you don´t have to stress yourself and incorporate a 100-steps-morning routine to master your day. Here are our go-to morning starters, that are quick, easy, and sustainable.
Are you one of those blessed short sleepers, who jump out of bed fully rested and ready to rock? Well, lucky you - we are not. Morning anxiety, dreading the day ahead or a short night can make mornings tough to handle. But we will let you in on a little secret: there a quite a few things that make mornings easier, better, and even something to look forward to. We tried different things and realized, that there are so many benefits to starting your day right. Watch out – our little morning hacks can even help you shift into a morning person. The benefits are endless - from being in a better mood, being more equipped for whatever life throws at you, and making better decisions throughout your day. But also your hormones, digestion, and skin will benefit greatly from a smart and easy morning routine. Let´s have a look at some steps that really help you start your day right!
3 minutes of mindfulness
First things first: try to avoid the snooze button from now on. Depending on your individual wake-up game, we recommend to start your day with 3 conscious minutes. Just as the alarm goes off or as soon as you wake up naturally – and before you turn the airplane mode off – do a quick body-scan meditation or deep belly breaths to feel grounded and mindful. And don´t forget: scrolling through Instagram or checking emails first thing in the morning can lead to stress and a spike in cortisol levels. Invest the time in yourself instead, you will feel the difference quickly!
Clean tongue, clean slate
During the night, your body uses different functions to detoxify. That´s the reason we have to pee in the morning, do number two, might have stuff in the nose or in the eyes – these are all things that made their way out of your body. But when it comes to your mouth, there is no automatic release… As you produce less saliva over night to wash them away, bacteria are able to multiply (they love dead cells, leftover food and especially sugar, and things that come up from your digestive tract at night). To get rid of those bacteria, use a tongue cleanser every morning before you drink anything. And by the way, that´s not a new trend or crazy idea, it´s a technique that has been used in Ayurveda for the past 2000 years. We love the Tongue Cleaner from Cosmic Dealer, check it out at our friends from Philokalist. And trust us: once you tried it, you will never go back!
Skin awakening
Right before it´s time to start the day properly, we love a pre-morning skin care routine (followed by the real multi-step beauty routine after taking a shower later in the morning), to wake up the skin. If you also sleep on your side or stomach, you might have some puffy areas in the morning, caused by the lymphatic fluids (lucky you, back-sleepers!). What really helps? Wash your face with cold water, followed by a nice moisturizer. Plus: we keep an ice-roller in the fridge to massage the face, get rid of puffiness, and boost a fresh and rosy teint. This DIY cold-therapy will wake you up within seconds.
Water + lemon for the win
It´s not only a thing that supermodels talk about in interviews: drinking a large glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon first thing in the morning is actually really beneficial. While we sleep, the body loses round about one liter of water. Therefore it´s key to fill up your hydration levels first thing in the morning. The added lemon is a tasty morning treat and the citric acid also helps your liver flush out toxins and balances the body´s alkalinity to reduce inflammation. We recommend using filtered tap water at room temperature to start your morning well hydrated!
Nice nutrients
Best case scenario would be to get all our nutrients from our food. But we also know that this is not always possible. Therefore we start our day with some basic supplements to keep our systems going. Did you know that 70% of your immune system is in the gut? Gut health is key to absorbing key nutrients and keeping inflammation in check while making you feel happy and healthy. To support our gut in the morning, we love to take a high-quality probiotic to help us maintain a healthy and balanced microbiome (the good and bad bacteria that live in your digestive tract). All supplements should be tailored to your individual needs. Make sure to reach out to us if you would like some more input on this!
Magic morning smoothie
Instead of opting for a sugary breakfast option, such as cereal or toast and jam, we absolutely love our “morning boost” breakfast smoothie made of spinach, banana, wild blueberries, plant milk, and cinnamon. If you want you can add further superfoods into the mix such as spirulina, chlorella or hemp seeds and if you want an extra energy boost simply add a spoon of your favorite nut butter. This fiber boost makes sure our blood sugar is stable and prevents us from craving sugary foods throughout the day. Plus: it´s great amounts of nutrients such as minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins are a perfect start into a day full of good vibes (and more healthy choices!).
Now it´s your turn – make yourself a priority and find out how you feel after a mindful start in the morning.
