Last quarter, I had the dreaded 8:30 AM UW class.
I’d wake up at 8:25, brush my hair and flip open my laptop screen. Immediately after, I’d crash for an hour until I had to officially get ready for my next class. Now this frantic, fast-paced, method definitely worked, but obviously left me feeling a mess. Since last quarter, I’ve developed a much more effective morning routine that’s changed my life.
First, I like to start my day with a workout. My winter quarter was mostly filled with online classes so I spent most of my time at my apartment. The weather wasn’t great and it wasn’t often that my friends wanted to go out, so I turned to exercising for my serotonin fix.
I use working out as a way to feel calm. A lot of things—like classes, grades, and relationships—can be inconsistent, but having this hour to myself built into my daily routine allows me to soothe my nerves when I need to. It also leaves me feeling more energized and comfortable in my body. When I go to the gym, I’m not trying to go for specific “body goals.” Personally, I feel like that leads me down an unhealthy path of obsessing about what my body looks like. Instead, I like using multiple machines, POPSUGAR Fitness and some of Daisy Keech’s workouts just to get my blood pumping and muscles burning.
After working out, I like to make a healthy breakfast. I don’t like eating before I workout because I’m usually not hungry when I wake up in the morning and sometimes breakfast makes me feel bloated. Some of the options that I make for myself include avocado toast, over easy eggs with salt, pepper, and sriracha, a coffee and banana with some Greek yogurt, oatmeal with sliced fruit and honey or just a protein shake.
Here’s my protein shake recipe:
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 scoops collagen powder
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup assorted frozen fruit (banana, strawberry, mango, pineapple, etc.)
¼ cup spinach
Blend these all together until smooth :)
Then, I spend some time getting ready. I wholeheartedly agree that when you look good, you feel good. For some people it’s doing their hair, for others it’s their makeup, or packing a nice lunch. Listening to your needs is key, so picking an outfit that expresses how I feel gives me so much confidence and helps my day go smoother.
Finally, I like doing something that makes me happy before facing the day. Usually, I find myself scrolling on TikTok or continuing my Netflix binge watching spree. But when I’m feeling particularly academic, I’ll do some light reading. I recommend always having a book you’re in the middle of reading or a subscription to your favorite magazine ( like Her Campus ;) ) . Staying well-read allows you to have meaningful conversations with a variety of people that can teach you so much. It’s important to be as open-minded as possible. The world is evolving so rapidly and as we’ve been seeing, staying close-minded causes serious conflict. Keep your mind free and investigate the issues you read about.
Now go have a good morning!