Morning Routine Non-Negotiables from a Holistic Fitness Coach

If you've ever felt like the first hour of your day can dictate how the rest of it goes- it's because it does! How we start the day influences our hormones, energy, focus, and mood more than most of us realize.

As a holistic fitness coach, I’m not just focused on workouts. I love helping women feel balanced, strong, and grounded from the inside out, throughout their entire day. Over the years, I’ve built a morning routine that helps me do exactly that: move and nourish my body, balance my hormones, and connect with my higher self.

Here are my morning routine non-negotiables, and why each of them matters, especially for women’s hormonal health.

1. Low Impact Morning Movement

Before pouring my coffee, checking my phone, or even leaving my apartment (if possible), I move my body every single morning. It doesn’t have to be a full workout; even ten minutes of yoga, stretching, or walking can completely shift your internal chemistry. I'm a big fan of yoga in the morning and love creating custom, short yoga workouts for clients to use in my 1:1 coaching.

Low-impact movement specifically in the morning increases circulation, stabilizes blood sugar, and helps lower cortisol (your primary stress hormone). As compared to higher intensity workouts like running, pilates/ yoga/ walking prevents a big spike in cortisol while still getting the blood flowing and endorphins rushing. For women, this is especially important because chronically high cortisol can throw off estrogen and progesterone balance, leading to fatigue, cravings, and irregular cycles.

Don't get me wrong- I'm also a huge proponent of strength training, CrossFit, and pretty much every other form of movement under the sun! You can read about how I encourage clients to combine weight-lifting, yoga, and pilates here. But first thing in the morning, women especially tend to benefit most from movement that doesn't lead to a big cortisol spike.

✨ Science spotlight: Studies show that yoga lowers cortisol and increases serotonin, improving mood and hormonal balance throughout the day. Morning movement also enhances lymphatic flow, which supports detoxification and reduces bloating.

💖 Pink & Powerful Pro Tip: Find a "go-to" morning movement routine, so you don't have to overthink it. Feel free to use some of my YouTube vids for inspo!

2. Meditation or Mindful Breathing

Before jumping into the day’s chaos, take 5-15 minutes to recenter and set your intentions for the day.

Meditation helps regulate your nervous system, which is the control center for your hormones. When your body feels safe, it produces hormones more efficiently. Chronic stress, on the other hand, signals “survival mode,” suppressing reproductive and thyroid hormones.

Plus- when we live out our days with intention, we go from living on "autopilot" to actively choosing to create the type of feelings, moods, and experiences we will have, ultimately creating an entire life that we love.

✨ Science spotlight: Even short daily meditation sessions can decrease cortisol levels and increase heart rate variability (a marker of stress resilience).

💖 Pink & Powerful Pro Tip: Try guided meditations to start getting more comfortable with it! My favorites can be found on this Spotify channel, A Zen Mind.

3. Bone Broth

Bone broth is one of the most underrated wellness tools out there.

It’s rich in collagen, amino acids, and minerals like magnesium and calcium that support gut health, joints, skin, and hair. But for women, one of the biggest benefits is how it supports hormonal health through gut repair - because your gut and hormones are deeply connected.

✨ Science spotlight: A balanced gut supports healthy estrogen detoxification, which can help reduce PMS symptoms, bloating, and mood fluctuations. The amino acid glycine (abundant in bone broth), also supports relaxation, nervous system regulation, and deeper sleep.

💖 Pink & Powerful Pro Tip: I sip a warm serving of Barebones broth every morning during/ after my yoga or while meditating. You can use this link for a discount!

4. A Balanced, Blood-Sugar-Friendly Breakfast

While I used to skip breakfast every day and have coffee on an empty stomach, I couldn't imagine skipping my morning fuel now. Our bodies require fuel to function and feel good, especially women's bodies.

A nourishing, protein-rich breakfast keeps your blood sugar stable, which means fewer energy crashes and cravings later. Balanced blood sugar also prevents unnecessary cortisol spikes, helping your body stay in a calm, fat-burning, hormone-supportive state.

✨ Science spotlight: Women who eat protein and fiber in the morning experience more stable glucose curves, which reduces inflammation and supports steady estrogen and progesterone levels throughout the day.

💖 Pink & Powerful Pro Tip: My go-to breakfast is a smoothie with frozen berries, spinach, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, OR a simple piece of fruit with some nuts plus a protein shake mixed with my coffee. It's quick, delicious, and hormone-friendly!

5. Morning Sunlight (or a Happy Light in Winter)

Your hormones follow your circadian rhythm- the body’s natural clock that regulates everything from energy to metabolism to sleep.

Morning sunlight signals to your brain that it’s time to be awake, naturally boosting serotonin and regulating melatonin (your sleep hormone) for later that night. In winter months, I use a happy light to mimic that early-morning sun exposure (You can find these relatively inexpensively on Amazon).

✨ Science spotlight: Research from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that morning light exposure improves mood, reduces anxiety, and supports healthy melatonin production, meaning better sleep and more balanced hormones.

💖 Pink & Powerful Pro Tip: Step outside within 30 minutes of waking, even if it’s cloudy. I love to habit stack by getting my morning sunlight (or happy light) while meditating, and sipping my bone broth- a 3 in 1 technique to feel good all day!

The Takeaway

Your morning routine doesn’t need to be fancy to help you start the day on the right foot. Spending just a few minutes moving your body, opting for breakfast before coffee, and taking some deep breaths in the sun is all it takes to make a massive difference in your daily life and overall health.

You don’t have to do them perfectly or all at once. Start with just one or two, and let consistency build momentum. I love working with clients to create morning routines that work best for them, especially women who's schedules make it hard to realistically do all of these every day. If you'd like some help creating a morning routine that works perfectly for your life, I'd love to help! Book a free coaching discovery call here 💖

Because when you start your day grounded and connected, it ripples into everything else you do.

Reflection Question

Which of these habits could you make non-negotiable this week to support your body and mind?