Daily Rituals & Routines

Over the years, I’ve developed a variety of regimes that I find grounding, set me up for a productive day and feed the mind, body and soul. While I often show snippets on Instagram, I was recently asked to share in more detail the daily rituals and routines I find essential to my health and happiness.

While I hope these serve as a guide and inspiration for those looking to create a few new habits and/or up-level their routine, I also urge you to experiment and find what works best for you!

P.S. – be sure to check out my Shop page for more favorite items and don’t forget to peek at my Discount Codes to see where you might be able to save when trying for yourself.

Morning

Let’s kick things off with how I start my day.

For over a year now, I’ve begun every morning with warm lemon water – sometimes by itself and sometimes with a splash of apple cider vinegar and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. You can read all about the health benefits in my What I Drink Every Morning & Why post, but in a nutshell, this helps wake up the digestive system, boost metabolism and hydrate first thing. I highly recommend making this a part of your morning before coffee or matcha!

While sipping on the above, I try to slip in a meditation, though I could be much more consistent about this than I have been. It’s a goal of mine at least! I’m also testing out meditating in the afternoon instead to break up the day and see if that works better for me.

As for breakfast, I typically opt for something easy and quick, saving my creative brunch spreads for the weekend. Lately, this has been a Forager Cashewmilk Yogurt, organic blueberries and some sort of superfood powder.

I’ve been loving Navitas Organics Essential Superfood Protein Blend and Almeda Labs KASVI Protein & Adaptogen Blend. And when I’m in need of an additional immune boost, I’ll mix in some Karen Berrios Camu Camu powder as well (read my post here for details on the incredible benefits of this superfood).

Another one of my favorite additions to my morning routine? Brazil nuts! Not only are they insanely tasty, but I also consider them as one of my daily “vitamins” given their incredible nutrient profile. Brazil nuts are one of most concentrated dietary sources of the mineral selenium, which is essential for thyroid function, the immune system and cell growth. Look for raw, unsalted and organic nuts if possible, and you only need two a day to reap these benefits.

Likewise, my daily matcha or coffee is one of the most sacred parts of my morning routine. You can read more in my How I Kicked My Caffeine Addiction (And Can Still Enjoy Coffee) post about why I’ve transitioned to matcha as of late, but regardless of the type of pick-me-up I enjoy, I make sure to get the most bang for my buck.

Since college, I’ve been adding a variety of adaptogens and superfoods into my morning cup of coffee (and now matcha) depending on the support I’m in need of at the time. For those unfamiliar, adaptogens are plants, often mushrooms, seen to help the body resist stressors of all kinds. These herbs and roots have been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic healing traditions and have gained popularity in the past several years.

Some of my favorite adaptogens and superfoods and their benefits include:

• Ashwagandha – stress relief
• Camu Camu – vitamin C & immunity
• Chaga – immunity & antioxidants
• He Shou Wu – tonification of the blood
• Lion’s Mane – mental focus
• Maca – energy & mood
• Reishi – stress relief & sleep
• Turkey Tail – immunity

Click below to read more and try for yourself!

Along with these, I always throw in a scoop of collagen peptides as well. Consuming collagen regularly is thought to help:

• Reverse skin aging
• Build healthier cartilage
• Decrease joint pain
• Heal the lining of the gut
• Improve digestion

The brands I frequently purchase are below!

Lastly, supplements play an essential part in my routine, and I encourage you to read my post, Essential Supplements for Optimal Health with Dr. Jackie Poirot, for more details about what I take and why.

In addition, I take daily supplements from Baze Vitamins, a personalized program that evaluates a blood sample to prescribe a regime tailored to you. Read more about my experience here, and be sure to snag my discount to try for yourself!

Evening

Creating an intentional nighttime routine is something I’ve worked on over time as a way to better wind down before bed. I often struggle to quiet my mind at night, so I’m constantly working to find activities that promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.

Reading is one of my favorite ways to ease my mind by putting down the phone and computer to get lost in a story. I challenge you to commit to even just five minutes or one chapter a night!

Likewise, I’ve adopted several Ayurvedic evening rituals such as going to bed around the same time and oiling the bottoms of my feet in order to ground myself before bed. To reduce Vata (one of the Ayurvedic Dosha types), oiling the feet is seen to:

• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Release muscle tension
• Promote deeper sleep
• Improve blood circulation
• Increase digestion

I use Banyan Botanicals Sleep Easy Oil for my feet, while I also love rubbing my arms and legs with Indie Lee’s Sleep Body Oil before bed – it feels nourishing and the smell is crazy relaxing!

One more evening ritual I swear by is sipping on some Natural Calm, a magnesium supplement intended to help you wind down before bed. Personally, I’ve found it to be helpful for my digestion and getting things going the next morning. Likewise, triphala is an Ayurvedic herbal remedy for detoxification & digestion that I take before bed at times as well. While I don’t take either of these every day, they’re great whenever I’m needing a little extra help.

Beauty

When it comes to skin care, I hate to say I’m a bit of a product junkie. I love to try out new products and often mix up what I’m using. Yet there are several key components of my morning and nighttime regimes that I swear by and stick to:

• Vitamin C serum
• Hyaluronic acid serum
• Cleanser
• Moisturizer
• Eye cream

Some of my current favorites are below!

Another somewhat recent addition to my daily routine is dry brushing. I began this practice when I was going through my Kitchari Cleanse and have continued it daily thanks to the amazing benefits for the lymphatic system and beyond. This practice helps:

• Exfoliate the skin
• Increase blood circulation
• Reduce inflammation
• Remove toxicity
• Stimulate the nervous system

Dry brushing is best done before hopping in the shower, which is when I’ve incorporated it into my daily routine. For those looking to get started, here is a great tutorial with steps for dry brushing properly.

As I grow, change and learn more about new ways to set myself up for the best day possible, I’ll continue to refine the list above. But for now, these morning, evening and beauty rituals make me feel my best. I encourage you to try out what speaks to you and create your own routines that support the mind, body and soul  .