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Lets Get Personal
My Morning Routine (Most Days)
I put off this post (and many others like it) for months because I don’t have an on-staff photographer in Portland and hiring Kaitlin to come over at 6 am to shoot me do the most mundane things just felt dumb. So here we go – get your pin button ready and settle into a journal-style entry where I just go on and on and on about my morning and life because I can’t just do a normal morning routine post without evangelizing or filling you in on my life. So here goes. First off, I joke that I want to design a non-denominational “CTR” ring – a ring on your right ring finger we wore growing up Mormon that reminds you to “Choose The Right”. The idea is that you know the difference between right and wrong, but sometimes that little reminder can help you hold your ground or shift you toward making the choice that is better for you. My morning routine has gotten so solid over the last four years, but some days I still need the push to make the good choice to maintain my mental and physical health. There are two sides of me, battling for lifestyle dominance, and lately (the last three years) “Bone Broth Emily” is winning. This is the really healthy version of me that started in 2018 (the OG Souptember) when I realized that I could squash life’s chaos/anxiety by implementing a stringent healthy routine (which starts most Sundays with a roasted chicken supper, making my own bone broth for the week). I’ve always worked out, that’s not a problem (y’all if you are in your teens or twenties start a habit of simply moving your body in a way that feels good to you NOW). But I never used to prioritize sleep, downtime, home-cooked meals, and then yes, I love to have a drink or 3. Now I don’t always stick to being Bone Broth Emily (I’m an enneagram 7 and love to have fun) but since lockdown when I had more time for good old-fashioned self-reflection. It’s been a very, very clear pattern that should surprise no one. When I make healthy choices I’m mentally and physically much happier, which produces a better parent, a better leader, and a more supportive partner, who can handle more stress, in better ways, which helps me make better long-term choices, have clearer priorities, and enjoy a more full life, etc. Obviously, the opposite is true – when I’m in a less than healthy pattern – with an overscheduled work and social calendar, extroverting too many hours a day, on camera too much (which I find depleting if it’s not for the right purpose), burning the candle at both ends, skipping workouts, eating chips and salsa for dinner, drinking too much wine, I slip into anxiety and feel panicked and then I want to quit my job, move to the mountains and home school my kids (as if that is any sort of good solution for us). It’s all so obvious and I’m not the first person to be realizing this, but it’s so crystalized now after 4 years of a more solid routine. When I break it (outside of holidays and vacations of course) I suffer. It’s SO BORING to talk about, but it absolutely works for me. It all starts in the morning and what you are about to read is the solid mon-Friday of a normal/good work week (Not a big shoot or travel week).
Before I tell you this treasured “Bone Broth Emily” morning routine, it should be clear that I am very privileged to 1. Work from home – i.e. no commute, 2. Work for myself and avoid scheduling anything before 9 am, and 3. Have a very supportive partner who honors this routine (and has his own). This might not be doable for a lot of people so please don’t compare or think I’m telling you this is the best/only way to be “healthy”. We moved here to slow down and I’m holding on tight to that goal, but I know that a lot of people have to live a faster-paced life with a lot of things not in your control. Maybe you can relate to it, or glean something from it anyway, if no, hopefully it’s entertaining. It involves an ice bath, so there’s that…
Wake Up – No alarm (Ideally) Usually Between 6-6:30 am
I wake up with the sun which is crazy early in the summer for sure, and late in the fall/winter – making my schedule more erratic year round. Old Emily would set an alarm to work out at 5 am, or work before the kids woke up – but that was when getting them ready was more of a two-person job. Bone Broth Emily knows that sleep is far more important than almost anything, so I try really, really hard to not set an alarm before 6:15 to ensure I get as much of it as possible. This might be also an age thing. Brian and I LOVE getting into bed right after the kids, around 9, and we read for an hour or so and I’m asleep between 10-10:30. So the fact that I’m still sleeping in til 6 am is pretty incredible and I’m not messing with it. Of course, I wake up a couple of times throughout the night – mostly work-related rumination and so dumb. I actually recently (during lockdown) started taking 2.5mg of a THC Indica gummy to help and it absolutely relaxes me without me feeling any of the bad side effects I used to hate associated with weed (munchies or paranoia). I historically hated anything to do with pot and it took doing some experimentation during Covid to find that I love a tiny dose of fast-acting Indica for bedtime. Anyway, that’s all to say that sleep has become very important. But if I have a shoot or know my day is going to be crazy I’ll set my alarm to ensure that I get at least the first part of my routine in.
