We all love a good routine. More specifically, a morning and nighttime one to really set the tone of our day. I truly feel that a good nighttime routine is the key to setting you up for success in the morning.
Over the years my routines, rituals and hacks have changed. We’re allowed to evolve, right? Anyway, after my recent solo episode on wellness and my very specific routines, habits and hacks, I wanted to break it all down for you here too.
Before we get into it let’s just be clear that the ‘ideal’ day doesn’t happen every day. Being a mom means you have to be extremely useful and productive with your time, and also go with the flow. These are things that I aim for. Some days I hit them all, some days I hit half, some days I hit none. C’est la vie.
My Specific Routines, Habits and Hacks:
MORNING:
+ Sunlight
I open the blinds in my room as soon as I wake up to let some sunshine in.
+ Meditate
If my kids are still asleep, I’ll do a meditation in bed. Melissa Wood, Mimi Bouchard and Joe Dispenza are my favorites. Headphones are on and legs are up the wall.
+ Passive skincare
If I was on top of things the night before, I put my Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite mask on my nightstand (loving the lip one right now). If it’s there I’ll put it on.
Most the time my kids do get up at the same time as me. When that happens we open blinds together, make the bed together and try to make it a fun thing.
+ Scrape my tongue
After I take my mouth tape off, I tongue scrape. This is a non-negotiable. Before I eat or drink anything I scrape my tongue with this copper tongue scraper. When you wake up your tongue has residue and just stuff all over it. Tongue scraping is an ancient ayurvedic practice everyone should do before even having a single sip of water. After scraping I brush my teeth, then I’m good to go on drinking water (I drink a ton in the AM).
+ Spend time with the kids
We all go downstairs, put on some music and Michael and I will make the kids breakfast. Sometimes it’s oatmeal, toast, eggs, or French toast.
+ Circadian walk
As soon (and I mean the second) Townes is done eating I pop him in the stroller to go for a walk. After reading a lot about morning light I kept seeing ‘circadian walk’ pop up. It’s so good for his sleep and mine, I’m just all about it right now. There are so many benefits when you do good things for your circadian rythym so getting outside within an hour of waking up is really working for us right now.
Circadian rhythm is defined as the natural cycle of physical, mental, and behavior changes that the body goes through in a 24-hour cycle. Circadian rhythms are mostly affected by light and darkness and are controlled by a small area in the middle of the brain. They can affect sleep, body temperature, hormones, appetite, and other body functions. Abnormal circadian rhythms may be linked to obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and sleep disorders such as insomnia. Circadian rhythm is sometimes called the “body’s clock.” {via}
Hot tip: Especially if you’re a mom, put on a walking meditation (and your driving gloves, lol). The one called ALIGN by Melissa Wood is my favorite. Her voice is so calming.
+ Get essentials ready for the day
After making Zaza’s lunch for school I’ll get all my workout stuff ready. I make 2 water concoctions with ice:
1: Kion aminos (love mango, use code SKINNY) and 3-5 grams of Creatine in a Stanley.
2: lemon juice, electrolytes (get the cranberry hydration and use code SKINNY), and Le Depuff drops in a glass tumbler.
Another non-negotiable is using The Skinny Confidential ice roller. I HAVE to use ice on my face every single morning. So in the morning my skincare routine is the ice roller, sometimes over a sheet mask, throw my hair up with a big clip or Teletie and that’s that.
Now is when I’ll make a big cup of coffee with about 2 inches of raw milk. I like to wait 90 minutes before having coffee, because Dr. Huberman says it’s better for your circadian rhythm. Plus, it just feels right for my body to wait. The raw milk has been life changing too. It’s filling, delicious, and just feels good that it hasn’t been destroyed via processing. It gives me the perfect balance of energy to exercise. Sometimes I’ll add Alkamind packets that take the acidity out of the coffee.
Then, Michael and I will take Zaza to school and then see our trainer Brent. Working out has given me so much energy, changed my body, given clarity in all areas of my life, and is so important to me that it’s my number 1. My day revolves around my workout because it makes every other area of my life better.
So that’s the morning. I strive to hit all the PILLARS of my morning routine: light, movement, hydration. One thing that helps me get all this done and have a successful morning routine is that I don’t look at my phone, unless it’s to turn on music, a podcast or a meditation.
