My Morning Routine - Lifestyle Post

I recently shared my tips on how to become a morning person, and so I thought it fitting to also share with you all my morning routine. It tends to stay the same most days, with the occasional, well deserved lie in at weekends, of course.  

Wake up to the Radio - I love to wake up to the sound of music and always have my radio alarm set for those early mornings. I've done this for years now and still have fond memories of being a young teenager and waking up to the Chris Moyle's Show on Radio One [who else would laugh their heads off every morning?]. Listening to a DJ can be a relaxing way to get you ready for your day - all you need is one great tune to get you out of bed and ready to face the day. 

Nutritious Breakfast - let's get one thing straight, breakfast is so important. I've always loved breakfast, everything about it is fantastic - breakfast food is my favourite and I've always loved the idea of opening a cafe serving just breakfast/ brunch alllll dayyyy long. We're talking poached eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, cereal, croissants, pain au chocolat, smoked salmon, bacon, bagels, orange juice, crumpets, hollandaise sauce... Seriously, the list doesn't stop and now I'm making myself hungry just typing this. My everyday 'go-to' breakfast is one poached egg made in one of those 'ever-so handy' poach pods - seriously love this kitchen tool - on top of two slices of toasted gluten free bread (real bread can do some crazy things to my stomach). It's a delicious breakfast that I look forward to every morning and keeps me going till it's time for lunch. 

Water - every morning without fail, I drink a pint of water. My boyfriend laughs because I've been known to say 'I'm off for a pint' at 7am, but it just means I'm away to pour myself a lovely ice cold beverage of aqua. I'm one of those people that loves to constantly drink water and I feel the benefits/ side effects of the drink. If I don't have enough water, my skin goes dry and my head hurts. Carrying around a water bottle everywhere I go ensures that I'm constantly hydrated and feeling fresh.  

 

Choose an Outfit - Now, this is always a struggle and can usually be the most time-consuming part of my morning. The outfit I want to wear will depend on how I'm feeling on that particular day. Do I want to look fashion-forward and stylish? Or do I just want to be comfy and boring? It's usually the latter but I love to dress up relatively dull outfits with fun accessories, keeping the fashion student inside of me alive. I had this dream when I was younger that once I started full time employment, I would have a wonderful wardrobe with bad-ass workwear. The dream has become slightly skewed and I tend to opt for the comfier, more practical pieces - e.g. trainers and large puffy jacket to beat the windy, and often wet, walk to work. 

Check my Diary - when I was younger, I tried my best to keep a diary, but always ended up miserably failing after a couple of days. In my older years, I've been much better and the diary in my handbag helps to keep me sane. I love to write down everything in this diary, from blog post ideas, to my shopping list, to movies I want to watch, to cafes I want to visit - everything. There is something very therapeutic about writing everything down on paper and organising one's life in a proper grown up, leather bound diary. 

Morning Exercise/ Yoga - When I'm feeling extra healthy/ have time/ can be bothered, I do some morning stretches and cardio - I wish I could do this everyday and I get so angry with myself when I don't manage, but truthfully, life gets in the way. I have a tendency to be lazy and if it means an extra 5 mins in my warm bed, then yup, yoga can forget it today. But I've experienced the life changing thing that is yoga (went from having the back movements of a 90-year-old, to being the limber 24-year-old I really am again after a couple of sessions), so it is something I will push myself to continue and find time for. 

What's your morning routine like? Similar or completely different to my own?
Let me know in the comments below.

More soon,

Helen

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