Why You Shouldn’t Abandon Your Morning Routine

Has your healthy morning routine seen better days? Has juggling news headlines replaced journaling? Homeschooling, much? Find yourself having to meal plan for the day, perhaps for an entire family — and all before 8 am?

First of all, you're not alone. Secondly, loosening grip in all areas right now is totally okay. But keeping a few healthy morning routines in place is actually an unexpected health hack. Reinstating the rhythm of our beloved morning routines can help us stay calm in these uncertain times, which, in its own right, is a wellness must.

These healthy morning routine ideas come to us from top spa directors around the world and include some of the most tried and true practices we've loved for years...

10 Healthy Morning Routine Ideas To Balance Your Day

Start The Day With Sole | Director of spa at The West Hollywood EDITION, Carrie Sotebeer, starts every day with a glass of Himalayan sea salt sole. She adds a teaspoon of the salt to a full glass of water to “balance pH levels, intake essential minerals and increase the body’s alkalinity.”

Lean Into Meditation | Next, she takes at least ten minutes for herself  “to sit in quiet meditation, focus on breath, turn inward and start each day in gratitude.” Next, she'll typically practice yoga. Sotebeer has been teaching yoga and meditation for over 11 years.

Don't forget Dry Brushing | And last but not least: “Before getting into the shower,” Sotebeer says, “I dry brush my body — not only is this exfoliating, but it also increases circulation and stimulates our lymphatic system.” Talk about an at-home spa treatment!

Oil Pulling Is Worth It | Vince Smit, spa director of EDITION Hotel’s sunny Miami Beach location, starts every morning with oil pulling. (Here's how to master it.) It's a technique that gained popularity a few years back; oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that involves swishing oil in your mouth to remove bacteria and promote oral hygiene. Smit suggests starting each day by taking one tablespoon of coconut oil and swooshing it around for at least five minutes -- he says he can do it for 20! “I carry on with my morning shower and prepare for the day as I’m swooshing.”

What’s the benefit? “The bacteria that accumulates in the mouth overnight are attracted to the fatty oils, and they leave the system when you spit it out. This also helps to clear mucus and congestion in the chest,” Smit says.

 

drink warm Lemon Water | Smit also swears by lemon water every morning. “Once finished oil pulling, I drink one large glass of fresh pressed lemon water. This makes the body alkaline for the day and gets the metabolism going while building immunity with the vitamin C. I don’t ingest anything for 10 minutes after to allow the lemon water to take its course through the body.”

Yoga or bust | Having a set morning routine helps Nikki Heyder, head of spa at Bali wellness resort, Desa Potato Head, set the tone of her day. When she wakes up, she moves to her yoga mat and takes five slow deep breaths in and out, followed by 10-minutes of breath-focused meditation, envisaging positive energy inflow and outflow form from her body. “If you struggle with meditating on your own, try downloading the Calm or Headspace apps -- both are fantastic for guided meditations,” Heyder recommends.

a Gratitude practice | Next, she sets a goal for the day and says five things she’s grateful for in her life. “Practicing gratitude has been proven to release dopamine,” says Heyder.

shoot those Ginger Shots | Zorka Jovovic, the partnering spa manager at The Bodrum EDITION, starts each day with a glass of water with squeezed lemon. She also takes a homemade ginger root-zest shot, for a quick immunity boost.

Hydrate With Infused Water | Zorka continues to stay hydrated throughout the day with her own “cucumber, lemon, rosemary and kumquat-infused water,” which is essential after she finishes her morning yoga. Jovovic recently joined a local online yoga class and feels especially “energized by the community bond.” (Here's an infused water recipe we love.)

Hydrating face Masks | “Keeping social distance and being at home most of our days tends to make the skin a bit drier than usual,” Jovovic says. She recommends the Aromatherapy Associates Hydrating Rose Face Mask to rescue your skin: “Without fail, the damask rose water infused gel masks will return vital hydration to my skin, flooding it with moisture and creating a dewy, fresh look.” (Check out these sheet masks for all skin types.)

What are the morning practices that are keeping you centered and grounded right now?
Please share in the comments below!

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