A Cup Of Coffee – Like Immediately
I understand the irony of talking about how healthy I’m being and then starting the day with a stimulant, but I live for my morning coffee and enjoy it so much and would give up almost anything first. Despite loving coffee and living in the PNW, we are not “pour over” people, NO. Brian sets the coffee maker the night before for 5:45 am and it’s ready by 6 am when I get up. While I would love to enjoy a leisurely 1/2 a cup while I read the news, the dogs don’t exactly let me do that (they start barking to go out which can wake up the kids). So I’m immediately off to…
6:30 – 7:30 am Walk Dogs – AKA The Most Important Thing I Do For Myself All Day
Two things have to happen at the exact same time – the kids have to get up, dressed, fed, and out the door and the dogs have to get walked (we can’t just let them out due to the yard being a dirt pit and they’ll come back totally covered in mud). I could just take them for a 15-minute walk but frankly, I love/need and have gotten used to a 3-mile walk (about an hour) every morning. I’m very, very spoiled and grateful. I have my coffee, a podcast, two adorable pups, and rain or shine I truly love it (when it’s pouring the schedule shifts, but last year there were very few mornings that were pouring, and walking in drizzle is totally fine for everyone except my hair). I usually try to get out of the house by 6:15 am so that I can be back by 7:15 am to help the kids get out of the house by 7:45 am but if I get a later start Brian takes care of it all which I’m also endlessly grateful for. He’s also a morning person but likes to wake up slower and would rather be with the kids around the island, making their lunch, than be outside moving his body up hills. We have also found that he does the morning routine better/differently than I do. Sometimes parenting together, when you have different energies and different ways of doing things causes more stress when you try to make them work together. I’m usually extremely distracted by what I have to do for the day and am obviously very capable of getting my kids out the door, but he’s just honestly better with their routine. I find myself sitting there making lists of what I have to do in my head, super distracted which isn’t very helpful. I always see my kids in the morning, but sometimes it’s just 15 minutes or sometimes I walk with them to school with the pups. And yes I set out my clothes the night before, including my apple watch (gotta track those steps!), my reflector vest (which looks VERY COOL – opposite), shoes, hat, poop bags, and headphones. It’s a thing, but I can usually be out the door in 5-7 minutes even in the pitch black. Admittedly walking the dogs before sunrise can be a little odd at first, but you guys, watching the sunrise, being outside in nature when the energy is so calm, moving your body amongst the trees – I’m telling you, once you start doing it you might crave it like I do. This routine started in lockdown when we got the dogs and I honestly think it helped stave off any seasonal depression when we moved up here. I prioritize it higher than working out or showering.
Oh, but I’m not done proselytizing about the importance of a long morning walk. This is also when I listen to my more educational podcasts – all my friends are with me. My go-to’s are Brené Brown (so glad she is back), Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, Malcolm Gladwell, and of course, Armchair Expert with Monica and Dax. I love true crime series and some comedy but tend to listen to those on my night walk (I often repeat this walk at night) or I binge on weekends. That’s all to say that if I don’t get in the rest of the routine that’s fine because this hour is the most important to my mental health and sets up my day for more success.
8 am – Quick Peloton or Apptiv
Back from my walk I drink my second cup of coffee and try really hard not to check my email because depending on what lies beneath, it can throw off the routine with more urgent matters. So I’d say 3-4 days a week I try to almost immediately jump on the Peloton or do a 20-minute strength training workout. Yes, the walk would be considered enough, but I’ve found if I also push myself a little more then MAN I’m feeling good. Recently I’ve shifted my working out goals to simply 20 minutes, every day, no matter what. And what I’ve found is that 20 minutes is SO EASY to fit into the day (again I work from home and my kids are older). Hillary Kerr inspired me with her goal of working out 365 days in a row. Could I do an hour every day? Of course not. But I certainly can do 20 minutes and have only missed a few days since my birthday. So I usually do a 20 or 30-minute Peloton class with Cody or Sam Yo, or if I don’t feel like hard cardio I’ll do my Aaptiv app and do a 20-minute strength training with Akeem or Pilates with Jenny. Sometimes this is skipped in the morning, then right before lunch I’ll pull myself away from the computer like I’ve been grabbed by some alliance force and shove myself into a quick workout. It’s annoying, but I’ve never ever ever regretted it. Sometimes if I have less time I’ll do a 7-minute workout that includes jumping squats. It’s that burst of cardio that changes the day because of the endorphins and dopamine it gives. Speaking of dopamine…
Followed By A Cold Shower Or Ice Bath (!!!)
Ok, now here is where it starts to get super weird (and next level) and if you aren’t familiar with cold plunging you might think it sounds like Goop-y BS, but keep reading. During covid, I started working out on a dock at the mountain house then jumping and swimming for at least 3 minutes every morning, even in the winter. It drastically helped my mood. In the summer it was refreshing, in the winter it is GLORIOUS. I’m now a sucker for all things Wim Hof and the benefits of cold plunging but I’m telling you – it’s a guaranteed dopamine burst for 3-4 hours. It’s really hard to be grumpy afterward (I write that with a grain of salt obviously). I really wanted to keep up the routine here so for now I either take an ice-cold shower or I put three large bowls of ice into our tub and sit in it for 3 minutes. I don’t do this every day, but again 3-4 days a week (either when I need to shower after a sweaty workout or when I’m in a bad mood that I can’t shake). But it should be said that after years of working out I have trained my body to crave endorphins and while I didn’t use to love pushing myself in this way at first, the dopamine and endorphins are worth it. It’s why I love the sauna blanket (that a lot of people can’t handle) or do sprints when I’m anxious. I look forward to it, not because I like getting into a freezing cold shower or bath (I scream every single time) but because the relief after is incredible. Again, it takes my day from OK to Good to GREAT. I also opt for this at night when I want a glass of wine (as I’m trying to not drink outside of fun occasions) – I’ll either do a quick cardio workout, walk the dogs, cold shower, or sauna blanket and boom, the craving is gone. Healthy coping habits, y’all!!
