I love to get up early and spend time getting ready for the day. Especially in those early hours of the day when we wake up a little too early, half asleep still, with a crisp Autumn frost to greet us?
I love to get up early and spend time getting ready for the day. Especially in those early hours of the day when we wake up a little too early, half asleep still, with a crisp Autumn frost to greet us. But sometimes getting up can be a challenge, especially if I’ve watched too much Netflix the night before. My moody teenage days may be long behind me, but I need proper motivation to get up and not hit the snooze button twenty-five times. If I am disorganized, I find I am more inclined to stay in bed. So whenever possible, I try to prepare my clothes and bags for the next day. However, knowing what to prepare for breakfast can be challenging!
I’ll hold my hands up and admit it: I am not always the best at breakfast ideas. I can be very boring and stick to the same thing. Porridge oats, toast and peanut butter and even just grabbing some fruit is my typical go-to. But since I’ve started to exercise in the morning, I often need a little something which is yummy and easy on my stomach, topped with a delicious fruit or similar. I’ve found Nutella a great option.
Nutella are encouraging people to think about their product in new ways to get us Kiwis eating breakfast more.
So I decided to give Nutella a go for a burst of morning energy. Nutella can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. If I want to try something new at breakfast to feel more Italian, it’s easy with Nutella. For me, a perfect morning would start with an Italian breakfast. Most Italians are very lazy take their 'colazione' with black coffee and may only have a biscotti. I preferred to be a little more wholesome with the recipe below, which I can prepare quickly in the morning:
Ingredients
You Will Need:
• 1 jar of Nutella
• Stewed apples, a banana or strawberries *depending on season
• Pantone or Brioche
Method
Slice your Pantone or Brioche into a piece around a centimeter or two thick. Take a 15g portion of Nutella and spread it across. Use a teaspoon to place a little cooked fruit on top of the Pantone or Brioche. I love banana all year around, and strawberries are a delicious choice in summer when they are ripe and tasty.
Here’s a typical day for me at the moment:
6:30 AM – The alarm goes off and Matt and I snooze for a bit, having morning snuggles *bluegh*
6:45 AM – We get up and I go to the shower. I wash my hair every few days but I am trying to wash it less at the moment. If I showered the night before I’ll stick some dry shampoo in it and try and go another day. I’m loving the Oribe Dry Shampoo from Matt Forsman.
7:00 AM – If it’s a PT day I’ll get in my gym clothes and head down to Results Room to train. I’m really enjoying my sessions with Laura but because I’ve got low blood pressure she’s advised me to eat before I come. I find a piece of wholegrain toast with some Nutella is a great start and I can get it ready quickly. It keeps me going through my PT session until I get to work where I’ll have some fruit and some nuts.
If it is a non-PT day, I will get dressed in one of my favourite dresses, do my makeup and grab a cute jacket for the day. I can afford to take a little more time with getting ready so I’ll add something a bit more luxurious to my breakfast, like Brioche Bread or some stewed fruit. It just makes it a bit more special. Adding breakfast back into my routine has made a real positive change to my day and it definitely helps me to be more productive in those first few hours of the day.
7:30 AM – If it is a day which is non-exercising, I might grab a coffee and work on my blog for an hour before I start my day job. I love a flat white coffee to get me going.
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Now it’s time to work work work. My day job is in policy in the finance world so I have to stay concentrated. I try and snack through the day to keep my energy up. Occasionally I’ll have a half an hour coffee around 10:30 with someone just to break up the day.
12:45 PM – Lunchtime is when I do most of my interviews. I squeeze blog work wherever I can. I go to the café across the road from work mostly and then shoot photos around Cuba Street.
2pm – 5:30 – Back to work!
5:30 PM – I might have an event I need to attend, or a project I’m working on or another meeting to go to. Right now I’m involved in a few different things, including being a mentor for Project Fashion Wellington. I love that I can be involved in so many diverse parts of Wellington.
6 PM – Matt and I get home and cook dinner. If it’s a busy night and I have a blog due for the next day, I will go into bed in my PJs and write. We usually finish off the evening together streaming something online. Recently we’ve loved Harlots, Unreal and Collateral. I love anything with a strong female lead!
9.30 PM - By this time the laptop has been put away and I’m ready to relax and wind down for the day.
11 PM - Lights out (hopefully earlier but realistically we get caught up talking, doing jobs or watching our laptop).
I’m not going to lie, if I lived alone I would most likely stay up until midnight working and I’d probably come up with some of my best ideas then. But I would probably get exhausted! So this is how I’ve made my daily routine work for me and it seems to be ok for now.
Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, try to listen to your body and your mind and work out a routine that fits!