Welcome to The Well Path, a space for curious people to build healthier, happier, more intentional lives. New podcast episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays, and newsletters come out on Sunday mornings (EST). If you haven’t already, listen + subscribe to the podcast.

First thing’s first: I’M LATE! This is a Sunday newsletter and it’s Monday morning. I’m sorry. Next week, I do solemnly swear to meet you here at 9am EST/5pm GST sharp.

Without further ado:

☕ The art of the morning routine

Your mornings set the tone for your day. Lose your morning, lose your day. Don’t lose your morning!!

This is my fail-proof, 5-step plan to make every day a GREAT day.

Try this for a week and thank me later:

1. Wake up one hour earlier – The best way to ruin your day is to rush your morning. Give yourself time to ease into your day and preferably, wake up with the sunrise. If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony and/or a window out to the sky, sit outside and soak it in when you first wake up. Getting natural sunlight in your eyes first thing will help your body prepare for the day ahead. Sunrises also tend to amplify feelings of gratitude which is the best feeling to cultivate first thing in the morning. You’ll want to make sure you’re still getting enough sleep, so waking up one hour earlier will probably entail going to bed an hour earlier, too. Trust me, it’s worth it.

2. MAKE A WARM BEVERAGE! – Espresso, pour over, chaga, tea, hot water with lemon—whatever gets you going. There is something so soothing about a hot drink in the morning, and the process of preparing a warm beverage can also create a comforting sense of routine as you start your day.

3. Morning pages – Take a page out of The Artist’s Way and spend a few minutes writing down your dreams and any stream-of-consciousness thoughts that come up for you when you first wake up. This practice helps to clear mental clutter. I have found myself feeling a lot more creative and generally just lighter since incorporating this into my early morning routine.

4. 10-20 minute meditation – A short meditation is the best way to ground yourself and connect to a higher power before you start your day. It is also a lot easier to tap into your subconscious first thing in the morning, so this is the best time to do visualization meditations. I tend to mix it up between silent meditations with a regular meditation timer, the Open App, and this Higher Self visualization meditation on Youtube.

5. Affirmations – While you get ready (doing skincare/makeup or making breakfast) play a positive affirmations playlist and repeat them out loud as you’re doing what you’re doing. This is the one I’ve been using. It might feel weird for the first few days, but you’ll get over that and quickly start to notice how dramatically this can brighten your mood.

🫶 ICYMI

• I’ve been rating pastries in Dubai, because I don’t want you guys wasting time and energy eating mediocre bread products, but more importantly, because I want to remind everyone that true health is BALANCE and life is too short not to treat yourself to foods you love. I LOVE BREAD and pastries are an important part of a well-balanced diet (for me).

And finally…some big news!!

Season 2 of The Well Path Podcast is kicking off this week!

This next episode is going to be the most vulnerable thing I have ever shared on the internet. 

We’re going to be covering my journey with disordered eating / food anxiety, and practical tips for anyone who may be struggling right now with their relationship to their body and/or food and exercise.

Be sure to subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you don’t miss it.

That’s all for now. Thank you for being here.

See you next week!

Love, Brooke

As always, follow along for more wellness and behind-the-scenes content at @thewellpathpod or @brookechapinrobbins on Instagram.