I’ve become very gentle with myself. I don’t force myself to get up and out of bed, because I want to be as kind to my body during this transition as possible. I don’t really have a set time that I wake up, and I don’t set alarms unless I absolutely have to. I prefer to let my body get what it needs.
When I wake up I make a point not to be overtaken by what the world wants from me. I purposefully rebel against going to my phone. Instead, I go to something with a heartbeat. I have three standard poodles, and I’ll go to my dogs or my kids. I want the first connection of the day to be something alive. I’ll go outside, stand in the sun, hydrate with water, and just connect to life rather than a screen.
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I don’t want to put chemicals on or in my body, so I’m always looking for really effective products that are non-toxic and clean. I love Goop’s 72-hour water cream because I find that at this age hydration is often more important than obsessing over wrinkle treatments. I love Valmont’s regenerative mask, Allies of Skin’s face wash and the Goop microdermabrasion scrub. I actually mix that scrub with the Acure exfoliating scrub.
Then I either meditate or use this product called HeartStone, which is a weighted energy trainer that helps you drop into meditation faster. I’ll do that outside. If not, I have red light panels on the wall, and I’ll do it in front of those. I really love putting blackout goggles on and dropping into my body.
I don’t have strict rules about food. I have a very close relationship with my body, and I really listen to what it needs and what it craves. If I wake up and I want an apple, I have an apple. If I want toast, I’ll have toast. Sometimes I don’t eat breakfast at all. I really only eat if I want to eat, and then I eat what I’m craving, or the closest thing I can get to what I’m craving.
The only thing I’m completely faithful to in wellness is my movement practice. I only do exercises that I created. I don’t wear health trackers or any sort of wearable tech. I really trust my body, and I think those things can create more psychological detriment than actual insight.
If I’m having a stressful day, I process that through movement. What I’ve spent my life honing is the ability to help people drop into their bodies and untangle what’s going on in their minds through choreography and physical exploration. That always helps me with stress. It helps me deconstruct what’s in my head and align myself with the best way forward.
I don’t cold plunge. I understand the science behind it, but personally I lean more on the Chinese medicine side of things, and I don’t like it for women. My studios are heated and I do believe in putting the body into experiences that activate mechanisms that help us survive and adapt. We’re all so comfortable now, and I think comfort can make us weaker.
I only work out in the morning because I don’t want to disrupt my sleep. If you drink alcohol late, have caffeine late, eat a big meal late, or dance or work out too close to bedtime, you can really interfere with your sleep. There are ways to train your body around that, but I still think it’s preferable to follow our biological imprint and move more in the morning.
In the evening, I try not to let screens take over. I think phones are a tool, and if you don’t use them intentionally they become a highly addictive extension of yourself rather than something useful. Spending time with my kids, watching a meaningful film with my daughter and talking about it afterwards, playing a family game, snuggling with my husband, petting my dog, sitting outside with a cup of tea, going for a walk, sitting in the ocean for a bit. Those are the things that make me feel calm.
I think people want ridiculous biohacks, but it should be more simple. When you stop listening to your body, it stops trusting you back.