8:45 – Get Dressed…Maybe
Y’all. It’s really hard to put on cute outfits these days and I’m trying to be kind to myself about it. Working from home on a dirty farm means that IF I get dressed in something outside of soft clothes or athleisure, it usually looks like this (on a good day). I rarely feel cute because I don’t leave the property enough to put on an actual outfit (and Portland, TBH has a far more utilitarian fashion culture). I’ve scaled back my closet a lot and curated it to be more for practicality and utility, with the occasional date night or a trip to LA to bring out “Fashion Emily”. My little sister is selling all of my old clothes on Poshmark very soon to help her buy a house:) Like I said before, the outfit above is me on a good day. This has made me being on camera less and less fun as I just don’t want to take the time to try to look good just to talk on instastories. And when I go on camera without getting ready there are always comments that are dumb but bum me out. I also don’t want sponsors to feel like I don’t care and want them to be happy with their content. So I’m trying to figure out a more scheduled routine, like 1-2 days a week where I do my hair/makeup and film a lot for the week so I don’t have to prioritize my looks every day nor put myself in a position to feel bad about myself. WHO KNOWS.
9 am – Email, Work, Meetings, etc.
Every day is different – a combination of emailing, zooming, meetings at the house with subs or the landscape team, and writing. I really need to start carving out creative time or just find better productivity tools for that. Right now, most of my design/creative time comes on the weekend which is slowing down the reveal process. We have team meetings on Mondays and Thursdays for 1-2 hours, shoot mostly on Wednesdays and just trying to keep my calendar fairly free to allow for time to enjoy life with the kids:) The next few months have been historically crazy as a content creator (not the last two years), so I’m really trying to say no to anything optional to ensure that I please my current partners, who I love, and still have time to prep and enjoy all the birthdays (both kids and Brian) and holidays that dominate my favorite time of year – October – Christmas. Right now is when we start to think about gift guide strategy which is always problematic for me (so much consumerism) but how we generate revenue for the slower months. It’s always a struggle to do it in a way that feels helpful, responsible, and yet profitable. Meanwhile, I have to reveal so many rooms that just need 4 little things fixed/installed before we can shoot, and they are things that I can’t do myself so I’m trying to get the styling as dialed in as possible so when they are done we can shoot and show you.
So that’s a little life update along with my morning routine. If you really want to know what’s going on, I found out my cholesterol is not good so I’m doing a 21-day body reset with the end goal of reducing my terrible cholesterol without getting on medication for it. This reset is no joke and is highly restrictive (just vegetables/fruits and some lean meat halfway through – it’s this one – and thus really effective (so don’t try it during the holidays – I had a 3-week window of no travel or fun occasions so I went for it). Anyway, I’ve been highly protective of this morning routine since we moved here last year (less so during the summer, but I even did it in Lake Arrowhead in July) because the simple truth is when I do this I have a much better day, and when I don’t I have a worse day.
My nighttime routine is just as regimented these days, too! Not on the weekends (I’m still an enneagram 7 so I get excited about fun stuff) but Sunday – Thursday our nights are booked solid with our routine and we rarely stray from it. GETTING OLDER AND MAKING GOOD CHOICES IS KINDA AWESOME BUT SO BORING TO WRITE ABOUT!! Thanks for reading :)
Oh man. It’s scary how similar my home life routine is. Big difference: more coffee, less ice. Thanks for sharing!
at 51 I too have recently embraced walking, and have renewed purpose to make it daily. If anyone needs some inspiration to walk, there is an amazing little book written by Libby DeLana, an ad exec in Massachusetts (and my husband’s high school crew coach from long ago): it’s called Do Walk: Navigate earth, mind, and body. Step by step.
She has walked 9 miles a day, leaving her house at 5:00 AM for over a dozen years, rain or shine. It’s filled with inspirational ideas; “it is about a slow, natural realization that there is great joy that can come from a wildly simple change and commitment in your life.” Highly recommend!
So relatable…not the sauna blanket or 6am 5k walk (!)…but the notion of figuring out the routines that work for you, your physical and mental health. I never tried weed for sleep but I swear by CBD oil and magnesium, and take CoQ10 daily. Can’t say enough good things about Brené Brown either. Nice read!
