This Is What I Do Every Morning To Have a Productive Day

“When we wake up in the morning, we're given a fresh start. A chance to leave behind the stresses of yesterday and choose how we spend today. Herbalist Rachelle Robinett dedicates her mornings to herself, ensuring she gets in the nutrients she needs, a workout, and some time for journaling.

"My morning routine actually starts the night before I want a great night's sleep. Then I want enough time to be able to move through my morning without rushing," says Robinett, who is the founder of cafe and shop Supernatural in Brooklyn, NY. "I don't want to add any unnecessary stress or anxiety to my routine in the morning so I like to leave a little bit of space, not a ton but just enough to move through without rushing. Now that I work for myself, I get to choose my day's start time with a little bit more flexibility and that's one of the biggest gifts I've given myself, is the allowance to wake up naturally whenever I want."

During the latest episode of Plant-Based, a series on the Well+Good YouTube channel, Robinett shares what she does in the morning with the hope of proving some ideas if you're looking to revamp your morning routine. As blissful as her routine sounds, most people don't have the same kind of flexibility as she does. So as you read the steps in the routine below, think of ways you can incorporate whatever resonates with you in a sustainable way. And watch the full video above for all the details.

An herbalist shares her 6-step morning routine

1. Refresh face with water or toner

"The first thing I do when I wake up after I open all the curtains is refresh my face with some water or toner," says Robinett. Step four of her routine is a workout, so she doesn't like to fully wash her face first thing, as it will get all sweaty a few minutes later. But, a bit of water or toner helps her feel a bit more awake and ready to start the day.

2. Take supplements and drink lots of water

"Then I head downstairs to the kitchen and fill up a quart-size mason jar with water," she says. "Then, with my water, I take my first batch of supplements in the morning and when I do that I basically just stand there and drink my water until it's almost gone. The reason that I drink that much water right off the bat, is because it gets me, you know, a third of the way to my day's goal right away." Because Robinett is an herbalist, she's always trying different things. The supplements she takes change every three to six months, but, she always aims to take a mix that supports hormone balance, gut health, energy, mood, and cognitive health.

3. Do a workout

"The next part of my routine is almost 100 percent of the time, a workout. For me, it's a non-negotiable," says Robinett. "Exercise, it's my mental health, it's my joy, it's just so major for me. And I do practice intermittent fasting most of the time so I usually take those supplements and then go exercise, and I'm exercising in a fasted state."

4. Make a smoothie

When making a smoothie, Robinett changes up the recipe depending on what she needs. She has smoothie recipes for increasing fiber intake, improving skin health, relieving stress, and more.

5. Make herbal coffee

Next, Robinett mixes homemade cold brew coffee (heated if she wants it hot) with some of Rasa's herbal adaptogenic coffee alternative ($29). In the Rasa blend "we have prebiotic roots, and then a bunch of adaptogens, so herbs that help with stress balance [and] energy levels, we have some functional mushrooms, and then a little bit of cacao," says Robinett. "So this is giving me energy support and at the same time making my body better at dealing with stress and energy depletions, so it's a win-win."

6. Spend time journaling

"Then I take my coffee, herbal coffee, and sit outside if the weather's nice and I do my morning pages or morning journals," she says. "It's a time to reflect, be at peace, be prepared for the day ahead, and just give myself time to connect, mind and body, and often breathe, at that time as well. And to just carve out five minutes or 10 minutes to do that, to listen and tune in,  can be incredibly beneficial." — Well+Good