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Last month Bella Hadid let us in on her elaborate morning routine, sharing that it includes a handful of pills, tinctures, green juice, sea moss gel and more “detox” beverages. The model isn’t the only famous one giving us a glimpse of the way they start the day, celebs including Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow have done the same. The one thing they all have in common? They’re complicated and unrealistic for regular folks like us.
So should we be trying harder to achieve these multi-step self-care rituals involving meditation, skincare with fancy products and the latest wellness trends? Experts say we don’t need all that, and instead we should focus on a few simple steps that are accessible to us. These are the four easy expert-recommended steps to use in your morning routine.
- Skip your cell phone - For many of us, grabbing our phone is literally the first thing we do in the morning, since we use it as an alarm. James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones," points out that not using your phone’s alarm to wake up can help keep you from lying in bed scrolling before you even get up.
- Hydrate - Dietitians and nutritionists advise replenishing your body with water as soon as you wake up, like drinking a glass before you have your first cup of coffee.
- Take time for you - Think about what your goals are for your morning and customize this step to meet them. If you want to focus on fitness, schedule a quick workout. Need a natural boost? Get some morning sunshine or a lamp that mimics daylight. The idea is to get the “positive flow” going, which Clear says will help you move on to the more challenging tasks of the day.
- Fuel your body - To do this, you’ll want a healthy, filling, protein-packed breakfast that will energize you for the day.
- And don’t compare yourself to celebrities. What works for them probably won’t work for us and most of us don’t have the same resources and disposable income they do. Registered dietitian Amanda Holtzer reminds us, “Perfection is nonexistent, and a ‘perfect’ morning routine should not be the goal.”
Read the article at CBS News