This was not boring to read at all. I am definitely working-on-my-habits-to-make-everything-a-bit-better years old… not sure about the ice bath/showers but I may try it. I think the link to your cholesterol reset is missing (I’m interested for myself and my husband).
Shaking my head at the people making mean comments on people’s appearances. They need one of those non-denominational CTR rings too and I’m sorry they mess with your self-concept.
Yes, please do provide the link to your 21-day cholesterol reset. I tried to search for it, but everything that turned up was weight-loss focused.
That might be because this reset is also weight-loss focused…
(not to say that this is Emily’s goal, but obviously the way that rapid “resets” are marketed…it’s all diet culture. Obviously it is possible to manage cholesterol with nutrition, but not over such a short span of time. For more on this I really recommend the Maintenance Phase podcast, especially their episodes on detoxes!)
Thanks for the podcast recommendation, L!
I found SP’s list of foods to eat and avoid on pages 16-22 of this pdf. That’s mainly what I wanted to know about Emily’s program.
all fixed!
Just wondering where a hot or warm shower fits in here – are the cold showers just a soaking, not doing the showery things like hair washing? I crave the heat, so never want to give that up, but wondering how a cold shower can fit in.
Sometimes at the end of a super steamy shower I turn the water to icy cold and have that pound on my head for a minute.
This is the only way I can imagine taking a cold shower! Will try today.
My mom takes a hot shower and washes everything and then just turns the water as cold as it will go and stands under it for as long as she can. She’s done this for years and has never managed to talk me into it. I’m not sure if it has the same effect as 3 big bowls of ice in a bathtub, but it seems like a lot easier to fit in.
I really regret not starting a workout habit in my teens, twenties, thirties… Finally i turned 40 and thought, what am I going to think in my fifties? I’m going to think, wow, working out would be so much easier to start in my forties. So I pretended that I had taken a Time Machine back to my forties and started working out, which is a really boring use of a time machine, but hey, we do boring stuff in our forties, right?
Do you keep up with the bone broth during the 21 day reset?
I love cold water, but am not interested in just doing a cold shower. My favorite thing is to do alternating hot & cold. Try to make it as hot as I can stand it, then will do 3 sixty second bursts of cold. The first one is freezing, by the third one it just feels good and I can totally feel myself relaxing. I love it! Started doing it after going to a Scandinavian water spa in Montreal haha
Thanks for sharing and inspiring! It’s a good reminder for days when I’m struggling to wake up and walk early in the morning that there’s a group of us out there!
Enjoyed learning about your morning routine. I walk every day during my lunch break and used to do a rowing workout every morning. I am inspired to do a short workout every day.
This is 100% not boring, Emily! Thanks for sharing that you have health struggles, despite being an active go-getter who craves exercise. This morning, with my can’t-live-without coffee, you made me feel way less alone in the struggle to stay focused on health and personal well-being.
I take cold showers every morning and I am always trying to tell everyone how incredible they are!!
Noooo not Simon Sinek! He’s the epitome of “smug, mediocre white guy repeats established ideas on a large platform and is considered a great thinker for some reason.” I can’t stand him!
Totally agree. He always tells the same stories…and they aren’t even his stories!
Wow….sounds like someone’s projecting. Replace one color for another and I guarantee you would never say such a phrase.
Being white is worth noting in this context, what did you want to say?
Thanks for sharing this routine. It’s really helpful and inspiring to me. My biggest question was when does she wash up for the day and I’m guessing the answer is that you shower and wash your hair at night? I’m a have to wash my hair every morning sort of person and it can be annoying but I can’t skip it, it’s a whole thing. But I really liked how you walk in the morning and at night. I have the whole eating clean thing down but not the wake up and excercise routine thing down. I mean I have a morning and bedtime routine but it could use some major tweaking and this post gave me some great ideas. So thanks!
I don’t know what Emily does but you can either do your hot showering after the ice bath/cold swim or even cold shower. When I’m in a run of “healthy Liz” and doing this, I swim in a cold pool and then shower after that. It doesn’t diminish the cold benefits. You could also do a hot shower, wash your hair, and then turn your water to as cold as you can stand for 1-3 minutes. That works too!
Makes sense! I’ll try it!
I started running at dawn last winter, in Vermont. SO cold, but SO gorgeous to see the sun rise. What a gift!
A NOTE FOR YOUR READERS: keep THC gummies locked up and talk to your kids about what they are!!! My husband works in the ER and recently treated a two-year-old who had eaten a whole bottle of THC gummies and it was devastating… VERY sick, very scared baby.
What about hair washing, is that happening on some of the mornings too or at another time? My hair washing was never frequent and becoming even less so as the years pass… This post was very useful for me, thank you!
The white ceiling/beams look so beautiful in the photo taken at the kitchen island!!!
