wellness

Scrolling Instagram and 3.45am alarms: 5 influential Aussie women share their morning routines.

 

There are two types of people: Morning people and… not morning people.

You’re either the type to have just one alarm, and automatically leap out of bed as soon as your hear it, or you’re the type to set 12 alarms each morning, each with increasingly urgent messages, and hit snooze on all of them. Twice.

Listen to Social Squad, Mamamia’s influencer podcast, featuring influential women to find out how they manage their lifestyles, their socials, their money and their feelings. Post continues below audio.


As the saying goes, ‘the early bird gets the worm’, but… how true is that, really?

We asked a number of influential Aussie women to share how they spend the first few hours of the day and were surprised at their responses:

Laura Byrne, Bachelor winner and jewellery designer.

 

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Woke up like this

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Mornings are an absolute shambles in the Johnson/Byrne household, our four month old baby doesn’t believe in routines… or sleep.

Matt is a star in the mornings: He takes Marlie-Mae out of our bedroom when she wakes up at around 7:30am so that I can squeeze out an extra hour in the land of nod. Sleeping in until 8:30am might sound excessive, but our baby is delightfully nocturnal which means I’m not getting very much sleep during the night.

Matt normally wakes me up around 8:30am with a clean baby, a hot coffee and a fresh croissant from the cafe across the road (the man’s a goddamn angel).

Once I’m up I take over baby duties, Marlie gets a feed, a cuddle and by 9:30 she is ready to go back down for a nap which is when I am able to shower, put on some clean clothes and start work.

Some days I will take Marlie into the ToniMay office with me and other days I will bang out emails from my dining table.

Claire Murphy, host of Mamamia’s news podcast The Quicky.

Claire Murphy
Image: Claire Murphy/Supplied.

3:45am: First alarm goes off.

3:50am: Second alarm goes off along with a voice that tells me it's 3:30 so I don't confuse it with the first alarm. I use Blur's 'Song 2' as my alarm song because it starts quiet and doesn't scare the pants off you but revs up not long after to truly wake you up if you need it.

3:50am - 4:10am: Get dressed, wash face, put on make up, do hair, brush teeth. I pack my bag the night before as well as have a shower so I have the most amount of time asleep in bed as possible!

4:10am - 4:15: Kiss the husband goodbye, grab my stuff and load the car.

4:15am - 4:45: Drive to work.

4:45am - 5:30: Research write and record the daily Quicky news headlines!

I've been waking up early for breakfast radio for over a decade now so I'm pretty efficient at that morning routine... however the first time I really look at myself in the mirror is around 9:30am and I have to say I definitely look a little dishevelled by that stage.

Angie Kent, the Bachelorette.

 

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My routine now compared to when I was filming The Bachelorette is so different.

Even if I had to be in hair and makeup at 4:00am, while filming, I would make sure I was up at 3:15am to meditate, pray to my angels, get up and do a 20-30 minute workout which involved a 10 minute uphill power walk on my walker in my garage gym, either 10 minutes of weights or 10 minutes of hardcore boxing and then stretch, and mediate some more.

That was my only time to myself so I fully took advantage of that morning routine.

My house minder/soul sisters would make me a smoothie if I didn’t have time which was usually bulk banana, my gut powder, coconut milk, berries and honey.

Now I am lucky to squeeze in a cheeky 20 minute run on the machines at hotels I stay at or I try and get into nature and do a big ol' sweaty bush walk or beach walk. I am hanging to get back into my boxing and 12 Round training as I feel best when I exercise.

I always take my morning herbs which help with everything in my life thanks to my magic naturopath and my gut health smoothie which has a lot of amazing powders and herbs. Heaven sent.

I spend most morning now starting off with tapping, which is an excellent anti-anxiety/stress release and saying my prayers from Louise Hays book You Can Heal Your Life. I also do my madras from the amazing Gabby Bernstein's articles/novels too. If I don’t at least mediate or exercise I don’t feel my body, mind and spirit aligning for the day.

Jane Lu, CEO of Showpo.

 

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Don’t believe what you see on Instagram. I am NOT a morning person! ???? #showpo

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My morning routine goes against most of the typical routine rules because I'm really not a morning person!

The idea of getting up and getting ready, when you're tired and snuggly in bed is just too much for a non-morning person like me. So I go on my phone, have a scroll through Instagram, check out the Showpo website and app to make sure everything is running smoothly and that wakes me up, before I actually drag myself out of bed.

My (newly-wedded) husband and I have been getting up in the mornings to do PT sessions together in the mornings, so I'll throw on some active wear and head to the gym (let's see if we keep this up now that we don't need to "wed shred").

We'll head straight to work from there via my favourite coffee shop because no decision should be made without a coffee. Lucky for me our office is pretty laid back so I can hang out in my active wear for the day or if I have something on there are plenty of styles to choose from. I do love a midweek outing, so there are many days of feeling a bit rough in the morning - so this routine looks very different on those days!

Elyse Knowles, model and ambassador.

 

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A normal day at home ...

6.00am: Wake up. I like to start my day off with exercise. It sets me up for the day with a positive, can-do mind frame. The morning is definitely the best time for fitness for me personally, as high intensity sessions in the afternoon tend to leave me with stitches after a day of food & water.

6.30am: My boxing class! Boxing is a workout where I can sweat it out like no tomorrow!! I learn new techniques along the way, including Muay Thai which is fun! Boxing challenges my body, my mind and it keeps me on my toes.

7.30am: From boxing, I then hit my place of sanctuary. I take the dogs for their beach walk with Josh. Here I cherish the smell of the ocean, the feeling of sand between the toes and pending the temperature I dive in for a refreshing swim. Josh and I use these walks to talk about our day together. It's a relaxed environment to catch up and make plans.

8.30am: Depending on how much time I have, I'll stop off at my favourite Chai Caravan on the way home. Here I order a cashew and almond chai ... my favourite! If time doesn't allow it - I'll head home and brew my chai there with breaky.

By now it's time for breaky at home, my favourite meal of the day. I usually go for one of two options:

1. Eggs with avocado, pesto, goats cheese, spinach and dill, or;

2. A smoothie bowl packed with greens, vitamins, collagen, protein and omegas.

When it comes to my diet, I love knowing exactly what is in my food by preparing as many meals myself as often as I can. This way I can ensure they are nutritious and cost effective. I get pure joy going to the farmers market every week and selecting my produce from various farmers. It supports them which is vital and it gives me a sense of relief. Shopping at the farmers markets means that I always know where my food is coming from. I can ensure it's from an organic farm and hasn't been sprayed with chemicals and nasties. This is a huge plus!

After breaky, I like to sit down for a couple of hours or so and attend to everything work-related. I like to be organised and stay ahead of the curve, before seeing a million emails pop up throughout the day. Usually I leave emails as my afternoon task. After a healthy, active morning I feel productive, clear and ready to go by the afternoon!

Some days are different of course, depending on my schedule, however the mornings at home with Josh and the dogs are pure bliss. I never take them for granted.

Are you a morning person or not? What does your morning look like? Let us know in a comment.