Sophie Morgan's 6 Step Morning Wellness Routine

Looking for ways to refresh the way you start your day? TV presenter and early riser, Sophie Morgan reveals to Ancient + Brave her favourite wellness products and morning habits essential for happy gut health, body cleansing, sharp focus and lasting energy.

Here’s what Sophie says…

Having a morning routine has completely transformed my life. This may seem extreme but it’s true. By changing the first few hours of my day, I have managed to improve my overall wellbeing and my productivity beyond measure - I can’t imagine my life without it…

I think the key to success isn’t exactly what you include in your morning routine but that you have one in the first place. It is entirely up to you what you add in, but it’s best to be consistent to really reap the rewards of the small changes compounding over time.

Step 1: Sleep-Wake Routine

First things first, I try to keep a good sleep routine by going to bed and waking up at around the same time each day. This not only helps me to fall asleep more easily but means my body clock can regulate, meaning my sleep is deeper. As soon as I wake up, I spend about fifteen minutes getting the blood flowing with a series of simple stretches.

Step 2: Gut Microbiome

Without fail I then head straight to the fridge for my morning shot of friendly gut bacteria. I love the cold crisp feeling and the tangy taste which really wakes me up. Focusing on my gut microbiome first thing, every morning, reminds me of the importance of maintaining my gut health throughout the rest of the day.

Step 3: Positive Connections

The next ten minutes, while my microbiome drink takes effect, I tend to mix things up, so this is the only part of my routine that changes depending on my circumstances. For example during this difficult and uncertain time, I have been using the time to send ‘good morning’ messages to my friends, either with photos or quotes because no matter how wrong we know checking our phone is first thing, we all still do it and I love letting my friends know I am thinking of them.

Step 4: Body Cleanse

Once the ten minutes have passed, I then drink a pint of water with lemon juice and a shot of apple cider vinegar. This combination makes me feel I have cleansed my body and am then ready to get to work, but before I do, I have two more rituals.

Step 5: Power Up

After a quick shower - with a 30 second blast of cold water at the end. I make a cup of Ancient + Brave Coffee + Collagen with added True Collagen and I put on my diffuser with some beautiful organic essential oils. Working from home I have found these two set me up perfectly in front of my laptop with added calm and clarity. Ancient + Brave coffee is delicious and has a strong kick to get me going without stressing my system like some other coffees tend to. For me, the added collagen is what cemented this particular coffee as a morning ritual. I love knowing I am getting the added benefits from the grass-fed collagen at the same time as getting my caffeine hit, and the coffee helps me to fast longer as well.

Step 6: Intermittent Fasting

I usually break my fast around midday and Ancient + Brave’s True MCT oil supports me throughout. I have never felt so focused. I have found intermittent fasting to be beneficial on many levels. There are lots of different styles of intermittent fasting, but I follow the 16:8 every day. I tend to break my fast with my first meal of the day at 12pm, then eat again at 4pm and 8pm. With these eating times I can fit into a more social pattern, and go out for dinner and such.

My Advice To Help You Get Started

The best advice I have for creating a routine that works for you is to start with one change per day and only once that has really become a habit, should you add the next. While the day to day impact of these may at first go unnoticed, over time you will find it really worth your while and give you a feeling of control and achievement, something many of us could do with right now!

The habits in my morning ritual are currently working really well for me, so I’m already being curious about what I can add next. I’ve been looking into The Artist's Way Morning Pages and Face Yoga – I’ll keep you all posted as to how these shape up!

For more about Sophie Morgan, you can also read our blog - A Moment with Sophie Morgan...