This is truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing and can’t wait to hear the evening routine.
yes, would also like to hear evening routine; also, interested in your typical meal plan throughout the week.
Could you link the 21 day reset please it’s not in the article.
all fixed!
This was a dabu,ous read, Emily!!! “proselytizing” even!!!? Sounds super-fantabulous and invigorating! Love it!!? Your scruffy dawgs are gorgeous to the limit!!! Oscar and Buttercup, well, let’s just say they’re sooo similar to my Rosie-bear scruffy who recently died, I ended up in tears, missing her (Rosie was red though). ?? I totally get how that’s THE best part of ypur routine because my daily powerwalk with Rosie was the same. I did 15 mins in 59F or less swimming pool when I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue. Man! It’s hard at first but verrrry addictive once you get into it. I still sometimes blast myself with cold water after a shower (moreso in summer)…it’s THAT great! Plus, cold water seals hair strands and makes it shinier!? Most of my excercise comes from gardening (I do it all, huge hedges x5, lawns, garden beds, roses, veggies, etc.)cleaning my house and power walks. Research says a short FAST walk each day can be as good as long normal-paced one! Yaaay!! I also intentionally incorporate a verrry steep hill.? I wonder about the bone broth and cholesterol?? We’re reminded to be wary of giving our dogs bones fue to the fat in… Read more »
After my bone broth is in the fridge for a few hours, the fat congeals at the top and I can scrape it off. I’m assuming that’s all the fat, but I really don’t know.
Rusty – I am so sorry about Rosie-Bear’s death. I know how much you loved her and she loved you. Animal friends are so good for us, but their shorter life spans are hard for us. After the death of one very beloved cat, my daughter did not want a new cat, because she said we couldn’t “replace Toots.” The very next day were we at the Humane Society looking for our next cat because she had decided that a new cat would be “therapeutic.” And so she was.
Sending love to you and Rosie-Bear.
Love this post. I can so relate (except the ice bath!) Having a routine and prioritizing my health has been a game changer for me. Thanks for sharing!
You look great Emily! I’m so tired of the curated, over the top looks in makeup and fashion. It’s a breath of fresh air to see someone be themselves and dress in a casual way that’s comfortable. Thank you!
I second this Erica! Also, I love the utilitarian look (I live outside Portland, Maine and this is definitely my fashion preference – not to mention necessary living in 4-seasons here). Would love to see some of your new looks that are actually functional and interesting (as all of your looks are!). Thanks for sharing Emily. Lots of helpful and inspiring ideas here!
Why is your peloton screen so giant? Also who makes the booties you have on with the shorts? ?
Since you walk a lot you may enjoy the “walk the distance” app that tracks your mileage as you virtually hike the Appalachian trail or pct and others. Fun to view progress on map view and read about different highlights of the trail as you go along. You can also see other hikers as well and be known by a trail name. I do walk/hike more because of it. I’m a fan.
Great recommendation!
interesting — enjoyed this post! but what/when do you EAT???
I hate to say this but I never read your blog posts, I generally just look at your IG posts (and ❤️ them), but I read this one and now I’m obsessed. Love this post for so many reasons, but the main reason I wanted to comment is to say that the style you feel most comfortable in (clothing) is actually just so perfect and really, really cute. Your brand partners or whoever it is you feel like you need to be more dressed up/put together for should know that this version of you is just so relatable!
Ok, got to go back to binging (bingeing? How’s that spelled?) on the rest of your blog.
I agree about the relatable fashion note here!
This was a great read and I found a lot of overlaps with some new routines I’ve been using for the last year or so that have worked better for me than anything else I’ve ever tried. Probably the biggest thing that has helped me is getting an Apple Watch and closing my rings EVERY DAY NO EXCUSES. I don’t set them to super challenging goals, but rather to something that is actual doable, even on days when I am busy or not feeling it, with some intention. For my body, 350 calories and 25 minutes is that sweet spot and I haven’t missed a day since February. Making this a daily routine has been crucial – for me it’s so easy to say “I’ll just do it tomorrow” and before you know it, it’s the end of the week and there’s not enough days left to reach my 3-4 times a week goal. I feel better physically, mentally, etc… Maybe I get in some challenging workouts, and maybe I just took the dogs for a walk, but making time to move every day has helped me in so many ways.
Emily, I am addicted to closing my rings on my Apple Watch too! At one point I thought I was too addicted to it since I put is on as soon as I get out of bed so as not to miss a “stand” hour! I tried not wearing it regularly and eventually went back to wearing it daily! ?
I think your Portland look is super cute! (Maybe because I’m from Seattle?) Would love to know where the brown cardigan is from.
“Here we have a vintage cardigan … that I got at an antique Mall (wassup Stars in Sellwood).”
From this post:
Routines are great but as someone with ADHD I’ve recently leaned into the idea that being consistent is extremely hard for me and a solid morning routine is just never going to happen every day for me. And that’s ok! Taking that pressure off has helped a lot.
