A No-Frills Morning Routine From a Self-Proclaimed Night Owl

Forgive me for making an overly simplistic statement here, but there are two types of people in the world: 1) my type of people—aka those who hop out of bed early in the morning, cheerful as can be—and 2) those of you who are most productive burning the midnight oil. Whichever category you fall under, we’re pretty sure that setting up a quality morning routine will make getting up, getting out of the house, and getting into the office a whole lot less stressful.

Just ask self-proclaimed night owl Anna LaPlaca, an assistant editor here at Who What Wear. "It takes a big effort for me to wake up early on my own, but I’ve noticed on days when I take some time for myself in the morning, I have way more energy and focus throughout the day,” she says. "Even the busiest days can’t get to me because I’ve taken time for myself and am better equipped to deal with all of life’s stressors, both big and small.”

With that in mind, we asked Anna to take over our Instagram account last week as part of our #IAMAMORNINGPERSON series to get a look into what a non-morning person actually does to kick-start her day. Spoiler: Evolution_18 (a line of 10 supplements from Bobbi Brown that’s exclusively available at Walmart) prebiotic powder is an important step in her morning routine, along with the below…

Once LaPlaca gets up, she changes into a workout outfit and drinks as much water as she can, which usually comes out to about 16 ounces. Hydrating first thing not only keeps blood flow moving (particularly to your skin), but it also helps release toxins from your system.

Drinking a big ol’ glass of water first thing can be a little unsavory, so Anna likes mixing in a tablet of Evolution_18 Beauty Bubbles ($14) for flavor and added hydration. The tablets are formulated with hyaluronic acid, along with a blend of coconut water and prickly pear, all of which help hydrate your skin. They also have an antioxidant blend that consists of fruits like pomegranate, açaí, and blueberry, which help protect your body and skin against damaging free radicals.

Anna is also a fan of multitasking, so once she’s gotten her body hydrated, she gets her skin looking and feeling fresh with either a face mask or under-eye gel patches while brewing a pot of strong, black coffee. And she obviously turns on upbeat music, because is there any better way to get into a good mood? Her pro tip: "Keep the gel masks in the fridge for an added cooling effect.”

Next up? Meditation. "I started doing five to 10 minutes of seated meditation to help clear my head and quell my anxieties before the day ahead,” she explains. If you’ve never done it before, it goes a little something like this: Sit upright; take a few deep breaths to center yourself; close your eyes and focus on the rise and fall of your stomach with each breath. Try to let go of your thoughts and thank yourself for allowing this time to just be.

The final step in Anna’s routine is all about prebiotics, probiotics, and B vitamins. "I recently learned that you need to have prebiotics in your routine in order for probiotics to be activated and actually work,” she says. So the fact that Evolution_18 Superfood Powder ($20) already has prebiotics mixed in is huge. Since Anna isn’t much of a smoothie person, she mixes a scoop of powder in her water and calls it a day. "I use that super-charged water to take my probiotic pills; it’s a win-win, if you ask me.”