My Quick & Easy Morning Routine
I don’t know about you, but I have been seeing a ton of morning routines on social media that are just totally unrealistic for the type of life I live. As a personal trainer, I have to be at the gym at 7, 6, and even 5am sometimes! I do not have enough time for 25 step morning routine… so here is my quick & easy morning routine, that checks most of the boxes for me. I get my skincare done, my gut health aligned, and my day primed, all in under 45 minutes! So here it is…
Step 1: Waking Up
I start my day by waking up to my Hatch alarm clock. Yes, I’m that b*tch. I got this as a Christmas gift this past year, and let me just say — it has transformed my morning routine. I love waking up to the sunrise, rather than pure darkness & a blaring alarm clock. Especially on the days I work really early in the morning, this makes me feel like I’m not waking up at the as*-crack of dawn just a little bit. It gives me just a bit of that romanticization that I need to feel a little less miserable if I have to wake up at 4:30am.
Step 2: Make the bed
Yep, we’re going back to the basics. If you want to set yourself up for success, MAKE YOUR BED. Doing this simple but strangely motivational task as soon as you wake up is just the thing you need to start your day off on the right foot. Doing this easy & mundane task bright & early in the morning can begin a snowball effect of making small but meaningful achievements throughout the rest of your day. So don’t sleep on making your bed — no pun intended.
Step 3: Skincare Baby
Just another task that is going to set your future self up for success. Yes, even you have time for skincare. Taking care of your skin is essential for creating a solid foundation for the rest of your life. I take skincare seriously, even if I am not using top-tier products just yet. Here is a quick breakdown of my skincare routine:
Rinse face with water
Dry off with a single-use, clean towel
Use retinal eye serum around my eyes
Use my dermatologist-prescribed clyndamiacin
Moisturize
Guasha (for legit 60 seconds, okay?)
Apply sunscreen (even if it is still pitch black outside!!)
Step 4: Brush Teeth
This one is self-explanatory. I do use an electric toothbrush because it is dentist-recommended or whatever.
Step 5: digestion Care
Okay here is where I may get a bit more distanced from typical morning routines. I start my day by drinking a cup of warm lemon water to start my digestion on the right track. I’m not really sure how this works, but I will say that as soon as I drink this, I start to feel hungry so I feel like it is doing what it is supposed to. All jokes aside, lemon water does have a pretty decent history of supporting digestive health. According to Chatgpt (we love her <3), lemon water can aid in digestion by supporting stomach acid production & bile secretion and promote peristalsis, which is the movement of the digestive tract. Plus lemon has lots of Vitamin C and making water the first thing you put into the body is just a solid idea. This can support hydration & get you out of the coffee-first loop.
Next up in digestive care is a juice shot. I make my own juice shots at home every 1-3 weeks. I switch up the ingredients I put in them but typically it will be a combination of beets, lemon (yes, again), celery, ginger, tumeric, and some sort of leafy green. I literally take a shot of this out of a shot glass to trick myself into thinking I’m going out on the town instead of going to work before the sun comes up :)
Step 6: Finally it’s coffee time
I’ll make a cup of coffee using my Nespresso machine (probably the best purchase of my life — besides my walking pad). I add a tablespoon of chobani creamer (I absolutely measure this because your eyes are lying to you…) & put it in my to-go cup!
Step 7: Getting Dressed
This is pretty basic if I’m being totally honest. I wear what you think a personal trainer would wear - a t-shirt & shorts or leggings with some running shoes. If you want to see what I wear to work as a trainer, stay tuned for my next blog post!!
Step 8: Getting my shit together
Now I run around and try not to forget anything before I head out the door. I’ll make sure my gym bag is packed because I try to head straight to the gym after my morning clients. Then I’ll grab my lunch box out of the fridge, throw an ice pack & my morning Fairlife protein shake in it, & then stuff it into my bag. I’ll make sure my water bottle is filled up (which typically involves me asking my boyfriend to fill it up for me), make sure I have my ipad for training, & grab my keys & head out the door!
Step 9: Driving to work
Okay, I know this is kind of obvious but I wanted to include this last part because it is my favorite part of the morning. I have been abso-f*cking-lutely LOVING the Activations app by Mimi Bouchard. Every single morning on my way to work, I listen to an activation. This is a total habit-stack, it sets your day up for success, and it is one of my favorite forms of self care. Lately I have either been listening to the “Weightloss Affirmations” activation or the “Morning Wealthy Affirmations” activation. This primes my mind & body to start the day off right, realign myself with my goals, and head into the day with a positive attitude.
Welp, that’s all! My complete, quick & easy morning routine! I think 9 steps is a lot better than 25, don’t you? I will say there are some things I’d love to tweak like my skincare routine (getting some product upgrades), my gut health routine (adding a probiotic and maybe some amino acids??), and making time for some early morning journaling. But, transparency is super important & this is where I am at right now. Making your ideal morning routine starts small. If this seems overwhelming to you right now, pick one thing (yes, ONE thing!) to add (or take away) from your morning routine that you think will get you on the right tracks. Even my morning routine 6 months ago looked a lot different. I didn’t start the morning off with a juice shot OR lemon water. I didn’t have my hatch alarm clock so I woke up to my phone alarm. And I only recently added the single-use towels to my routine as well. The big picture is to start with one thing — and where better to start than your morning routine? Send me your morning routine @trainwithtorik on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, or email me at trainwithtorik@gmail.com! I’d really love to hear how you optimize your day - I am always looking to improve mine!