Hi Em! I’ve heard that high cholesterol runs in families and doctors are realizing that some healthy people have higher cholesterol without any plaque build up. If you’re trying to avoid the meds (and it sounds like you are – no judgment for people who don’t care and just take them), you can get a artery plaque screening to see whether you’re actually getting plaque build up and then make a more informed decision about the meds. My mom just did this at almost 70 and has zero artery plaque and high cholesterol. If there are docs on here and I’m being inaccurate, please jump in ?, but may be something to ask your doc about!
my husband had the same scan done. he’s VERY fit 65 year old (has been his entire life) and had high cholesterol. his scan is clear so there are no worries. also, he takes red yeast rice which does the same thing as a statin without the side effects. strict diets are short lived. find something like your morning routine with regards to diet.
Ok, you have inspired me to try the ice cold shower! I’ve heard this from many, and have tried it on occasion, but I am going to go for it! ?
I did a little experiment and also realized that a quick walk in the morning was the key to my mental and physical health. It helped ground and wake me and I’m not really a morning person. I only go for 15 minutes but want to increase it. Maybe that will be on my 23 for 23 (Happier podcast – highly recommend!). Thanks for sharing!
Aww, I Loved! the description of Brian in the morning with the kids! Such a gift to all concerned. Be sure to tell him there is nothing sexier than a good lookin’ dad who clearly knows, really knows, his children. The work he is putting in is what it takes, and you can just see it in the family’s body language. Also, hah, I read someplace that girls who have a very involved dad while growing up have a better sense of humor, and coping mechanisms later in life. Don’t know if true, but we’ll take it!
Everyone, please keep in mind that ice baths/extremely cold showers aren’t for everyone and please talk to your doctor first!! If you have a heart condition, please speak to your cardiologist first!!! Sudden, extremely cold temperatures can cause cardiac arrest or heart attacks in people with existing heart conditions.
That’s a great routine! I’m good about getting up and doing yoga and taking the dog for a run. But I struggle with not checking my email before work hours (and then obsessively all day long).
Love this! I find learning about others morning routines and daily good habits interesting, not boring to read at all! I also live for the simple, beautiful things in life so maybe I’m just boring, but never bored if that makes sense. I’ve been retired for over 10 years so having an early morning routine is very important to me to stay on track and sets me up for a healthier me. One major habit change I’ve made this year is I stopped drinking alcohol. After decades of being a “social drinker” on a whim I did dry January through This Naked Mind app. Whoa! It was alarming how much I did not know about alcohol and its effects on the human body, even in small amounts. I did not realize how much I was sabotaging all my efforts to be and feel healthy by keeping it in my diet. Quitting was easy while “trying not to drink much” was hard. Of all my healthy habits this one makes the most difference- it just makes doing all the things, working out, eating healthy, managing emotions easier. I’d encourage anyone that drinks on a regular basis and still believes drinking in… Read more »
Huge YES to this, Sadie! Alcohol is toxic and addictive to all humans, period. And Annie Grace is amazing:).
Yes to Huberman labs! So much great information to explore! I also don’t drink anymore and do not miss it at all and I don’t even mind the little bit of teasing from friends.
Thank you Emily for taking the time to share your routine with all of us ! It is really motivaying. Coincidentally, I started taking cold showers three weeks ago as a way to recover from the death of my husband. I can confirm that the rush of adrenaline and dopamine that follows exposure to the cold gives you wings. So much so that I look forward to it even though I have been forever frightened of cold. With practice, our bodies and minds adapt, making us more resilient. My late husband, who loved to dive into the cold water lakes of Quebec, must be smiling if he sees me doing this. Linving in a big city and not by a lake, I now work out for 30 minutes first, then wash my body and hair with hot water before switching to cold water. I stand under that cold spray for two minutes while forcing myself to breathe calmly and count backwards or do mental calculations. This is apparently a way to train our prefrontal cortex (the rational part of the brain) to stay on top of things even when our bodies and brains are overwhelmed by stress signals. It is… Read more »
Please forgive my typos. I meant motivating (and not motivaying), living (and not linving), good weekend (and not god weekend)
Aw, Marie. Thank you for sharing these very useful resources with us. Grief is hard, and here you are sharing what is helpful in life. Respect and peace to you!
Thank you so much Sarah.
Some people’s preference for sleeping later is just that – a preference or perhaps a habit. Those people may have success in retraining themselves to sleep earlier hours, and that’s totally cool. But others, like me, are biologically designed to sleep during later hours, and that need is not something that can be “corrected.” Sleeping against our natural chronotype leads to a life of chronic exhaustion and a bevy of long term health issues. Ask me how I know.
Anyway, this is all not to provoke an argument about the merits or even the possibility of rewiring oneself to become a morning person. It’s just to say that some of us will never be morning people, and that’s okay too.
