Get personal with me this morning....
The morning routine is sacred and sets the tone of the day – it can also be most prone to chaos and left to the wayside – especially if you are a caretaker and responsible for others. Morning routines do not need to be perfect the best routines are adaptive. If you create what your ideal morning would look like, be responsible, visualize, and do your best to make it happen 80% of the time, you have set yourself up for success. This is not an all-or-nothing kind of thing. Do what you can.
Some of you have asked me on social media (@hwapothicaire) what my current morning routine looks like. So here it is, and I am giving you the details. Know this changes for me with the seasons, workload, and my family’s needs. Right now, fall is approaching, and the herbal clinic is ramping up for a busy season.
The Routine
I wake at 6:30 AM with no alarm clock and leave my blinds open to let the morning sun penetrate my room. Ideally, I rise out of bed 15-20 minutes before my partner and toddler daughter.
Consider switching out an abrupt alarm clock for a timed noise machine that wakes you with the soft nose of birds, or other nature sounds, or even an alarm clock like Hatch that releases warm light into the room to gently wake. It also keeps me away from my phone which I avoid for the first couple hours of the day.
First the Kitchen. I take a spoon of herbal-infused coconut oil and swish it around for 10 minutes (a.k.a. oil pulling) and grab my ice roller from the freezer. I’ll swish the oil from cheek to cheek engaging and working facial muscles, and do some lymphatic drainage and depuffing with the ice roller (focusing on face and neck) outside while I get the morning’s first rays (for at least 10 minutes) to set my circadian rhythm. All of this happens stimulatingly, multi-tasking.
I’ll come back inside and head to the bathroom to spit out the coconut oil, scrape my tongue with a stainless-steel tongue scrapper, rinse my mouth well, and spray my face with rose water, inhaling deeply the scent.
Before I enjoy my coffee, I’ll have a large glass of probiotic powder with psyllium husk powder, followed by warm water with lemon. I’ll take the next 10 minutes, or until my daughter wakes to get some stretching in, or gentle yoga.
Once my daughter wakes, I’ll get her a bottle and change her diaper, then I’ll head to make my loaded herbal coffee (if you know me, you know it’s a process). This coffee is loaded with herbal powders self-prescribed to fit my needs, cocoa, caramelized ghee, MCT oil, and 15-20 grams of collagen powder. While my daughter enjoys her bottle, I’ll enjoy my first sips of coffee and organize my day in my agenda book.
The Agenda Book
Create your agenda book using Excel, running notes on your phone, in a notepad, or a decorative agenda book of your choice. My agenda book is set up first to include a top section of self-care objectives (at least three); followed by my intention of the day; and a bullet list of “7-to-dos.” To the right of the to-do list is also a column and boxes for jotting in a podcast I want to listen to, my daily workout, music, or entertainment I might enjoy, and a book to read. You see where I am going with this right…? I structure my day for self-care, enjoyment, AND work (not just about work). Lastly, the bottom box contains notes on my weekly micro-goals.
Let me give you today’s example:
Day/date: Monday, September 16 | |
Self-care: | ⃝ Sauna 30-minutes ⃝ Epsom salt evening bath (partner puts baby to sleep) ⃝ Meal (lunch) prep at dinner/berry-chicken salads |
The intention of the day “feeling to encapsulate” or muse: | Mood orange - creativity and expansive. |
Enjoyment | To-Do: |
Podcast: CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism Podcast | ⃝ 10 AM client
⃝ Herbal clinic summaries
⃝ HW email correspondences & social media
⃝ 1-3 PM teaching university classes
⃝ 11:30 AM lunch with mom
⃝ White load of laundry
⃝ 8 PM client
*In no exact order, the list is manageably kept to ensure I complete what I set out to do for the day. Empowering! |
Book: The Rituals by Natalie MacNeil | |
Workout: arms/weights | |
Connection: call my aunt | |
Weekly-micro goals:
Compile last month's herbal clinic client-case files and review for continued research |
I try to have breakfast within the first 1-1-1 ½ hour of waking (breaking a 12-hour fast). Breakfast is protein-forward with organic bacon, low-sugar fruit like berries (or other seasonal varieties), and two eggs – providing about 40 grams of protein for breakfast.
The morning meal is followed with supplements of magnesium (liquid magnesium I add to my large water thermos I'll sip throughout the day), vitamin D3 K2, beef liver, and others selected to support my health for the season. This is also time to prep my sun tea that will infuse on my deck all day and be enjoyed in the late afternoon/evening.
The next stop is the gym, where I get in 20-30 minutes of specific training – focusing one day on abs, another on legs, next on arms, fitting a day of cardio in, and allowing 1-2 days of rest. On the days of rest, it may look like taking my daughter for a walk in the woods, or swimming in our home pool early in the morning before the UV is too toasty. Bonus a good workout and movement post-meal helps to regulate blood sugar.
Throughout the day, I'll also be mindful to fit in regular movements like squats while picking up my daughter's toys, jumping jacks after using the bathroom, and bouncing on a medicine ball. Whatever movement my body craves!
Skincare. Regular skincare is a must for me! 10-minutes in the morning to nourish my skin is something that I cherish in the morning. I’m not big into makeup (though I love it), my focus is skincare. My skin is moist and oily. I will start with an oil cleanse, followed by a gentle cleanse with honey. The honey smells so sweet and decadent, and often I’ll infuse it with fresh lavender for an added cleansing effect. Next, I’ll pat dry, spray with rose water, and mix a quarter-size hydraulic acid blob with vitamin C powder (a gentle form of C for the skin called sodium ascorbyl phosphate), massage that in, and seal it all with jojoba oil. I’ll give that a couple of minutes to seep in, massage in, and then apply a healthy dose of mineral-based sunscreen. I’ll brush my eyebrows up with a growth serum, and apply a tinted lip balm. Done. If I know I’ll be on camera, or doing an important event I’ll also apply some mascara, and a bit of probiotic powder to reduce sheen and shine. Oh yes, even my makeup is more like skincare, it's not just gonna sit there, it is going to work for me.
Attire. Clothes I picked out the night before, ready to go and ironed, I do not have time to think about this in the morning. I also happen to wear pretty much the same combination of clothing, so it takes away decision fatigue and is likely to match. I’ve got my uniform down. A button-up cotton or silk shirt, jeans, blazer, and bare-foot-grounding type of shoes. Sometimes a hat if I know I'll be spending time outside.
Before I’m off to the races, it's I love you, cuddles, kisses, and well wishes to my most precious husband, daughter, and dog.
So, you are probability thinking, what about meditation, Ash? Well, this is something I do throughout the day in the form of breathwork. For instance, before I get out of my car for work – breathwork. Before I meet with a client – breathwork. Before I eat a meal – breathwork. During the day, I also find time to get outside and get in some natural light.
In the comments, let me know your morning non-negotiables. I love to hear from you.
XO & herbal cheer,
Yours, Ash
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