Living with a chronic illness is never easy. Often there’s limits to what can be done medically, and experiencing some form of pain is pretty ‘normal’. It can be easy to feel like the illness is controlling you, rather than the other way around. For me, there’s been true empowerment in finding self-help ways to manage my endometriosis. Learning to help the pain through exercise, or understanding the foods that make it worse (and better) for example. My endometriosis is a constant ‘tab’ open in my brain and my body but rather than feeling I’m in a constant fight, I have tried to learn and train myself to live in as much peace with it as possible – emotionally and physically. And that starts with a morning routine that sets me up in the best way possible each day.
Mind-over-morning
“I feel like the morning has special powers. Less demands are made of you first thing in the morning. The morning holds promise, the feeling that you can start the day your way. You can take some time for yourself before you have to go into the world and do everything else that needs doing.
“Every morning is a fresh start and a chance to recommit to your routine. If you didn’t manage it yesterday, you can today. I love the possibility of that each day. I always feel like if you take one small step towards a positive routine, it will often more likely unfold more positive things as you go on through the day – maybe you’ll suggest a lunchtime walk with a colleague, or call a friend when you get home. Maybe you’ll try and limit screen time before bed. Maybe you’ll even get on top of the washing because you need the gym kit to be clean for the next day.
“Only joking: who’s ever truly on top of the washing?!”
5 ways I try to enrich my morning routine
“Now, I’m not trying to sound like a wellness influencer on social, but I do really find it so grounding to start my day positively.
“My key pillars are exercise and nutrition and one of my mantras is consistency really pays off. My endometriosis affects my periods but also has a lot of impact on my digestion, my sleep, my energy – and as a result my mood as well. That gives me a lot of motivation to stick to my routine, as it does really help to alleviate symptoms, but the general impact of my morning routine also feels super motivating too.”
1. Screen-free = hurdle-free
“My phone is my alarm but I try really hard not to look at it properly until at least an hour later. Ideally, I’ll get up straightaway otherwise it’s just too tempting to stay in bed far too long!
“I make sure to get into my exercise clothes before going downstairs as it helps me to get into the right mindset for exercise. I also will have laid them out the night before, so that I sort of ‘fall over them’ on my way out of bed. Once I’ve done that, I’m 95% of the way there to doing my exercise for the day (in my head, anyway, which is often the key part!).”
2. Our family non-negotiable
“The second I get downstairs I take my Symprove. It’s been the foundation of my day for almost 8 years now. When I first heard about Symprove and the story behind it from the founder’s daughter Amy the science really fascinated me, and I’ve taken it since I started to work for them. It’s been such a support to me ever since.
“My husband, who has Crohn’s also takes it, as do my two teenage children. I’ve got my parents, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law on it too, to name a few! We have all three flavours in my fridge to cover all the different likes in the household – I’m an original girl through and through.”
3. Getting breakfast in the bank
“I’m not one of those people who can skip breakfast, it is definitely my next priority after my Symprove.
“I follow a specific diet to help my endo, and I’ve seen an endo specialist dietitian in the past to help me work out how to get the right balance in my diet despite the restrictions that I follow to help me. I’ve also spent a ton of time researching the gut and nutrition and learning about health – it’s really empowering to learn more about helping yourself. Especially when I was very ill years ago and I felt like I’d run out of options, doing some research always gave me new things to try.
“I usually have some granola which is packed full of wholegrain oats for slow-release energy (and avoids the gluten that really triggers my endo symptoms), plus three different nuts and two different kinds of seeds (plus no added sugar). To that I add a generous handful of blueberries – berries are such a great source of antioxidants and I really miss them if I don’t have them. On top of that goes a generous dollop of peanut butter for an extra protein hit and then a plant-based milk. I love a glass of apple juice, really wakes me up!
“I try and read a book whilst I’m eating rather than look at my phone, which means I’ve at least read for 10 minutes if I don’t manage to do any more later on. Reading is one of my favourite things to do but I’m so busy in my weekdays I don’t get much other time to do it.”
4. Owning my exercise goals
“I normally plan out my whole week of exercise on a Monday morning so that I can try and balance out what I’m doing and hold myself accountable in advance. But I’m not afraid to alter on the day if I don’t feel it – I’ll swap a run for a walk, or a spinning session for a lighter gym session. In the past I have been far more rigid, but I now find that listening to my body makes far more sense and helps my stress and energy levels.
“I make time in the morning for some form of exercise every weekday but be flexible on the weekend depending on what’s going on and how I feel. I love the time for myself first thing, it really does feel like a part of my day where I can choose what I’m doing and I don’t have to be working, or doing other jobs etc. It feels like it supports body and mind to have time for myself and it always makes me feel better for it. If I ever have to miss it for some reason, I can really feel the impact.
“I’m lucky that my two children are old enough to sort themselves out in the morning, but I do always try and make sure I’m home from exercising to check they are all set for the day and give them hugs goodbye before school, as that feels like another important (and lovely) part of my day."
5. Prep, prep, prep
“The last bit of my morning goes back to food (anyone that knows me knows I don’t like to go long without eating!).
“I like to prep my lunch in the morning so that I know I have something filling and healthy to hand in the office. I have a few simple rules that I try and follow – a variety of plant-based foods during the week, trying to eat more than one colour of vegetable every day, some oily fish or chicken, more nuts and seeds and some fresh fruit. I tend to do a noodle salad as that gets around the fact that I don’t eat gluten very well.
“I’m also pretty obsessed with herbal teas – peppermint is my number 1 for digestion, but I also love rooibos for its sweetness as well as lemon and ginger for when you feel a bit under the weather as ginger is great for your immune system.
“With all that behind me, I’ll probably do a quick tidy up and then I’m out the door for my journey to work – luckily it’s only a 10-minute drive. I’ll put on some tunes and sing my heart out till I get to the office. Then it’s time to crack on with the day at Symprove HQ.”
Dig into more morning routines
Rise and shine: my anxiety relieving morning routine
To learn more about other gut health topics, visit Symprove’s Gut Hub.
