The Best Morning Routine for Hormone & Gut Health

If you’re trying to feel more energized, less bloated, and finally get your hormones working with you — how you start your morning can make all the difference.

From supporting your digestion to calming your stress response, your morning routine sends powerful signals to your body about what kind of day it’s about to have.

As a holistic nutritionist, I work with women who are often doing all the things but still feeling flat, wired, overwhelmed, or stuck in patterns that don’t feel good. One of the first places we begin? Their mornings.

You don’t need a 2-hour self-care ritual or green juices lined up on your bench — you just need a few simple habits that gently support your body from the moment you wake up.

1. Hydrate + Nourish Early

Your body is slightly dehydrated when you wake up, and your blood sugar is naturally low — so it’s important to start your day with hydration and a stabilizing breakfast.

Try:

• A glass of warm water with lemon (or just plain water — that’s fine too!)

• A breakfast that includes protein, fiber, and healthy fat, like eggs with avocado on toast, or a smoothie with nut butter, berries, and a scoop of protein

• I exercise early in the morning, before I eat a full breakfast - but I don’t like to train fasted, so I will either eat a boiled egg, or a few bites of my breakfast so that there is some fuel in the tank, but not a full meal to train on. After I exercise, I come home and enjoy my breakfast.

🧡 Why it matters: This helps wake digestion, stabilize blood sugar, and support hormone production (especially progesterone and cortisol, your morning rhythm hormones). A good breakfast sets you up for more stable blood sugar throughout the day.

2. Gentle Movement

If you don’t exercise in the morning, that’s fine! You don’t need a complete workout — move your body a little to get blood flowing, clear your mind, and support natural detox pathways. If you do have a morning movement routine - well done and keep at it!

Try:

• A 10-minute walk outside

• A few sun salutations or Pilates stretches

• Dancing around the kitchen while your eggs cook (yes, that counts!)

🧡 Why it matters: Movement boosts circulation, supports your lymphatic system (which helps eliminate excess estrogen), and encourages healthy digestion.

3. Mindful Moment

Your nervous system sets the tone for your gut and hormone response. Stress spikes cortisol and can disrupt ovulation, gut motility, and energy regulation.

Try:

• 2–3 minutes of deep breathing before you eat. This helps to signal rest and digest of your nervous system, prepping your body to enter a state of relaxation, so that the body is ready to begin digestion. Starting from being mindful of chewing your food (yes, 20 chews), to eating your meals slowly.

• A quick gratitude or intention journal entry (“How do I want to feel today?”)

• A moment of quiet without your phone

🧡 Why it matters: Your body needs to feel safe in order to heal. A calm start supports better digestion, clearer thinking, and more hormonal balance throughout the day.

4. Optional Support: Supplements

If you’re already taking a few targeted supplements, morning is a great time to stay consistent. Depending on your needs, this might include a probiotic, magnesium glycinate, or B-complex. I am a fan of supplements, when you understand what your body needs to feel supported. We forget that supplement companies have big marketing budgets, which we can sometimes easily get so absorbed into believing we “need” this next thing for our bodies to feel optimal.

⚠️ Note: Always best to check with a practitioner before adding anything new — your body deserves a tailored approach.

A Simple Morning Routine for Real Life

Here’s a gentle routine you can start with — this takes less than 30 minutes and doesn’t require waking up at 5am:

7:00 AM – Wake up + drink a glass of water
7:10 AM – 5–10 mins of gentle movement (stretch, walk, light Pilates)
7:20 AM – Make breakfast: something with protein, fiber, and healthy fat
7:30 AM – Sit down to eat, take 2 deep breaths, jot down a quick intention
Optional: Take your supplements with food

That’s it. Simple. Doable. And powerful when done consistently.

Morning Routine Mistakes to Avoid (That You Might Be Making Without Realizing)

Even with the best intentions, a few small habits can throw off your progress:

🚫 Skipping breakfast or starting with coffee
→ This spikes cortisol and blood sugar, then crashes you later.
✅ Try eating within 90 minutes of waking, with 20 g+ of protein.

🚫 Checking your phone as soon as you wake up (something I am really working on myself!)
→ This triggers stress hormones and puts your brain in reactive mode.
✅ Swap for 2 minutes of stillness, breathwork, or journaling.

🚫 Forcing a high-intensity workout on an empty stomach
→ This can stress your adrenals and lead to hormonal imbalances over time.
✅ Opt for gentle movement unless your body is ready for more.

Meet Your New Morning Acronym: GLOW 🌞

To help you remember these simple steps, just think GLOW:

• G – Gentle movement

• L – Lemon water or hydration

• O – Optimal breakfast (protein, fiber, fat)

• W – Wind down your stress (breathe, journal, be still)

Start your day with GLOW, and in just a few small, intentional steps, you’ll support your hormones, your gut, and your whole body.