I’m a huge fan of routine, I absolutely love it. I definitely have a morning routine that both myself and George share now that really sets me up for the day. I’m a big believer in looking after yourself, finding what works for you and saying no to the things that maybe don't serve you so much anymore. Especially as you get older.
I like to look at my wellness as a 360. I think there’s so many aspects to check in on. I think you need to sleep, and I think sleep is so important. I think you need to move, if you can. I think you need to look at your nutrition. I think you need to look at what your body is telling you it needs.
With that said, these are my five morning non-negotiables.
1. I wake at 5am every morning
I'm up every day really early. We get up at five, George and I. I know it's strange, but it just works. And I think from my Capital radio days, I'm just used to getting up early. It used to be much earlier than 5am. So 5am, I think, is pretty good time, especially in the summer.
2. Take my Symprove shot
The first thing that we do is go downstairs, and we have a shot of Symprove each. I have been taking Symprove consistently now for almost 5 years. That's the first thing that starts our day. On an empty stomach, ten minutes before anything, and then we make our coffee, and we take it to go with us to the gym.
3. Get some movement in
I’ve found going to the gym and strength training so beneficial for me. It's been great mentally and physically, helping to build muscle, which in turn, obviously helps with our bones.
4. Have a protein and fibre rich breakfast
Protein is big in my world, so I’ll usually have something like natural yoghurt, some nuts and seeds. I like to have a kiwi because it's full of vitamin C and fibre. I do like to alternate my fruits to have that diversity within my gut and just to really keep it varied. It'll be blueberries or maybe an apple. Or I'll have eggs and avocado, depends how I feel.
5. Can I say sleep?
Now I know that this isn’t a morning non-negotiable, but I do have to say sleep. After having hideous perimenopausal sleep issues, sleep is so important to me that I don't want anything to mess with it. I’m chopping anything that tries to impact my sleep. Whether that's alcohol or anything that's just too late in the day.
It's really interesting how you just have to be a little bit better behaved as you get older, have a little bit more discipline. It doesn't mean you have to be completely boring, but I just think I definitely can't get away with what I used to. Now, if I'm getting up at 5am, I like to be in bed by 9pm and I like to have had dinner by 7:30pm latest. It's like everything kind of shifted and my main priority is the sort of daytime and being really active in the daytime and having my gym routine and eating well and sleeping well.
Want to read more from this series? Find out how Ella Mills starts her day.
