My Wellness Routine

This month, I’ve decided to dedicate my moodboard to the topic of wellness. Since leaving my full-time career to pursue interior design, I’ve been focusing on building a better wellness routine and taking care of myself. I was so stressed out and anxious all the time and had a number of annoying health issues I knew weren’t okay, but never really took the time to deal with. Obviously when you take care of yourself you can be a better person for everyone around you, so why not take a little time for yourself? Here are a few of my favourite ways to show yourself a little love:

Get moving, every day
This has been one of my favourite changes I’ve made to my routine. I’ll alternate between at-home fitness videos, Lagree or Turf classes and 30-minute runs. When you begin your day by moving, you’ll automatically feel more energized and clear-minded for your busy day. It’s also an amazing way to unwind after a stressful day and acts as a quick mood booster.

I used to think I had to log a hour-long workout every day to reap the benefits, and I found fitting in a 1–2 hour workout class sometimes took too much of my time. Since starting school, I’ve been alternating between Melissa Wood’s amazing pilates and yoga routines, as well as Kait Hurley’s fitness app which incorporates running programs, high intensity routines, and yoga with 5–10 minutes of meditation practice. I’m finding it way easier to squeeze in a 30-minute workout and meditation in the mornings when I need to get out the door fast.

I do listen to my body and find there are times when I just don’t feel like doing an intense workout. On these days, I like to take the dog for a 2–4km walk to the beach or the park while I sip a coffee and listen to a podcast.

Lemon water solves everything
The first thing I do each morning is read through articles and blogs as I sip a glass of lemon water with a pinch of pink himlayan salt. The salt helps your body hydrate better and obviously lemon plays a role in detoxification. If I’ve had dessert or a glass (or two) of wine the night before, I always find this is a nice way to start fresh — plus, the vitamin C gives me a boost of energy before I start my workout.

If I have digestive issues or feel a little sluggish in the day, I’ll make myself a hot lemon and ginger concoction and just sip it. I’ll feel 100x better afterwards.

Meditate, your own way
My boyfriend started meditating over a year ago and I noticed immediate results. When he takes the time to meditate each morning, he’s always calmer and deals with stress so much better. After, reading Unplug by Suze Yalof Schwartz (owner of the first meditation studio in LA), I learned a number of different breathing techniques that allow you to meditate anywhere.

One thing I would point out that sitting in a chair or on the ground for 10-20 minutes a day is not for everyone and that’s okay. There are so many ways to meditate and it’s an easy way to bring yourself out of your thoughts and into the present moment.

I enjoy my meditation sessions after I workout or when I’m running and I’ll switch up breathing techniques (body scans, 5 counts or alternating nostril breathing) to keep things interesting. I also love using the Calm app for guided meditation, and can’t complain about nodding off to the sound of Mathew McConaughey’s voice reading me a bedtime story.

Fuel your body to make it happy
I realized a few years ago that I was letting my blood sugar levels drop too low and this would make me very anxious and a little loopy. For someone who already deals with anxiety, this was the worst feeling ever. I’ve learned over time to fuel my body consistently every 2–3 hours with plenty of veggies, protein and good fats.

A typical day might include, avocado toast on rice crackers and a hard-boiled egg for breakfast, gently cooked kale and high-protein veggie burgers for lunch, and salmon, quinoa and steamed broccoli for dinner. I’ll snack on nuts, cucumber and cashew dip or occasionally treat myself to an everyday cookie at Turf. To make sure I’m getting all the nutrients I need, I’ll take a B vitamin, biotin and probiotics. Lately, I’ve been testing out a few recipes from The Clean Plate, and always come back to this simple Kale Caesar recipe for lunches.

I’ve also taken to adding adaptogens to my daily routine. My favourite adaptogen brands are Moon Juice and Sun Potion. As the weather gets warmer, I love adding mucuna (good for mood and libido) to cold brew and a tiny bit of cream in the morning. If I feel anxious, I’ll add ashwagandha (good for helping the body handle stress) to a smoothie or coffee (but it doesn’t taste that great). Moon Juice’s Super You supplement is another great way to add ashwagandha to your daily routine.

Find your thing and make time for it
Everyone has a hobby or interest they enjoy, but not everyone makes time for it. I’ve always been a bookworm, but had stopped carving out time to read when I was working full time. I told myself I’d read more books in 2019 and I’ve already found a consistent bedtime routine where I read for 30–40 minutes each night before falling asleep. Currently, I’m reading this book, will read this one next, and LOVED this book. When I read, I have a little routine where I add Dusk essential oil to my Vitruvi Diffuser, pour myself a cup of tea or lemon water and apply my favourite smelling Aesop hand cream and then dig into the book. I don’t know why, but all these little things make me so happy, so why not?

Whether you like to surf, bike, garden, or another activity, make sure you give yourself time to do it! Instead of watching another Netflix series (not saying don’t ever, because Netflix equals love), go outside and do that thing you told yourself you’d do one day. You’ll feel a little more relaxed and happier once you do it.