Hi Diane – I really, genuinely, interested in how you know this. I’m pretty convince that I am, biologically, a night owl, but most people I try explaining this to laugh it off and just say that if I sleep earlier, do xyz, etc I’ll be able to “correct” that. if you’ve any info you can share on this, I’d love to read up on it!
My best advice: see a sleep doctor. By the time I finally made an appointment, based on my experience, I knew that my natural sleep cycle falls between 4 am and noon. My doctor said that if I didn’t already know that, he would recommend taking a two week vacation away from all alarm clocks, screens, and stress, and let myself sleep whenever my body wanted; that’s the best way to determine your natural sleep cycle. Once you have that information, the next question is: how much are you willing to train yourself away from that schedule. With a lot of consistency and fierce determination, it is possible to retrain yourself to a new sleep schedule, but realistically it’s better to think in terms of 1 or 2 hours, rather than 4 or 5. Because I was seeing an alarming number of sleep deprivation-related health issues pop up – chronic weight issues that couldn’t be explained by diet or exercise, autoimmune system issues, and an acute flare of diabetes type 2 – I decided to honor my biological sleep cycle and rework my daily routine to fit my biological needs. I immediately felt like a whole new person and three… Read more »
Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a great podcast. Like a younger male, slow talking Terry Gross. He’s an excellent interviewer.
Very interesting read. Just want to suggest that it might be worth addressing some of the underlying anxiety. You are under enormous pressure to maintain a certain appearance, and continue to feel and express gratitude for your beautiful but surely stressful life. It might be worth listening to some of the underlying emotions there. Being super successful doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t valid. Exercise and strict eating plans might be healthier coping mechanisms than some, but if you feel unable to have a good day without them, it might be a sign that you’re using them to avoid feeling feelings. Don’t mean to be critical, I just have similar tendencies.
Very long time reader here, but I rarely comment. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing this info. I love all your content, but my favorite part of this blog has always been your willingness to share your authentic self. Also, if you’re ever in a podcast rut, I highly recommend most shows that are part of Pushkin Industries. My favorites are Cautionary Tales (British man who’s a brilliant storyteller) and A Slight Change of Plans.
Love the vibes of Emily’s early morning routine, and at the same time want to speak out for my people, the night owls. After half a century (!!) of feeling wildly out of sync with the world and terribly guilty about my inability to function in the morning hours, I finally saw a sleep doctor who diagnosed Delayed Sleep Phase syndrome. It’s a normal and healthy condition where my body sleeps just like everyone else’s…except at significantly different hours. So for people like me, we need to take the components of the early birds’ healthy routines and rearrange them into our days to flow with our bodies’ different rhythms. I walk my dog in the late afternoon, and do my strength training and cold showering around 3 am. That’s what’s “normal” for me and if that’s what feels normal to you, dear reader, I am with you!
Em, my mother-in-law has high cholesterol and so does my husband and the melaleuca peak performance vitamins have really been helpful, along with diet and exercise of course. My mil has a subscription specifically for these (and she just orders for us and we pay her back).
Thanks for sharing your morning routine! Very inspiring. I would love to hear about the nighttime version!
I sure do love routine!! Thank you for sharing. My question to anyone who might have an idea- I have trouble getting out of bed now that our kids are gone from home. If someone is meeting me to run or workout I can always get up. It’s like if I don’t have to, I don’t. I love it when I do and really want to! Any tips for making myself get out of bed when it’s cozy to just stay???
Maybe, like me, you are just not genetically wired to work out in the mornings. Like you, I could pull myself out of bed during the years when my kids needed me – or I needed to take advantage of early mornings to exercise – but when I listen first and foremost to my body, it demands more sleep. I shamed myself for a long time…and then I realized that my body prefers afternoon exercise. Once I made that adjustment, I fell back in love with my workouts. Maybe a similar shift will work for you.
Omg! Please tell us when your sis posts your clothes on postmark! Would love to browse and support her pursuits of home ownership!
When do you have your breakfast? And what do you generally have for breakfast?
I love these personal posts! And thank you for the recommendations for curbing the nightly glass of wine. I’m trying to work on this and find myself giving in more than not. I’m going to try an ice cold shower… : |
I’m sure you’re sick of cholesterol advice from people on the internet, but the Gundry diet has done wonders for our family members with high cholesterol.
I love these sorts of posts so much, thank you Emily! I’ll say that the removal of caffeine for me – altogether – was a huge game changer. Especially that first cup on an empty stomach. I learned that there’s not much worse for your liver/hormones/gut than that in the Ams, even though it is truly delicious… I moved to making a cup of cacao mixed with Dandy Blend, ashwaganda and reishi. I still have some decaf every once in a while but getting rid of coffee was huge both for my PMDD (which is like PMS on steroids – for me I would get really bad moods and anxiety, and breasts so tender it was like they were on fire for two weeks straight) and my anxiety. Agree I would love to see an evening routine post and food routine/meal plan post!
