Natural Tips To Wake Up Happily Plus Two Delicious Recipes: Cherry Coconut Smoothie and Creamy Herbal Elixir by Holly Paige
The transition between sleeping and waking is one of the most difficult parts of the day to manage. When we wake up the conceptual thinking mind (left hemisphere) has been rejuvenated by sleep and starts its chatter for the day. Levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are raised, so we can feel anxious even before we get out of bed!
Actually the answer IS to get up out bed and get moving. Maybe with a light stretch routine or even a morning run if that is more your thing. Whatever works for you. The main thing is to develop a habit of moving soon after waking up, this helps us feel glad to be awake and up, we feel less stressed, and we have much more enthusiasm for the day.
Skin-brushing and hair-brushing are great for getting the lymph moving too. It’s my next move after stretches.
But even before I get up I try to remember to listen out for the sounds of nature, generally birdsong. I feel this aligns me to the inspiration that comes from beyond our own minds and from beyond words. My passion for brain nutrition is largely motivated by this desire to tune into the ecstatic mind of nature.
A sunrise alarm is a wonderful alternative to the conventional noise-making machine. It wakes you with increasing light over a period of about 30 minutes so that you feel like you have naturally woken up. If it a certified SAD light (designed to eliminate winder blues) then all the better.
It takes you a few weeks to install desirable habits; after that, they are hard to break. After 21 days of practice, habits become easy. After 65 days they are entrenched and it’s hard nor to do them. They can give you trust in yourself and the freedom to get on with what you want to do.
An early morning routine ideally includes connection to nature, exercise, some kind of reflective activity, for example, journaling or meditation, sacred rituals, growth such as a short period of reading or study and health rituals such as nourishing beverages and supplements. A sacred ritual could be anything that is meaningful for you. For me, one example is to choose a selection of essential oils to diffuse and create an atmosphere for the rest of the routine. Breathing, power poses and chanting or toning are other options.
And then, with all this accomplished, of course it’s great to fit in those quick daily tasks that don’t take long but must be done. We can then get into the bigger tasks of the day, with our minds hopefully feeling inspired and alive, and also relieved that some of our essential chore are already out of the way!
Here are my two favourite smoothie recipes for the beginning of the day.
The first is a raw fruit smoothie but one that doesn’t raise blood sugars excessively and what is more is alkalising to the body.
The second is a herbal elixir which also contains raw goodness as well as heated herbs. It is designed to lift your neurochemistry whilst getting you into a mainly fat burning rather than sugar burning mode, ideal for weight control, sustainable energy and brain function.
Both recipes are vegan, alkaline and ketogenic diet-friendly. Of course, you can vary the ingredients according to your own preferences.
Note the images here are for decorative purposes. The ingredients you use will largely be preprepared!
Cherry Coconut Smoothie
sour cherries
120g frozen sour cherries
100g frozen strawberries
30g frozen blueberries
1 banana
1 tsp noni powder
350ml raw coconut water (Tiana supply a good one)
noni fruit, juice and powder
Simply blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Serves 2 to 3 people
Sour cherries are a wonderful fruit. They taste delicious and are also low-glycemic and alkalising so you can get the fruit in without overdosing on sugars. Noni gives an amazing mind lift. It helps tryptophan to be absorbedto boost serotinin levels. Raw coconut water so much more energising and refreshing than the pasteurised version. You can feel the difference over a period of time.
Creamy Herbal Elixir
passion flower tea
Tea herbs:
1 Tablespoon passionflower tea
I Tablespoon tulsi tea
½ rhodiola powder
Smoothie ingredients:
cacao beans
2 Tablespoons raw organic coconut butter
3 Tablespoons yacon syrup
1 Tablespoon ground cacao paste or cacao powder
1 Tablespoon maca
1/2 Tablespoon lecithin (GMO free)
½ lentil size piece of shilajit
pinch chilli powder
pinch sea or Himalayan salt
tulsi aka holy basil
1g cardoman (tiny sprinkle)
1g cinnamon (tiny sprinkle)
Tonic Herbs:
All or some of these tonic herbs plus any of your choosing:
2g he shou wu (a small sprinkle)
ginseng
2g lions mane (a small sprinkle)
1g brahmi (a tiny sprinkle)
5g/1 teaspoon ashwaghanda
½ dropper ginseng tincture (e.g. Jing Herbs shen nong)
Make the tea with the tea herbs in a cafetiere.
Put the remaining ingredients in a blender jug and add a little cool pure water (spring or distilled). Add a cup of tea and blend it all together.
Add the rest of the tea.
Serves 2 to 3 people
This is a tasty and convenient way to consume a selection of tonic herbs, either those suggested here or ones of your choosing. Coconut butter is a precursor for essential hormones and provides clean energy. Maca helps keep hormones in their pristine state. Shilajit supplies a broad range of trace minerals. Lion’s mane is a brain builder. Passionflower tea contains Maoi’s which boost neurotransmitter levels and can noticeably uplift mood. Rhodiola is an adaptogen which boosts mental energy and serotonin levels. Lecithin is another magic ingredient which supplies essential phospholipids for the brain whilst also acting as an emulsifier, making the smoothie nice and creamy.
All in all, this is an ideal alternative to a morning coffee! Enjoy 🙂
