carinamuresanEvery day should start with a proper morning routine, which will give you the energy and confidence to have a good day. Discover how to elevate your morning routine with these tips: prep your breakfast create a skincare routine and master the art of day planning.
Since I was kid, I despised waking up early, I always thought that maybe I am a night person and that is why I felt like that. The truth is, nobody is a so called “night person”, we as humans were build to do everything throughout the day and then sleep at night, we just don’t know how to make the most out of it. I came to this realization after I tried to create a morning routine for myself and stick to it. Let me tell you, it really works, now, one of the best moments of my day is in the morning.
So first things first, you have to create a schedule, nothing too fancy, just a mapping of your week in order to settle a time for you to wake up and have the time to prepare for the day and not be late for any activity you might have. The morning rush, where you feel you don’t have time for anything and everything is on fast forward, is one of the main factors that can ruin the day, so plan accordingly.
In the following, I will show you my own morning routine, which has made a huge impact on my lifestyle and my everyday mood.
1. Breakfast prepping
Overnight Oats – that’s the answer. I usually struggle to cook in the morning, especially if I have to wake up early, therefore I always prepare my breakfast from a night before.
In the evening I prepare my oats and let it rest overnight in the fridge. The recipe for my overnight oats is pretty basic: 40-50g of oats, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a tablespoon of chia seeds and 300 ml of vanilla flavoured soy milk.
There are many options and combinations of ingredients in order to have a delicious oatmeal without getting bored of the same recipe everyday and still keep the health benefits of eating oats and seeds.
2. Supplements for increased health
This is an optional step, but for me it really made a difference. I didn’t know much about supplements and powders before, I always thought it was something for athletes, but due to the fact that I started having some issues with bloating I researched a little bit and found out that actually they can be a game changer for everyone.
The first thing I tried for my bloating was the greens powder from Vitabolic, I just mix one measuring cup of green powder with a glass of water and drink it right before I eat anything. This powder contains lots of fibres which are crucial for your health (they help prevent glucose spikes), help with your digestion and bloating.
After a few weeks, I introduced two more supplements in my routine, the collagen gummies and the apple cider vinegar gummies from MyProtein. Why these two? Well, I chose the apple cider vinegar because it helps with the digestion, debloating and preventing infections (within – the health of your digestive system and on the outside – skin problems like acne) and the collagen because, as many of you probably know, it helps with the hydration and elasticity of the skin and prevents premature ageing.
3. Skincare routine
Having a skincare routine and sticking to it everyday is really important for your skin health. Just as we prepare our teeth by brushing them in the morning or our hair when we style it, the same goes also for our skin. It doesn’t have to be something too complicated or with a lot of steps, you only need some basic products to prep your skin for the day.
If you are new to the world of skincare and you don’t want to make things to difficult, just stick to these three steps of hydration and protection:
- Wash your face (you can either wash your face with water or water with a cleansing gel appropriate for your skin type or just spray your face with thermal water)
- Moisturize and protect your skin (you can use only a cream with SPF or if you’re in need of more hydration then you can use both a moisturizing cream and after that the SPF cream)
- Moisturize your lips (never forget to hydrate your lips with a lip balm or a lip sleeping mask)
Trust me, even with the bare minimum of products your skin will be more glowy and healthy and you will feel better throughout the day. It’s up to you how much time and money you want to invest in your skincare, but remember this:
- you don’t need to spend a fortune on products, there are very good products which are in the cheaper range
- more is not always better, don’t overload your skin with too many ingredients and products it might lead to irritation
- if you have a problematic skin type, be patient, nothing changes overnight, just give yourself time, be consistent and the results will follow
4. Day planning
This step might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I personally think that planning ahead is crucial if you don’t want to stress yourself throughout the day or if you want to have a good time management. I tend to get distracted and forget about small to do’s or leave them for the last minute, therefore I prefer the map out the plan for the day on a list.
I use a dedicated notebook for my everyday job and at the start of the day I create a short to do list for the day’s tasks. After completing them I check the little box in front of the activity and move on to the next. This action of checking items off a list once completed is a form of achievement, it gives you a sense of satisfaction and can also increase self esteem and confidence.
Also, if you have a busy schedule and you have to make time for work, hobbies, family, sport etc., try mapping out the day in the morning, designate some time slots for each activity you have planned for the day and stick to the program you created. You might notice that due to a better organization of your schedule you will have more time available than you thought.
As I pointed out earlier, you don’t need many products or spend a lot of money in order to create a more elevated morning routine. You just have to be consistent and patient because in no time your body will transform these activities into habits and everything will come a lot easier to you.
Hugs and Kisses.
