What is your morning ritual?
Morning rituals are so important!
A ritual I do every single morning consists of vitamins, oils and tea to enrich my dehydrated skin and hungry body early in the day, while I sip a fresh, home-made smoothie. This keeps me nourished and motivated while I make food and catch up on e-mails. This last week I spent on the road, driving up to San Francisco and back down to San Diego in less than a week. Between meetings, friendships, working remotely, travel, switching sleeping spots and catching up on e-mails, wellness fought hard to take a front seat. And while I did manage to take my vitamins, drink my teas, ingest my tinctures and do my little rituals, doing it in my own space again means so, so much to me!
Currently morning vitamins include True Svatsthya’s (follow @truesvasthya for more info!) Phythoceramides, which have gotten a lot of press lately after Dr. Oz said on his show that they could “take ten years off your life in four weeks!” I’ve been very eager to try them, as customer testimonials boast plumper, more hydrated and rejuvenated skin. I noticed results in about four days – most noticeably I’ve needed to hydrate my sun-loving skin way less, saving me on product. And makeup which used to get “stuck” on wrinkles and bumps now seems to glide right on and look dewey.
Life Equals Vitamin D and Omega 3’s ( follow @lifeequals for more info & get 10% off your first time purchase with coupon code ORGANICLIFE or 75% off with coupon code ORGANICLIFE75 for monthly vitamins) for my skin and mood in the morning have been killer, and were much needed on my shocking trip to Northern California, where sunshine peeks out with reservation a few times a day, a lot like it does on the East Coast, especially in January. A far cry from the 75 and sunny I’m used to in LA and SD!
Life Equals Vitamin D has been coined “ the sunshine vitamin”. It can affect more than 2,000 cells in the body. Vitamin D fights heart disease, the flu and symptoms of MS. It does wonders for my mood and helps my body absorb sunshine while fighting free radicals.
Life Equal’s Omega-3’s help as a natural anti-depressant, as well as helping my rheumatoid arthritis, stiffness and joint pain in the cold. Omega’s are essential for overall health, including heart health, cholesterol, and concentration. It can maximize your learning potential, aiding in helping disorders like ADHD, Chron’s Disease, Parkinsons, Alzheimers and general brain function.
I also take MSM + Sulfur for my joints and bones. MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a naturally occurring sulfur compound found in all vertebrates, including humans. MSM is already well-known for its joint health benefits, but it may be important for a whole host of other reasons as well. Sulfur plays a critical role in detoxification, and also in inflammatory conditions. For detoxification, sulfur is part of one of the most important antioxidants that your body produces: glutathione. Without sulfur, glutathione cannot work. It also reduces pain and swelling, improves circulation and improves cell vitality by breaking up unhealthy calcium deposits, which are the root cause of many degenerative diseases.
Buddha Teas (Follow @buddhateas & receive 20% off your Buddha Teas order with coupon code ORGANICLIFE at buddhateas.com) are local to my hometown in San Diego and they’re amazing! They sent me over some Chakra based teas that I have at night, but this Pure Mind tea is incredible for super early in the morning!
Pure Mind tea is great for both relaxing from stress and enhancing concentration. This awesome elixir of holy basil, rosemary, oregano, sage leaf myrtle, gotu kola, and spearmint is completely organic and tastes delicious!
I will add my spirits, and tinctures to this, like Sleeping Monk’s Mind Sharpener, which is a reishi-mushroom based tincture that helps concentration and focus ( follow @sleepingmonks to find out more!) as well as eliminates threats of many common degerative mind diseases. Loaded with powerful ginseng root (which calms, concentrates and strengthens the body), polygala root (amazing for nervous tension, memory, nerve growth), and sweetflag rhizome (relieves confusion and depression, aids in digestion, increases circulation to the brain) Sleeping Monk’s formula’s are super powerful! I add a dropper full to my tea in the morning along with some Manukah Honey for a powerful and delicious blend.
Wedderspoon’s Manuka Honey is the best of the best. I’d like to take this moment to correct a previous post I made on Manuka Honey, as the good people of Wedderspoon have given me some updated information. Though many people believe it, UMF is an inaccurate way to test quality and potency of manuka. Through a robust marketing campaign, UMF has convinced the public of this however, UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is a company that trademarks Manuka honey and is not an official standard in any way for determining potency of Manuka. In fact, UMF sets the stage for manipulating the honey, since the testing method involves heating, which also automatically alters the contents of the honey and could affect the valuable enzymes found in manuka honey.
Wedderspoon eliminates this problem by providing raw, organic, GMO free, unheated manuka honey. It’s amazing for everything from tea, to a drizzle on a fruit salad, to DIY face masks! (Follow them on @wedderspoonusa to find out more!)
Along with my tea, I take Thayer’s Natural’s throat drops (Follow @thayersnaturals to learn more!) These natural throat drops are how I keep my voice in tip top shape! Thayer’s have been around for over a century, making natural products since 1869! Made from the inner bark of the Slippery Elm tree (ulmus fulva), these dependable demulcents soothe the tissues of the mouth and throat and restore the voice without the dulling effects of menthol. Try them – you’ll soon be singing Thayer’s praises!
To help it all go down, I apply 21 Drops Digestion onto my pulse points and inhale deeply. 21 Drops makes extremely affordable and natural essential oil blends for different ailments, like pain, nervousness, insomnia and digestion. A blend of cardamon, ginger and chamomile helps my meals go down easier and reduces the “morning sweats” that I get from nausea associated with pain and stomach problems I incurred during pharmaceutical withdrawal.
Finally, I apply Laurel’s Skin’s new natural and organic one drop wonder eye serum. While in San Francisco, I stopped by Laurel Skin HQ for an inspiring chat with the lovely Laurel & her amazing team! She was kind enough to gift me her magical new eye serum, releasing in March! It is truly a ONE drop WONDER! I was so surprised that the instructions said to use ONE drop! ? So I did! One heavenly drop is enough to cover under both my eyes with a little left over!
Deeply nourishing jojoba, borage, rosehip, pomegranate & almond seed oils go straight to work hydrating skin. It smells divine, with Laurel’s signature earthy scent, mixed with deep and pleasant tones of rose and berries. I can’t stop sniffing the ‘tester’ part of my hand. I can’t thank Laurel enough for this gorgeous beauty! This serum is perfect for travel, so I’ve found my holy grail! ( Follow @laurelskin to learn more about her awesome whole plant based organic line.)
Thanks for reading all about my morning routine this week. These kinds of posts are super fun to do and there will be more to come!
Happy Friday loves!
xoxoxo