Morning Rituals You Can Do Even When You're Away From Home

What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? A well-rounded morning routine sets the tone for the day and gets you prepped—both mentally and physically—before diving into a packed schedule filled with emails, chores, happy hours, workouts, and more. Our series Morning Person profiles those who have mastered the art of the morning routine. Tune in every Monday morning here and on our Instagram to learn exactly how the pros get it all done before the sun comes up, from their go-to breakfasts to their a.m. workouts.

Even if you've finally learned to stop hitting snooze on your alarm, have nailed down a healthy (but easy) to-go breakfast, and have found methods to squeezing in sweat before heading to work, being able to maintain a consistent morning routine can be next to impossible. Sure, we may aim to get our allotted seven to nine hours every night, but when a roommate has a Tinder date over into the wee hours, restful sleep may not always be possible. Even something as simple as not being able to decide what to wear to work can throw off an entire routine.

But when you add travel to the mix, say sayonara to having any form of consistency. Living out of a suitcase means having limited access to many of the tools that we rely on for a healthy routine—a kitchen for us to make meals where we can decide what exactly goes inside our food, the local Pilates studio we practically live at, our collagen supplements, and more. 

Jessica Mulligan, founder of women's wellness CBD brand Winged, can relate. As the head of a start-up (her company literally just started a few months ago), she's already busy enough. But add the fact that she's constantly on the road (doing cool things like visiting hemp fields in Kentucky no less) to the mix, and you have someone who has no choice but to find ways to incorporate consistency into a hectic, on-the-go schedule.

Luckily for us, she's completely nailed it and has tips to share. Whether you travel for fun or are constantly traveling for work, keep scrolling for some ways to maintain a morning routine—even while away from home. 

7:30 a.m.

We just launched Winged this past June, and the past few months have been spent waking up in hotel rooms all over the country. That can make it very hard to maintain a good sleep schedule or get out of bed in the morning. I discovered the Mel Robbins method a few months ago, and it’s been a lifesaver! The theory is simple: If you have the instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within five seconds or your brain will kill it. 

When you are in bed and your alarm goes off and you don’t want to get up, just count down "five, four, three, two, one" and pop out. It really works! 

7:45 a.m.

Once out of bed, I start every day with three nutritional supplements. I am very prone to feeling anxious, especially when on the road a lot, and start my day with these three nutritional powerhouses to lay the groundwork for me to feel great all day. They are high-quality fish oil, magnesium powder, and CBD oil.

Later in the day I take our Winged Relaxation gummies, a delicious gummy full of CBD, evening primrose oil, theanine, chamomile, and lemon balm), but my day always starts with our Balance Oil. These three supplements have been the holy grail for me—I highly recommend!

8:00 a.m.

My morning beauty routine when on the road is really simple. I use super hydrating oils. My skin can get really dried out from all the planes and hotel room ACs, and slathering my skin with oil keeps it looking dewy and hydrated. My current obsession is Undefined Beauty Glow Elixir. Its soft rose scent is lovely and is the perfect combination of being lightweight yet hydrating.

8:30 a.m.

The last thing I do in the morning before I go out into the world is write in my gratitude journal. If you haven’t tried this, I highly recommend setting aside five minutes a day to do it. It is without a doubt one of the healthiest things I have ever done for myself. I write down three things every day:

1. One thing I am grateful for

2. One thing that I want to manifest.

3. One kind thing that I did that day or plan on doing that day.

It really keeps me in this forever state of gratitude and appreciation.

10:00 a.m.

I just arrived at the beautiful, organic hemp fields of Kentucky. Harvest is next week, so the plants are fully grown and just incredibly gorgeous. The hemp plant is such a versatile plant with so many amazing uses. The flower is used for medicinal properties, the seed for food, and the stalk is used for fiber, clothing, and building materials. 

The flower (also known as the bud) is where all the goodies like CBD and all other cannabinoids like CBN, CBG, the terpenes, and fatty acids are found. There are so many healing properties within this flower. After the plants are harvested next week, we extract out the oil and put it into our products with evening primrose oil and other female-specific nutrients. 

Next up: An Optimism Doctor Told Us How a Morning Routine Can Make You Happier