6 [Kind Of Weird] Holistic Rituals I Do Every Single Morning...

Has anyone else found themselves on “that girl” Tiktok??? Ya know, the girl that just ~effortlessly~ floats throughout her day— fitting in multiple workouts, waking up at 5AM, going to the gym, handcooking a nourishing breakfast, meditating, journaling, going on a run, packing a #photoworthy lunch in a bento box, juicing, and putting together a cute outfit ALLLL before 7AM?!?!?!

…Like, WHAT?!

While a full, glamorous, hour-long, fancy morning routine at 5AM is often promoted as “the norm” in the wellness industry, being that girl just isn’t realistic for this girl. (…tell me i’m clever!!!!!)

Instead of an overly-complicated, hour-long morning routine, I opt for a few time-efficient holistic things as my morning staples — not time-consuming, not fancy, not complicated— but instead, just a handful of mini-grounding things that set me up for a happy and healthy day.

Because while I obviously LOVE the days that I have time for an unhurried glamorous morning routine full of all my favorite self-care activities, thaaaat just isn’t always realistic.

But! that’s okay— because I don’t need an hour-long complicated morning routine (thanks to a few simple habits.)

In this post, I will share the 6 small (and holistic!) things that I do every morning— even on the busiest of days. My non-negotiables, if you will!

These small things allow me to lay a healthy foundation for my day. I mean, this is the FOUNDATION blog after all…. (again, tell me I’m clever!!!!!!!!!!)

1) drink lemon chia seed water (3 minutes)

Okay, let’s jump in.

If ya know… YA KNOW. If there is anything in the world I am somewhat “known for”, it is convincing people to drink this ugly, weird-looking lemon, chia-seed water first thing in the morning. If you follow along on insta, you’ll know that I have been having this exact beverage first thing in the morning for literal years, and have gotten sooo many people hooked.

Well, what is it? theeeee lemon chia seed water is SUCH a great way to kick off your day. It provides you with quality hydration, fiber (buh-bye, bloat!), and trace minerals to help you absorb the water more fully. I drink this every morning to help with detoxification, proper hydration, and digestion (it really helps get things *moving* in the morning, ya feel me?).

And, real talk— I also have noticed a genuine shift in my energy levels throughout the day because the fiber and electrolytes allow the water to absorb more slooooowly over time instead of essentially “flushing through” the body. While I could dig into all the science here, in a nutshell, it helps your body stay hydrated and “hold onto” the water to utilize it more efficiently.

To make sure I get this in each day, I play a little game where I make myself drink lemon chia water before having my morning coffee (dun, dun, dunnnn!). NOTHING is more motivating than knowing I get a cup o’ joe on the other side!

By prioritizing this first thing every morning, I KNOW I’m starting my day with quality hydration and getting ahead of any hydration needs. It’s such a SIMPLE, powerful to start the day hydrated, energized, and promote healthy digestion. Cheers!

find the recipe to the infamous chia-seed lemon water here (and read this book if you want to learn about other holistic ways to optimize hydration!)

2) dry brush (2 minutes)

Mmmm, dry brushing is THE. BEST.

I was personally introduced to dry brushing by my naturopath a few years ago. She recommended this holistic habit to me after I complained that I was frequently bloated—especially in the morning.

I often woke up looking puffy, retaining water, and just feeling blah. When she recommended dry brushing, I was allllll ears. A simple (inexpensive!) way to detoxify, fight bloat, promote lymphatic drainage, and promote glowing skin…in less than 5 minutes per day? SIGN ME UP.  

What is it? Dry brushing helps quickly increase your blood circulation and “wake up” your lymph system by promoting lymphatic drainage. Not to mention it exfoliates your skin, helps de-gunk pores, and stimulates your nervous system in the process… which makes ya feel awake and energized instantly!

I personally went for an all-natural bristle dry brush that i looooove. it’s only $16 if youre in the market :) (i also found this option on amazon) The truth about this part: you really can’t go wrong—just find the brush that works for you (that isn’t made of plastic!!!) and let’s get started!

This step helps me wake the body up, it feels great, so I take a few minutes each day to get some dry brushing in. (Pssssst… looking for a more in-depth explanation of how to dry brush? Check it out here!)

3) drink a specific holistic coffee (3 minutes)

Okay, as I juuuust mentioned in my lemon-chia seed section— I really look forward to my morning coffee

.… but I also try to optimize my morning coffee habit for my health.

While I’ve always loved java— I recently had a shift in my relationship with coffee. After an experiment where I quit coffee for 50 days, I learned the importance of using my morning coffee less as a caffeine addiction and moreso as an intentional ritual + moment for self-care (not just drinking 3 cups of poor-quality coffee every morning on autopilot. yikes).

…and that comes to the GROUNDS I choose for it. To be honest, I used to neverrrrr put that much thought into my coffee grounds. I pretty much bought dark roast in whatever was on sale. And it was juuuust fine. But, with time, I’ve realized that the grounds we buy are the foundation of it all— and it pays to invest in quality, local, and organic beans whenever we can. Not only for the taste…. but for my HEALTH. Listen up.

We often think about organic veggies and high-quality meat in terms of things to buy “organic”, but honestly… did you know that one of the MOST pesticide-covered crops in the world is coffee beans??? Once I pictured all of those chemicals floating around in my morning cup of joe, I felt a little revolted knowing HOW MUCH I was consuming coffee and HOW MUCH I was unknowingly having all of those pesticides and chemicals too?? (I hate to tell you this...but it has been found that a majority of coffee beans sold actually have MOLD in them — ummmm, no thank you!). Between the pesticides and mold, it’s very worth it to spend a few extra dollars on something you know is high quality and will support your health.

I instantly knew it was time to upgrade— both for the taste of coffee, but more importantly, for my HEALTH.

While finding a local roaster out there that serves quality, organic beans is AMAZING and highly encouraged, sometimes it’s nice to have a quick, online, easy-to-purchase source, as well. I personally use Four Sigmatic coffee for all of my grounds as it meets all those organic standards and MORE. It’s organic coffee that’s been tested for mold, heavy metals, and contamination (PRAAAAISE). Not only do they have the purest coffee— but it’s also packed with superfood adaptogens and mushrooms that give you extra benefits. (Also…. NO, it doesn’t taste like mushrooms! it just tastes like regular old coffee— just with the added health benefits mixed in!)

So, whether you want to boost immune function, stay calm and limit anxiety, get focused and in the zone, or just want to help your overall wellness, I hiiiiighly recommend Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee beans, and you can save 10% with the code “KE10”. This is not sponsored at all— just a classic refer-a-friend affiliate link! I have used this brand for over 3 years and gotten so many people hooked :)

Coffee is something we drink every. single. day. So, why not optimize it and make it as healthy as can be? it’s so worth it to invest in high-quality beans, not only for taste, but for your health!

my favorite holistic coffee grounds is this brand (coupon: “KE10”)

4) gua sha (2 minutes)

Mmmmm, if ya know, YOU KNOW. I have been sharing my daily gua sha ritual on my Instagram stories for literally 3+ years at this point. It’s SOOO simple (but so impactful).

This small tool has been around for centuries (originated in traditional Chinese medicine), and helps to promote circulation, reduce inflammation, promote lymph flow, clear congestion…and has been dubbed as “nature’s Botox” #byewrinkles.

Personally, I most use it for decreasing any bloating or intense under-eye bags that I have in the morning. Life with a newborn makes ya look….. tired (to put it mildly). and I genuinely notice a difference in how “awake” I look on the days I do versus don’t gua sha. It DOES make a difference!

HOW I USE THE GUA SHA:

• wet my face with warm water and gently pat to semi-dry

• apply a primally pure facial mist to face, neck, and chest

• apply a primally pure serum to face, neck, and chest,

• then use the gua sha tool to glide along the skin and very gently “dig”/contour into crevices on the face (cheekbones, jawline, etc.)

• i recommend doing this youtube tutorial when you first start to learn the technique! this is what I used to learn :)

• altogether this takes me about 2 minutes!

You can do this for as long or as short as you’d like (while you can take 10-15 minutes to gua sha ~perfectly~, I usually only spend about 2 minutes), but it’s a great grounding ritual to help you look way more awake and way less puffy. It’s truly my MVP — I cannot even express how much gua sha has helped to contour my face, brighten my skin, and reduce those puffy “I just woke up” eyes. Highly highly recommend grabbing a stone and teaching yourself the skill!

5) either journal or meditate (5-10 minutes)

Each morning, i want to do something to support my mental health as well as my phsyical health

…the ways I personally feel most aligned doing this is by 1) journaling or 2) meditating. I typically don’t have time for both of these things, but I DO have time for one of them! So, just based, off my vibe and what ~feels~ right, I will do one of the following for 5-10 minutes each morning:

1. Journal for 5-10 minutes. Mmmmm, one of the single most impactful holistic practices of my day-to-day life: JOURNALING. Absolutely nothing gets me in the right mindset, releases my thoughts, and allows me to get clarity on how I’m feeling quite like journaling does. I typically work through a guided journal and fill out the specific prompt of that day. It only takes 5-10 minutes and truly makes such a shift!

2. Meditate for 5-10 minutes (typically while I’m in the shower!). This is kind of random, but I’ve been doing in the postpartum period and I’ve been looooooooving it. Basically what I do is take a quick shower in the morning just to wash my body and listen to meditation from the Superhuman Meditations app (obvi only do this if you feel safe doing so; it’s probably safer to meditate sitting down somewhere than the shower!). Personally though, I just like listening to a meditation out loud when I’m in the shower because 1) it’s relaxing, and 2) most importantly, it’s time-efficient. The meditation app I use has a whole variety of meditations that are under 5 minutes, so I’ll just choose one of those to play while I wash my body and it helps me set intentions, get grounded, and just take time for myself at the beginning of the day. (try the app & enter coupon KATE for 6 weeks free!). Enjoy! Ahhhhhhh. 

in the morning, I will either journal through one of these guided workbooks OR play a quick meditation on this app (coupon: KATE)

6) tongue scrape (1 minute)

Okay, here’s the deal. While maaaaybe a little weird, tongue scraping is SUCH a game changer.

We all know that morning breath can be a bit….. funky. *nervous laugh*, and tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that helps support oral health by removing build-up on the tongue, promotes healthy bacterial balance in the mouth, reduces bad breath (like, seriously. a tangible reduction malodor of breath is PROVEN in research.), and just encourages overall better oral health. Amazing!

the best part? it’s. so. easy.

I give alll the details on HOW to tongue scrape in this blog post, but in general— you just use this little tool to “scrape” the tongue and remove any build-up, debris, and bad bacteria. It takes just a few seconds and doing it alongside brushing your teeth is so refreshing! I personally use this copper one since copper is antibacterial and shown to provide important enzymes that help support beneficial microbes in the mouth to survive (source).

Long story short— I take about a minute to tongue scrape along with my morning tooth-brushing routine, and I LOVE this holistic habit! Highly recommend :)

using a tongue scraper is a super easy way to promote positive oral health

that’s it!

Often morning routines are very over complicated, but just prioritizing what your nonnegotiables are and having a few key things you lean on to set yourself up for success can be SUCH a game changer. So whether it’s 1, 2, or all 6 things on this list, I encourage you to add a couple little moments of intention into your mornings.

If you try any of the above or you have your own little morning rituals, I’d love to hear about it in a comment!

Self-care doesn’t need to be complicated, my friend. Put down your phone & find a few self-care activities that speak to YOU in the morn. Even just a few intentional minutes CAN make a difference.

XX,
Kate

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