THE ROUTINE QUESTIONS - GINA
What time to do you wake up?
6:30, I sometimes snooze until 7am but I’m really trying to have a hard get up at 6:30 am
When you wake up, what wakes you up?
My iphone. I hate it but I have the sleep app so it turns my notifications off and reminds me when to go to bed.
What is the very first thing you do when you wake up?
Get out of bed. I love lounging in bed, but I tend to get up straight away on a weekday otherwise I’ll find it too hard to move.
Gina is the co-Founder of Good Mornings and Head of Production at e-sports heavyweight Fnatic. A huge traveller, she has spent years just wandering the globe and finding out what other people and places are like. She is obsessed with strong, female leads and working to highlight local brands, businesses and communities.
Do you feel you get enough sleep? If not what is the one thing that you think would make you improve your sleep cycle the most?
I really don’t get enough sleep. I had sleep apnoea when I was younger so I don’t think I’ve every really got enough sleep. I think that having a clear head would really improve my sleeping; and sticking to a stringent bed time.
Outline your typical morning…
Wake up, drink some water, put the kettle on and grab a blanket so I can snuggle on the sofa. I’ll then read for about 40 minutes over a cup of coffee before getting ready for the gym. I’ll head to the gym for about 7:30, back around 8:30 and then its a shower and another coffee to set me up for the rest of the day
Is a consistent morning routine important to you?
very important. I feel a bit out of sorts if I haven’t done the things I need to do. It’s also the best time for me to consistently read and I am such a huge reader that it’s important I don’t let this slip.
Does your morning routine change on the weekend? If so, how?
It definitely starts later. I still read with my coffee and try to get to the gym but there is less formality on the weekend and I can take things a bit slowly. I also tend to stretch on the weekend mornings, I’m pretty bad at stretching before a big workout so I like to do this on the weekend.
Have you ever taken any steps to improve your morning routine, and if so what prompted you to do so?
I’ve tried a lot of things to improve my morning routine. I think there is still a long way to go though! I first thought about how important our mornings where when I was reading James Altucher. Every morning he thinks of 10 new ideas, this theme of doing things in the morning that set you up for success was so interesting to me so I started looking into it.
Do you consume any content in the morning, if so what form?
I read first thing, and this tends to be my main source of content until I’m back from the gym. I’m pretty bad at reading all my notifications on my phone and getting lost scrolling through instagram so I’m really trying to cut that out.
Do you do any exercise in the morning, if so what type of exercise and how would you describe its impact on your day?
Yes I exercise quite a lot. Before lockdown I used to go to the gym most days and then cycle the 9 miles from Peckham to Farringdon. I used to think I was fit until I moved in with Jordan and started doing CrossFit workouts. I still try and bike when I can and I’m really trying to work yoga back into my routine. Exercising in the morning just makes my day better, I get a feeling of achievement really early on which kind of follows me through the rest of the day,
What do you eat in the morning? What do you drink in the morning?
Coffee and water, that’s basically it. I try not to eat before 12, so the only things I really consume are hot and cold drinks. I like all hot drinks but I really love a coffee first thing in winter.
Who would you like to see answer these questions?
I’d love to see someone that does something completely different to me. Like a scientist or an artist. I would also love to see the routines of some of my heroes like Sharmadean Reid, Munroe Bergdorf or an elite all rounder who balances business and high performance activities like LeBron James or Kevin Durant.
If there is one piece of advice you’d give to someone wanting to improve their morning routine, what would it be?
Don’t try and do everything at once!
