My favorite season will always be winter (like Christmas season winter, not post-holidays-depressing-cold winter) but summer is no doubt the most motivating, energizing, and refreshing season. It’s the season when eating raw fruits and veggies actually seems appealing and exercise is part of your social calendar rather than a checkmark on your to-do list (beach volleyball, hot girl walks, going out dancing). I’m a big believer in adapting to each season–I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the body needs different things in different seasons. You probably know that I’m also a big believer in listening to my body, which means never getting too “habitual”–every phase of life I wellness looks like something different. At the same time, I have certain rituals I love and swear by, and you know I also cycle sync religiously and adapt to every phase of my cycle. So if you’re wondering how I combine adapting to the seasons while cycle syncing, read on for a brief explanation.

6:18 wake-up

This is when my alarm goes off. don’t ask me why this random time–I set it one day and stuck with it. In the winter I will usually sleep in later but with it getting bright earlier, I feel good waking up at this time. I’ve been loving the Loftie alarm clock to wake me up gently (it’s two-phase, using both light and gentle sound to wake you up very slowly. Most other alarms will cause an immediate cortisol spike which you do not want!). I grab my phone to sync Natural Cycles to my Oura Ring to take my temperature (for cycle tracking). Because I am not someone who can pop out of bed right away (my hardest habit to break was scrolling social media when I first woke up to avoid getting up), I listen to a Superhuman meditation while laying in bed. It varies from 3-10 minutes. The only exception to this is when I’m in my menstrual phase, I may sleep until 7 am and skip the next couple of steps.

6:30 light and movement

When I do finally haul myself out of bed, the first thing I always open the curtains first. I love summer because it is so bright so early–the more light, the better first thing after waking up because it’s good for the circadian rhythm. I take a minute to do a few stretches or go through a quick yoga flow–I got into this habit after going on a yoga retreat, where yoga started at 7 am every day. It felt so good to stretch first thing in the morning, I got hooked.

6:35 self-care

You know the drill: tongue scrape and brush teeth (I love you, Lumineux Toothpaste). I then wet a washcloth and wipe my face (to rinse the leftover product off from the night before, and gentle exfoliation with the washcloth–no washing with cleanser as that overly strips my skin) and go through my skincare routine. I don’t have time to full Gua Sha or anything extra, but I use my fingers to quickly massage my jawline and cheekbones (using two fingers to sweep up and out) for light contouring. I typically listen to one of Superhuman’s Getting Ready Meditations at this time and change into (typically a workout set) for the day.

6:55 light and movement, pt 2. (ft. louie)

Getting a dog is life-changing in so many ways–obviously first and foremost because they are the loves of your life, but also because they get you moving and outside more, just by sheer necessity. I take Louie out to go to the bathroom while listening to a podcast (like mine when a new episode is released). I let him take a little longer to sniff around–I think of it as Louie’s earthing time.

7:15 hydrate and supplements

The next priority is to rehydrate the body (you get depleted and dehydrated while you sleep). I fill up a big bottle of water and add lemon slices. I also fill a glass of water with electrolytes and Sakara Detox Drops (“XOJOSIE” for 20% off!) to remineralize the body. If it’s a colder morning or I’m on my period, I’ll also make some tea (my favorite is any kind of mint). I’ll then take supplements while sipping on my healthified water: one Ritual multivitamin, one probiotic, and a supplement for my cycle phase (for example, COQ-10 during follicular, DIM during ovulatory).

7:30 start work

You know, making a plan for the day, going through my inbox, reading Slack messages, checking analytics, the usual. While starting work, I’ll do some ice rolling on my face to depuff.

8-10:30ish breakfast

Now here’s where we really start switching up based on my cycle phase–First of all with timing. In my luteal and menstrual phase, I eat breakfast around 8-8:30 am when your hormones need calories soon after waking. In my follicular phase, I’ll eat around 10:30 am because the hormones can deal with a little fasting so I practice light intermittent fasting here to help my body detoxify.

I have slight variations of breakfast over time, but this is what is feeling really good for me this season: a big green smoothie with protein (that includes spinach, mint, celery, frozen cauliflower, flaxseed, coconut water, and Ritual Protein Powder (use code “JOSIE20” for 20% off!). I love getting a bunch of greens and veggies into my body first thing, but it still tastes vanilla-y and delicious, thanks to the protein powder and coconut water. With that, I have a big bowl of fruit to get in a ton of phytonutrients and fiber, and will what fruit vary based on my cycle phase. For example, in my ovulatory phase, I’ll have a bunch of tropical fruit like mango and papaya. In my ovulatory phase, I’ll have more pears or apples. Top with Harmless Harvest coconut yogurt and some cacao nibs, and it’s insanely delish. Another exception to this breakfast is when I’m on my period, I’ll have everything warm, even in the summer. According to TCM, anything cold blocks up the energy flow for the period, so I’ll opt for protein oats most likely, or eggs and toast if I’m feeling super hungry.