If I’m lucky I’ll have time to cold plunge/sauna before a workout. Again, Dr. Huberman says that it’s not so good for your muscles to do hot/cold therapy after a workout, so I like to do it before.
MID MORNING to AFTERNOON:
+ eat
When I get home from the gym I eat a big bowl of meat. HA! But I do. Protein protein protein. It’s really changed my body and keeps me full for a long time. Sometimes it’s a bowl of beef, sometimes it’s 3 eggs, protein oats, protein pancakes. Seriously, protein has helped me lose 50lbs. Sometimes if I’m busy it’s just boiled eggs while I’m on the go. .
+ work
Work calls are scheduled later in the day. Waking up and getting straight on the phone or computer doesn’t work for me. I need to hit my non-negotiables before I an get into work. I’m a zero to 60 type of person so when I’m working, away from my kids, I better be the most productive I can be and make the most happen. So I start work a little later in the day, but I go REAL hard.
If you feel good, you’re gonna work your ass off when it’s time work, because you feel so great. I’m a firm believer in that. So when I’m working I’m hyper focused, it’s pedal to the medal. I’ve talked about batching before but to recap: I record 3 or 4 podcasts in one day, have all my phone calls on one day, have blocks for creative time one day, you get it. This removes the time it takes to refocus, change your clothes, gather materials etc. It really saves a lot of time and helps majorly with focus.
NIGHTTIME:
+ eat
Again, I have a protein packed dinner. A favorite lately is a burger wrapped in lettuce filled with jalapeños and red raw onion, some mayo and ketchup. Every single night I’ll have 2 squares of Hu dark chocolate with almond butter. It’s crunchy, satisfying and delcious.
I’ll make my kids something like chicken, beef, rice, beans, and I put away my phone for the day and we talk. It’s important to me that our home feels very warm, for Michael too. I learned this from my parents growing up. It’s why I feel so strongly about setting a tone and mood with music and candles and dim lighting.
After dinner we try to take the kids out for another walk and when we get home we go upstairs to have a bath, read stories, get Townes’ sleep sac on, turn on the chime machine and red lights. We have no artifical lights on at night-only red light or natural light. It’s been a game-changer for getting my kids to sleep.
We’ll do a story, and lately Zaza is so into stories of Michael and I when we were younger which has been really fun. Then it’s time for them to sleep.
+ Shower and skincare
Once my kids are down, I take a warm shower. I use Agent Nateur body oil with Le Spoon and it just really detoxes you from the day and feels so good. I’ll do my skincare routine: cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize.
+ Read
I put my phone on airplane mode and keep it outside our bedroom on the bookshelf. Michael and I both get in bed and read on our Kindles. We recently did a podcast episode on 5 behaviors that will change your life and if you want to understand how we make time to read, go listen. I use the Oasis on dark mode, always.
+ Things I do in bed
While I’m reading I’ll use Cymbiotika magnesium spray (use code SKINNY). You just spray it on your chest. It smells amazing and really helps you relax. I’ll also do facial massage with the PINK BALLS while I read, I tape my mouth and we’re off to sleep.
8:45 pm is my ideal sleep time. Again, it doesn’t always happen, but that’s the dream.
There you have it. Some of this may seem overwhelming, but since moving to Austin we’ve really made wellness a priority and our a home a sanctuary. So the key to getting all this done for me, is to take the guesswork out of it. I don’t have decision fatigue becuase I do the EXACT same thing every day (or at least try to).
For instance, when it comes to food, I’m a creature of habit. I eat the same thing every day, for every meal, for weeks. This way I don’t have to think about anything, I just make it.
When it comes to supplements and wellness, it’s all in one drawer. Along with tumblers, frothers, straws etc. Same goes for my skincare and beauty tools. It’s all laid out so it easily works itself into my day.
So that’s the lasted, updated version of my morning and nighttime routine. What kinds of things are non-negotiablee in your day? Let me know below.
x, Lauryn
+ for more from Andrew Huberman, stalk his podcast episodes here and here.
++ check out how to use rosemary oil for hair growth.
SHOP HABITS AND HACKS:
