Today's post is absolutely 100% about health, BUT! Health is not synonymous with fitness, which is what I normally post about. Let's remember that in fact, not only does fitness mean many different things to different people, but it is also just a subtopic of health! So today I'm going to chat about my mental health and how I like to start my day with hella positive vibes. Let's begin!
I wake up everyday between 7am and 9am. I only use an alarm on Saturdays because I work, otherwise I let myself wake up naturally. 90% of the time it is around 0730, but occasionally I can make it all the way until 0900! On these days, I wake up in a panic because I am high strung and happen to think that when I sleep until 0900, half of my day is wasted. I know, I'm crazy. But I love getting up early! I am Miss Morning Person! Anyway, the "healthy" thing about not using an alarm, which was the original topic of this portion, has to do with what level of sleep you are at when you wake up. When you use an alarm, you could be at any level of sleep when the blasted thing goes off and ruins your life. Why is that bad? Waking up during deep sleep, or REM sleep, leaves you feeling disoriented, groggy, and possibly even exhausted for the entire day because your body had just been in its shutdown mode. This explains why sometimes if you get eight or nine hours, you barely feel rested. On the flip side, being woken up during light sleep, or non-REM sleep, does not have this impact because your body has already started booting back up, putting hormone levels back to what they are at during the day, gradually.
Okay so you're thinking, "well Ashley, it's great that you don't need an alarm and can wait until you reach light sleep and wake up, but I work early every morning and don't have that freedom." Boy do I have an app for you, my worker friend! It's called Sleep Time. This app tracks your sleep patterns by placing your phone on your bed it can feel your amount of movement. There is a function in the app to set an alarm, and the alarm wakes you up ONLY DURING LIGHT SLEEP. HOW AWESOME IS THAT. So what if you're body does time itself to always have light sleep at the perfect time? Well you simply customize the alarm to have a range instead of an exact time. It's really splendid, and if you experience daily grogginess, I urge you to try it!
Next comes my face routine. I have been backing off on how much I do to my face lately, and it is really helping. These two products are both from Lush; one is a cleanser and the other is a toner. The cleanser is basically beeswax that goes on to dry skin, and you then wipe off with a warm towel. After that, I spritz on my Eau Roma Water, wipe it off with a cotton pad, and am set! The combination of these two products really helps with any moisture issues, the toner water smells like a field of lavender and roses, and the Ultrabland cleanser uses the concept of oil to break down oil, which I really like.
This is my favorite morning activity, and it happens immediately following waking up. Chew Cuddles. If Chewy didn't get to sleep in bed the previous night, I call his name and he hops up on the bed to say good morning; Chewy has the greatest morning stretch routine, he looks like a little elastic bunny. He burrows his face into your neck, your side, your arm, he rolls himself all around, and is just the sweetest thing you could possibly be greeted by. It definitely is a happy way to begin the day.
Most mornings I have at least an hour by myself, and while I adore my boyfriend, I very much cherish this time alone. Starting out my day in silence and having the time to work through my motions helps a lot with the constant anxiety I tend to feel. So my next morning step is to grab my To-Do book, sit down on the couch, and open it up. I look at what I accomplished the day before, see if anything is left over, and write out the things I want to accomplish for the current day. Have some sort of guide about how my day is going to go takes away some of the unknown that can cause me to panic, and at the end of the day, looking back at the things I have checked off the list makes me feel successful and productive, which are feelings I really enjoy, especially on days that I don't work.
COFFEE. COFFEE IS NEXT. Side note, I am in love with all of the t-shirts I have seen that make quips about coffee addictions and obsessions, and I do not care what anyone else thinks about them. I love coffee. I have been drinking it for long enough that it has a niche in my day, it is comforting, and sometimes it is even nostalgic. I love the smell, the taste, the look...I drink coffee almost everyday. The only days I don't drink coffee are the days that I chose to have preworkout before going to the gym. Some days I use coffee as a preworkout, it is just as effective, so save your money if the budget is tight and you are desperate for a way to have energy at the gym. Drink about 30 minutes before working out. Coffee for all. Coffee coffee coffee. Oh! I french press. I love the process of it, it tastes amazing. I will never drink K-cup coffee again.
One more note about coffee; when I can, I drink it through a straw to protect my teeth. This is pretty self explanatory as to why. Coffee stains. I don't want stained teeth. After my To-Do list is done, I try and get in at least a chapter of a book I'm reading. Currently pictured is The Stranger. Thanks Justin.
Two very very important parts of my morning that are not pictured: water intake and breakfast! I try to drink 32 oz of water before 10am and eat a nice big breakfast. My breakfast size changes on if I am working out or not that morning; if I am, i basically just eat half of my breakfast before, and half after. WATER is so important. Water fixes almost everything, so drink more of it.
That's all! #positivevibes #mentalhealth #fitness #health #coffee #lush #water #morning #breakfast
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