Guys caffeine isn’t bad at all for your liver. A lot of other things are though! — wife of GI doctor
Totally get needing a routine and sticking with it once you find what you like. I had such a hard time finding workouts that I actually enjoyed even though I needed to be exercising (for my health and mood). Once I did, it was so easy to just do it. I can only make myself do 30-minute workouts, and I originally aimed for 5x/week but now do 6x/week easily because it’s just engrained in the daily routine. But I also am currently 100% teleworking and the kids take the bus so I have a flexible schedule. And now I’m in the best shape of my life, even after three kids (not amazing shape, just my own personal best). I admire your ability to do it first thing! I just read an article that said women who workout first thing in the morning (~6-8am), especially before breakfast, get better results than at other times of day. Personally I would die. I feel you on the clothes, too. Working from home all the time, only ever being seen from the waist up, I’m in joggers/shorts and t-shirts/sweaters all day. I plan one day a week where I’m made up and on camera… Read more »
One of the best/ most interesting posts I’ve read in awhile! Love the insight and find myself very motivated to adapt some of your routine into my own. Thank you!
i love this post!
This is a tangent but — does anyone else feel like remote work has become too remote? I’ve been watching episodes of the Office and Parks and Rec and really feeling like something is missing with my new remote life! and it’s not just from the pandemic, I think that suburbia and the nuclear family etc are isolating, but the new remote work life even more so! We have more time for self-care now, but so much more isolation? is the burnout actually caused by the isolation, and we keep needing these mountains and hours of creative self care and dopamine boosts and routines and ice plunges because modern society has left us alone?
I’m so interested in this comment, more than the others; “I think that suburbia and the nuclear family etc are isolating.” Why? I’m fascinated. I agree that remote work is terrifically isolating, though! That’s the nature of it, I guess. I work in the bay area and it seems everyone wants some hybrid of work from home and remote work. No one wants to go back full time but everyone wants the flexibility of remote work at times. Especially those of us with children. We’ll see what shakes out over the next few years.
Thank you so much for being interested!! Haha for context I wrote that comment while breastfeeding a baby and trying to not wake up a 2 year old!! So I’m in a completely different headspace than Emily and won’t be able to have a morning like hers for a few years. But it’s totally goals! But yeah I just think that I had such a strong sense of community in college and early career and it’s nice to have best friends, a bigger group of good friends, a huge network of acquaintances that you see and work with daily. Even though it’s a pain to go in a make small talk in the moment, I have such vivid memories and relationships from that time. remote work and motherhood are more isolating. I’m sure Other cultures that are different than mine have more community involvement, in laws moving in, etc after a birth. my culture really emphasizes the big solo house with only nuclear family. And a lot of suburban neighborhoods are not set up for casual run-ins so you have to be super extroverted and energetic and proactive to socialize. I’d love to hear other thoughts.
Oh, I see now! This is a nice topic of conversation for sure. I think it’s so hard to make friends “like we had” as we get older, too. It just is! I wonder about how other cultures have it more right than us as well. As for communal familiy stuff, I lived in paris for a year before I got married and it felt like so many of the grandparents were actively involved in raising the small children almost daily (in Paris, at least). I have a four and six-year-old and my parents are involved but it’s mostly a couple times a month, maybe a weekend night or two. I just want to add, too, (and I’m sure you’ve heard this, but) I think you are in the most lonesome moment of parenthood for sure. It gets so much better! Incrementally better every few months, I think. I know with my first grader we’ve got soccer and school and PTA and there’s suddenly moms and dads everywhere. It’s too much for me, sometimes, haha. I hope your community will grow with your kids, too. I bet it will! Sending you love wherever you are!
Highly recommend taking a class or signing up for something fun just one hour per week if you can. (pottery, gardening, book club, art lecture, pickleball, whatever). I finally did this when my son turned three. It was sometimes hard to schedule/make work, but I did it. I made friends in the class and I would look forward to that night all week long. It was only for 90 minutes but it helped fill my bucket for socializing. It was even better than socializing at work because I met people who had similar interests to me. You would be surprised at how long you can coast on just on hour in the week of real connection outside of your norm. I know how hard it is when you have small children, hopefully you have a network that can help you get one hour to yourself. Hang in there, momma, you’re doing great!
I think we feel like this kind of community should just organically happen. Don’t be afraid to seek out structured opportunities for this. Let other super extroverted, energetic and proactive people set up ways to socialize and then you just show up and participate.
The best thing for us especially with babies and young kids was getting involved in a church. It’s pretty much instant community with lots of ways to connect. This has continued to be a wonderful way to be in close community with people of all ages, races, and walks of life.
Another option- moms groups! Maybe you are like, hey, I’m not a mom group kinda person. I wasn’t either then I spent several years in one and made many good friends this way. Try one. You don’t have to keep going if you hate it. But the whole idea is to form a supportive community of moms.
I actually really love this post. I’m now craving your afternoon/evening routine.