Is it weird that I’m now a morning person? I used to not be. Getting up at 11am on a Saturday was the norm, breakfast was non-existent, scrolling on my phone until 2am was my bedtime ritual, my sleep schedule was erratic (ranging anywhere from 4 hours a night to 10 hours), and I classified myself as more zombie than human.
Shaping up my AM/PM routine wasn’t an overnight development- in fact, it took years to shed the bad habits and create boundaries around this routine.
I started by implementing little things that made me feel good. I look forward to the nights and the mornings, in fact, I view this time as absolutely essential in giving me maximum energy and productivity throughout the day.
Here, I share my breakfast foods, supplements, my simple everyday make-up routine, evening skincare routine, nighttime routine and borderline on tmi territory about my AM/PM.
x Stephy
AM routine
6:30AM Alarm goes off. I use an old school analog clock I got from Daiso. My bed is specifically positioned by the window so I can open the blinds without getting up. To energize and dust off the sleepies, I do some in-bed stretches and easy twists. I hear from yoga instructors that expanding your chest naturally allows the body to energize.
During this time I try to think of 2 intentions of the day. The 1st is tangible, like, “close that deal” or “register for that tradeshow”. Then my 2nd intention is more emotional, like “be more forgiving” or “be gentle to yourself today”. It sounds hokey (and in the beginning, it sure feels hokey) but it’s been incredibly effective in figuring out what’s my priority.
After brushing my teeth with hello toothpaste and popping my contacts in, I’ll get dressed for the gym and go downstairs to make some coffee. I’ll have only half a cup.
If there’s a big project in the works, I’ll make sure there are no urgent email/texts from the east coast or Bali. But for the most part, I try not to look at emails until later in the day. I also try to make sure my phone doesn’t go into my bedroom. It’s my sanctuary- not my office.
7:30AM I leave my phone at home and click on the radio on my drive to bootcamp. There’s lots of traffic at this time but I’ve learned to relish this time without screens. I grew up without a TV so talk radio is very familiar and energizing to me. I listen to everything from The Cruz Show to Public Radio.
9:00AM After the gym it’s a quick shower and a quick breakfast. I rotate between making egg scrambles (tip! add a little curry powder, it makes it so flavorful), Bobs Red Mill Oats with fruit, or avocado toast. For my daily supplements, I take HUM Nutrition’s Red Carpet, adrenal/cortisol pills, vitamin C, and ashwagandha. I’ll also have another ½ cup of coffee but if it’s oneofthosedays, I’ll get a large green tea. In the office by 10AM.
I keep a full makeup set at the office for client-facing days, but usually, I just use clean spf, spritz on lilah b illuminator, and apply some Seven to tame my baby hairs.
PM routine
9:30/10PM I try to do a final email refresh around this time before heading up to start my nighttime routine. To help calm me down for the night, I like to make a cup of our Beauty Sleep Tea. It’s packed with antioxidants and it always helps me lull to sleep.
I take off any remaining makeup or sunscreen with my Dr. Dennis Gross 2-in-1 cleanser. If there’s time, I’ll mix some honey with our Power Down Powder and do a mask. It’s super earthy, grounding, and it’s so satisfying to have the clay mask suck out all the gunk from the day.
After removing the mask, I’ll microroll. The prickliness feels so good! I then use our Midnight Shift Oil with Dr. Nadia’s gua sha tool to massage my facial muscles and lower jaw. The oil smells heavenly and helps me get into relaxation mode and the gua sha-ing helps with my teeth grinding. I also have a mouthguard that I use nightly.
If my shoulders or lower back feel achy, I slap on these funny Japanese heat stickers that release the muscles overnight. They’re cute, some in a variety of different packaging, and they work.
10/10:30PM In bed! I turn on my Dohm white noise machine and will jot some goals or to-do’s for the next day. I will usually read to disconnect. It provides a nice buffer from my squirrelly thoughts to sleep. I keep a notebook by my bedside table because there’s usually something I forgot to do or a bolt of inspiration comes down while I’m reading.
If I want to asses my SleepScore, I’ll set that up but keep my phone outside of my room.
10:30/11PM Eyemask on. Lights off.
