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| Wake up and be awesome. |
Don't get me wrong--some weekends, you need to just lie in bed until whenever, lounge around in pajamas until 2:00, and do anything you want (or nothing at all.) I get it, and I do it. But if I do that every weekend all weekend long, I inevitably feel unproductive, angry at myself for not making better use of my time, and rushed all the next week because I didn't do anything to prepare for the week ahead (like a load of laundry, making a big pot of soup for leftovers during the week, cleaning at least one thing in the house.) Also, during the school year, the weekends are my biggest chunk of time for writing, so I generally try to get organized enough to spend at least a few hours at my computer.
So here's my current weekend morning routine. It's basically the same as my weekday morning routine, except I get up earlier on weekdays, and I don't have time to cook a full breakfast (so I try to bulk-cook my breakfasts--eggless frittatas, scrambles, potato hashes, pancakes, and/or scones--on the weekends, wrap individual servings in foil and refrigerate, and then just pop them in the toaster oven to reheat while I take vitamins and journal.)
1. Do 15 Minutes of Yoga + Essential Oils & Breathing
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| My yoga set-up. |
First thing when I get out of bed (usually 7:30 on weekends,) I sip some water and roll out my yoga mat. You don't really need a yoga mat on carpet, but it helps me align my body, I "stick" to the mat better than to carpet (for more stability,) and it just feels official.
(If my room feels chilly, I turn on my little space heater and let the warm air blow on my face while I get started with my breathing/yoga routine.)
I have a set of essential oils that I rub on the soles of my feet and inhale (Young Living's Valor II, Aroma Siez, Peppermint, En-r-gee, and Dragon Time) while I do my deep breathing and 15-minute yoga set. I sip water throughout as well to rehydrate, and I play my daily affirmations, healing prayers, creative visualizations, etc. that I have recorded on the "Voice Memo" app on my iPhone. Sometimes I just listen to the recordings and meditate, and sometimes I repeat after myself out loud.
I love morning yoga for three big reasons:
- - It opens up my airways, gets me breathing, calm, yet energized
- - It stretches stiff muscles and opens up my joints (I have back and neck issues, and this really, really helps with stiffness, pain, and alignment first thing in the morning)
- - It is a quick, easy, yet productive exercise routine I can do without getting out of my pajamas or going anywhere
I do yoga when I first get out of bed because later in the day I'm usually too busy or unmotivated to do it.
2. Take Vitamins and Supplements
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| My morning line-up. |
Yes, I'm kind of a vitamin freak. But, I only take the supplements and vitamins that really make a difference, and I test things to see if there is any difference when I stop.
I take Femenessence MacaLife and Black Cohosh to aid with menopausal symptoms (the over-40 struggle is real, people,) Vitanica Uplift and Country Life Stress Shield for mood, Vitamin C for immune system support, probiotics for digestive health, Hallelujah Diet BarleyMax in water plus a drop of Iodine for energy and metabolism, Vitamin B complex (B-Stress) for energy and metabolism, Vitamin D-3 for bones and whatever else D3 does, and a Fiber supplement to keep things regular.
Like I said, on weekdays, I might pop my foil-packet of breakfast in the toaster oven to reheat while I'm taking all these pills and powders, depending upon how well I'm running on schedule (or not.) If I'm ahead of schedule, I can wait until after the massive Vitamin Bonanza to start heating breakfast, and let it heat while I journal.
3. Brew Some Coffee (or Teeccino) and Journal
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| Really kind of into Teeccino's "Chocolaté" blend for drip coffee at the moment. |
I love the sound of coffee percolating in the morning, but since I quit coffee two years ago, I've switched to Teeccino. (I don't work for them, but I should, because I'm a huge fan.)
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| Perfect journaling spot. |
When my Teeccino is ready, I snuggle into the cushions on my sofa with my laptop, and journal for at least 10-15 minutes, longer if I have time. I have journaled for years and years because it helps me work through my thoughts, issues, dreams, and goals. In my journal, I often write prayers, listen for and write down answers to them, plan my day, plan my year, do check-ins with myself emotionally, etc.
4. Make Breakfast
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| Sauteeing veggies for a vegan quiche. |
On weekends, I cook a lot, and not just breakfast. But for breakfast, I try to make extra so I'll have leftovers for the week ahead. Some good recipes for leftovers are eggless scrambles, quiches, and frittatas (made with either garbanzo bean flour or tofu,) potato hashes (or as my family called them, "fried taters," whole-grain and/or gluten free scones, muffins, coffee cakes, and pancakes.
5. Get Freshened Up and Dressed For the Day
Then, before I go on with my day, I'll go freshen up (brush teeth, etc.) and put on some comfy weekend wear like yoga pants and a sweatshirt.
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| Some affordable beauty products I'm really into at the moment. |
And last but not least, I wanted to share with you guys a few inexpensive bath/beauty items I've found recently that are making my life happier.
1. Ulta's Foaming Fresh Hand Soap in Verbena Bergamot. Ulta's hand soaps are usually $6 a bottle or less, and they are almost always running a "Buy so many, get 1 free" promotion on them. Every single fragrance I've tried (about 5 different ones now) smells amazing. Highly recommend.
2. Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads and Nip + Fab Hydrate Dragon's Blood Plumping Serum. The cleansing pads are refreshing and exfoliating, plus they save me a lot of time and hassle in washing my face in the morning (splashing water everywhere, getting it on your sleeves...you know.) And the serum purports itself as "plumping," which I do believe it does. It's super hydrating going on my skin, and for the price--an amazing value. I paid $10 for 60 cleansing pads and $15 for the serum on Amazon. (Ulta is selling the pads right now for $13 and the serum at $20 but they are running a 40% off the 2nd item.)
3. Wet 'n Wild Wildshine Nail Color and Clear Nail Protector. Okay, true story. While I was in Huntington Beach a couple of weeks ago, wearing my Uggs boots to my chiropractor appointments, one of my chiropractors (four total in the office I go to) was teasing me for being overdressed for the sunny weather. I did bring a pair of knock-off Birkenstocks with me, but I didn't want to wear them out of the hotel room because my last pedicure was in October, and I had been just letting the polish grow off, and it looked terrible. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on my toenails just for a few days' vacation, so I stopped in and looked for the cheapest nail polish in Walgreen's on my way back to my hotel. Wet 'n Wild had two colors on clearance, a shimmery light blue and this frosty jade color (483D Be More Pacific,) so I nabbed the jade one for 79 cents, bought a travel pack of nail polish remover pads, and set to work on my toes back in my hotel room. The jade color went on way more smoothly than I expected for a 79c bottle of polish, so on my next pass by that Walgreen's, I stopped in to buy a bottle of Wet n Wild Clear Nail Protector ($1.29 I think?) to protect the color and make it shinier. Two weeks later, my toenails still actually look great, with no chips or peeling even though I've been wearing socks and boots since I've been back in Colorado. I'm very impressed!
All right, time to go have a productive, relaxing weekend.
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