I love a simple morning routine. I really believe that how we start our day sets the tone for how the remainder of the day will unfold, and each healthy decision you make in the morning prompts a positive domino effect. Small simple habits add up, thinking about habit stacking in this way can feel quite life changing!
I’ve got two toddlers and a very busy work life, so all my wellness tools have to be quick, simple and effective. I’ve also spent years of my life with a chronic illness, so prioritising my health, including my gut health is so important to me.
1. I wake before my children
My non-negotiable is getting up an hour before my children, it gives me a moment of calm before the whirlwind of the day starts, and it’s when I do my self-care.
2. Daily meditation
The first thing in my habit stack is meditation. Committing to the practice is probably the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental wellbeing. I used to say I don’t have time to meditate, now I’d say that I don’t have time not to meditate, it creates so much more calm and clarity in my day – I’m more focused, more patient and more grounded. My husband and I do either a ten- or twenty-minute daily practice together.
3. Morning shot of Symprove
Next, I head downstairs and take my Symprove (I’m 7 years into taking it now) then make coffee for my husband and I and bring the coffees, plus his Symprove (he also swears by it!) back upstairs. Coffee in bed feels like the ultimate luxury in our life.
4. Exercise
It’s the one wellness tool that I get sloppy with, but it always makes me feel better. I tend to do a quick 15-minute cardio class or yoga flow, which means by the time my children wake up I’m really energised and ready for the day, I’ve also loaded up on practices that are proven to support good gut health and as someone who suffered with terrible gut health for years, that’s incredibly important to me.
Meditation, quiet time and exercise all promote relaxation, switching you into your parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest), which is proven to support good gut health.
5. Breakfast with the family
I’m very aware of just how important our diet is for our gut health and that always factors into my decision making across the day. We eat breakfast together as a family, so again it needs to be easy – getting all four of us out the door on time is no easy feat! I tend to make porridge but add in as many health boosting ingredients as possible. I mash banana and stir it into a pan of porridge oats with oat milk, chia seeds, hemp seeds, frozen blueberries, and almond butter. It only takes five minutes to make and (most of the time!) everyone gobbles it up.
The rest of the day never goes as planned, sometimes it’s so exceptionally busy that I don’t have a huge amount of time to think of laying those healthy foundations, which is why that morning routine is just so important for me when it comes to building a healthy life.
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