DAILY ROUTINE

This feels totally self-indulgent, but I’m frequently asked by friends and clients how I go about my daily routine. At every stage of the day there are small things we can do to increase our well-being through optimizing our natural bodily cycle. I like to think of the morning as a time to cleanse and detoxify the system; the afternoon to exercise and nourish; and the evening to unwind and settle. I’m aiming to eventually make individual posts for a lot of these recipes and techniques. Here’s what I do on an average day…

On waking

• Tongue scraping – removes toxins and bacteria in the mouth, of which almost half live on and in the the tongue. Improves digestive, immune and dental health, helps you taste better and rids bad breath!
• 15 min oil pulling with coconut oil – swilling oil around the mouth draws bacteria, viruses and fungi from the gums and means I see the dentist a lot less! Very cleansing, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying for the whole body. Make sure you spit out the oil after pulling, as it will be full of the drawn-out bacteria.
• 5 – 20 minutes of sitting quietly/meditation

Morning drink

• Warm water with lemon/apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp turmeric powder, pinch of cayenne pepper. Great for helping to finish the cleansing cycle that happens as we sleep  or
• Fresh green juice made from celery, cucumber, carrot, lemon, spinach and ginger. Both of these morning drink options also help to stimulate digestion or
• Fresh espresso with 1tsp of coconut oil

Breakfast

I tend to eat after 10am, giving my body a decent break from digesting as I sometimes eat late in the evening (often a work-related necessity, rather than choice!). I also try to give my body a 12-hour break from eating, ie. if I eat dinner at 9pm, having breakfast after 10am the next day. If I start my day with an espresso I will follow this with a strong workout and eat afterwards.

• Vegetable omelette with sauerkraut – fermented foods like sauerkraut contain probiotic microorganisms that help digestion and heal the gut  or
•  Grain-free banana muffin or loaf with heaps of butter  or
• Baked avocado egg nest
•  Root vegetable mash with poached eggs and sauerkraut  or
•  Grain-free squash and ginger loaf with heaps of butter

Late morning / early afternoon drink

• Fresh espresso with 1tsp of coconut oil – freshly ground black coffee drunk within ten minutes is high in antioxidants. Adding coconut oil slows down the rate at which the caffeine hits your bloodstream  or
• Green or yerba mate tea – yerba mate packs a massive antioxidant punch and is naturally caffeinated, which is great if you’re needing a little boost and
• Plenty of local fresh filtered bottled water

Movement (anywhere between 30 – 90 mins)

• Pilates  &/or
• Gyrotonics  &/or
• Yoga  &/or
• Interval training – sprinting/jumping/cycling/dancing   &/or
• Personal Training

Lunch

• Salmon/chicken/roast veg with salad and sauerkraut/activated nuts/grain-free crackers
• 100% dark chocolate/chocolate clusters/lemon ginger cookie

Dinner

• Cup of bone broth; one of the most healing things you can consume! Great for the gut, rich in minerals, vitamins, amino acids all in bio available form
• Roast chicken/salmon/lamb chops/beef (bunless) burgers with roast (or sauteed) veg/salad and sauerkraut

Dessert

• Chocolate avocado mousse  or
• Lemon and ginger/choc chip grain-free cookies  or
• Banana sponge with coconut yoghurt

Evening drink

• Herbal tea: nettle to cleanse; chamomile to calm; licorice for hormonal balance (and sweetness!)

Preparing for sleep

• I prefer to shower in the evening to wash off the day and prepare the mind for rest. I’ll often do some dry skin brushing beforehand. This stimulates the lymphatic system and improves blood flow; both great for the immune system, and also for tackling cellulite.
• Evening stretches: forward bending to calm; twisting to aid digestion; neck and upper back stretches to release upper body tension and aid with any tension headache issues.
• Belly breathing: takes you away from adrenal fight-or-flight mode, and into your parasympathetic nervous system. This triggers the body to secrete hormones that decrease blood pressure and heart rate, relax the digestive tract and in turn induce mental relaxation

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Note: wherever possible all ingredients are organic, fish is organic and/or wild, meat is grass fed and organic. Water is bottled, ideally in glass. Read more here.