My Morning Ritual - Every Habit I Never Skip

My Morning Ritual — Every Habit I Never Skip

People ask me about my mornings constantly. So I figured I'd just write it all down, properly, once.

This is exactly what I do. Every day. No skipping, no shortcuts.

First things first — and it's not what you think

I don't use an alarm. I wake up at 6am naturally — every morning, weekends included. It took time to get here but once your body finds its rhythm, it holds it.

Most people sleep in on weekends thinking it's good for them. It isn't. Inconsistent wake times disrupt your circadian rhythm and essentially give you mild jet lag twice a week. Your body doesn't distinguish between Monday and Saturday — it just wants consistency. Give it that and everything else becomes easier. Sleep, energy, hormones, mood. All of it.

The first thing I do when I open my eyes is not reach for my phone. It's a proper hug with my husband Peter. We tell each other that we love one another — before the day has made any demands of us, before the phone, before anything. A few minutes of just being close to someone you love sets a tone that no oil, supplement or morning ritual can replicate. I've tried many things in the name of wellness. This one costs nothing and might be the most important of all.

Water before anything else

Before matcha, before coffee, before anything warm — I drink a full glass of water with one drop of doTERRA Meta PWR essential oil. Sometimes lemon if I want something simpler. Your body has been without water for 8 hours. That's the first thing it needs, not caffeine.

The oils aren't just for flavour. Meta PWR specifically supports metabolism and I notice a difference on the days I forget it. You can find both in my doTERRA shop if you want to try them.

My matcha situation

Then comes matcha with almond milk or cashew milk — and always homemade, not from a carton. I stopped buying carton milk a while ago and honestly I'd never go back. It takes minutes to make, tastes completely different, and has nothing in it except almonds and water. Read my post about why I swapped my morning coffee for matcha.

I also make cashew milk for when I want something creamier. Both recipes are in the Recipes section.

The reason I stopped using oat milk — which I used to love — is that it genuinely spikes blood sugar quite dramatically compared to other plant milks. For stable energy throughout the day, that matters. Almond or cashew keeps everything much steadier.

I sit with my matcha. I don't scroll. This is maybe 10 minutes where nothing is being demanded of me and I've learned to really value that.

The morning walk — and why it actually matters

Within the first hour of being awake I go for a walk. 15 minutes. Not a workout, just a walk — ideally in daylight.

This habit has probably changed my health a lot, and almost nobody talks about it. Getting natural light into your eyes in that first hour sets your circadian rhythm for the whole day. It regulates cortisol, boosts serotonin, improves sleep quality that night, and signals to every cell in your body that it's time to function. On cloudy days I still go — outdoor light is dramatically brighter than indoor light even when it doesn't feel like it.

Start here if you're going to start anywhere.

30 minutes of Vipassana

Every morning. This is the thing I protect most fiercely in my schedule.

Vipassana is not the kind of meditation where you visualise a peaceful beach or listen to a guided voice. It's the practice of observing exactly what's happening — in your body, your thoughts, your sensations — without reacting to any of it. It's old, it's simple, and it's genuinely hard.

I'll write a whole separate post about why I chose Vipassana specifically because it deserves a proper explanation. For now I'll just say: my nervous system, my emotional responses, my skin and my overall sense of groundedness have all changed because of this practice.

If you've never meditated — start with 5 minutes of just watching your breath. Just that.

Breakfast

After a second cup of tea — matcha or black tea, same almond milk — I eat breakfast. It's almost always the same thing:

Two eggs. One slice of real sourdough. Extra virgin organic olive oil, quite a lot of it.

The olive oil is not an afterthought. I'm deliberate about it every single morning and here's why.

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most researched foods on the planet and the evidence is overwhelming. It's rich in oleocanthal, a natural compound with powerful anti-inflammatory properties — similar in effect to ibuprofen but without the side effects. It's packed with polyphenols that protect cells from oxidative stress, which is one of the primary drivers of ageing. It supports heart health, brain function, hormone production and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Your body needs healthy fat in the morning, and this is one of the best forms it can get.

I use it generously. Not a drizzle — genuinely generously on my sourdough.

The quality matters enormously though. Most olive oil on supermarket shelves is not what it claims to be — diluted, old, or mislabeled. I'll be writing a full post on exactly how to choose a real, high quality extra virgin olive oil because it's one of those things where the difference between good and bad is significant. Worth reading before you buy.

That's it. I'm not interested in elaborate morning meals. This keeps me full, focused and energised for hours without thinking about food again.

My workout happens about 2 hours after this — not before, not fasted. This is intentional, especially as a woman.

Fasted training raises cortisol significantly. For women that's a real problem — elevated cortisol over time disrupts hormones, contributes to fat storage around the belly, and affects thyroid function. Training fasted might suit some men. For most women it just adds stress to the body. I train fed, I recover better, and I feel stronger for it.

Supplements

I take quite a few every morning and they've made a genuine difference to my energy levels, my skin and how I feel overall. I'm going to write a dedicated post about everything I take and why — it's too important to just list here quickly.

One last thing

I didn't build this routine overnight. I added things slowly, one at a time, and noticed what actually changed something and what didn't. Most of it stayed. Some of it didn't make the cut.

You don't need to do all of this. Start with the water and the walk. Those two things alone, done consistently, will shift something.

That's the whole secret really — nothing dramatic. Just showing up for yourself every morning.

Find the doTERRA oils I mentioned in my shop, and the almond and cashew milk recipes in the Recipes section.