EPI 86 - The 10-Minute Ritual That Actually Works

Hi friend — welcome back to The Habit Within! I’m Camille Kinzler, and today we’re talking about one of my favorite topics: morning rituals — and how to make them simple, soulful, and actually effective.

If you’ve ever fallen into the trap of creating a long, perfect morning routine that left you more stressed than centered, this episode is for you. I’ve been there too. Over the years, I’ve stripped away all the “shoulds” and discovered a 10-minute ritual that truly sets the tone for my day — one that supports both my energy and my biology.

In this episode, I share:

• The difference between a routine and a ritual — and why that distinction matters
• How a simple 10-minute practice can reset your circadian rhythm, hormones, and energy
• Why sunlight, gratitude, and water are the most powerful (and free) biohacks you can start today
• How to infuse your morning with presence, peace, and a little bit of magic
• The science behind why getting early morning light improves sleep, mood, and metabolism
• How my genetics revealed I need morning infrared light to help manage stress — and how you can support your own rhythms too

This is not about “doing more” — it’s about doing less with deeper intention. Your morning doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful. Sometimes, a few minutes of sunlight, breath, gratitude, and water can change your entire day.

Big Takeaways:

• Routines create structure; rituals create presence.
• The most effective wellness practices are often the simplest.
• Your biology responds to rhythm, light, and intention — not perfection.
• You don’t need an hour to start your day feeling grounded — you just need 10 minutes.

I’d love to hear from you:
What does your current morning look like? Try this 10-minute ritual and let me know how it feels — tag me on Instagram or send me a message.

If you’re tired of feeling exhausted, irritable, moody, and just not like yourself, schedule a free 30-minute consultation so I can help you feel like YOU again
Fill out this brief form (2 min) to schedule a free 30-minute call.

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review, and let me know what hit home for you.

Find me on Instagram @camille_kinzler and leave me a DM!

Transcript

(0:00 - 0:28)
So today, um, about how we're going to really talk about the daily routine and words matter to me. So the things that we say are the way that we, the way we phrase something really matters. Welcome to the habit within this podcast is for high achieving women, 35 and older, who seem to have it all together, but feel like they're constantly running on fumes, struggling to balance it all and losing sight of the woman they used to be.

(0:28 - 0:53)
I'm Camille Kensler, a former physician assistant turned transformational coach, blending science, positive psychology, and a metaphysical approach to habits, health, and vitality. If you've ever asked yourself, why am I so exhausted even after a full night's sleep, or I feel like I'm juggling so much, but I'm just barely keeping my head above water. You are in the right place.

(0:53 - 1:11)
Each week we'll explore the real reasons behind feeling overwhelmed, trapped in the cycle of overworking and constantly running low on energy and how to break free from the patterns, keeping you stuck in survival mode. It's time to stop living on autopilot and to start feeling like yourself again. Let's dive in.

(1:11 - 1:24)
Hello, welcome back to the habit within this is Camille. I'm your host. And today we are going to talk about how to simplify your morning routine.

(1:25 - 1:43)
Um, over the years, I have definitely had a, quite a list of things that I would do in the morning. And I was reflecting on how simple my morning routine is now. And so I thought it would be really important to share this with you.

(1:43 - 2:26)
And we're really going to look at morning routine as it pertains to the way that it really helps set us up throughout the day, but also how it really helps with our biology, our energy levels, our hormones. And of course, we'll touch a little bit on the genetics piece as well. Um, remembering that when we look at our genes, as it pertains to our health and vitality, we're really looking at epigenetics, so how we can turn on and off specific genes to help us have more energy and vitality in our lives.

(2:27 - 2:39)
So that's what we're going to dive in today into today, really how to simplify our morning routine. And I'll walk you through what I do. Now, if you hear some music in the background, I apologize.

(2:39 - 2:53)
I'm recording this while my 10 year old is in his room. He loves listening to Radiohead, OK Computer and Kid A on repeat. We got him a CD player and we gave him all of our old CDs.

(2:53 - 3:06)
And his favorite is Radiohead. So, um, it's a Saturday, it's in the morning. He's in there listening to music, playing Legos, and I love it.

(3:06 - 3:13)
It's so sweet. And, um, and also, yeah, that's what you might be hearing. And that's just the way it's going to have to be today.

(3:13 - 3:21)
So I hope that it's okay. I hope it doesn't interfere with today's podcast at all. Okay, let's see what's happening.

(3:21 - 3:39)
Oh, interestingly, I just got a report from Buzzsprout that my podcast received 5,000 downloads. Um, you know, slow and steady, slow and steady. I mean, it's not a million or whatever, but it's still really remarkable.

(3:39 - 3:50)
So I would just want to say thank you so much for listening to this podcast. And really, if you do like it or love it, please share it. And also go ahead and give me a review.

(3:50 - 4:01)
Uh, this really helps it get in front of other people. And I love hearing from you. So if there's anything that you want to hear more about or that you are enjoying, please let me know.

(4:01 - 4:17)
This kind of helps me keep going since I'm, you know, podcasters are usually in a room by themselves. Um, especially when you do solo episodes like I do. And I haven't been, um, inspired to do interviews quite yet.

(4:18 - 4:41)
I do them in other areas, like in the summits that I hold, but on this podcast, I don't know, so far, it just feels good for me jumping on the mic and sharing with you guys what I feel is in the collective right now. So here we go. Let's dive into today, um, about how we're going to really talk about the daily routine and words matter to me.

(4:41 - 5:09)
So the things that we say are the way that the way we phrase something really matters. So I like to say, instead of a morning routine, calling it a morning ritual really makes it feel more intentional, more like a deeper, like it has, um, um, you know, some magic to it, if you will, versus a routine, which seems very masculine in its approach. So for me, let's see.

(5:10 - 5:38)
Okay. So to simplify my morning routine, or I should say the simplicity of my morning routine now is simply to get my booty outside in the very early morning hours. So if it's five minutes before the sun rises or 30 minutes after the sun rises somewhere within that period of time to actually step out and get the sun on my skin, get the sun on my eyes.

(5:38 - 5:49)
This helps really set your circadian rhythm. It also wakes up the brain. It allows our cortisol to go where it needs to go.

(5:50 - 6:00)
So it rises and then it will fall. Um, it also helps us de-stress. This is all database for those of you who like that kind of thing.

(6:00 - 6:29)
And it also gives us this moment of pause to really feel into presence and took gratitude. So simply speaking, my main goal, my morning routines these days is to step outside. And so I'll add a little bit onto that in just a second, but just want you to know that that's, um, like if this is all you can listen to today in this podcast, then that's my big recommendation is just to get your booty outside in the morning.

(6:29 - 6:55)
It really helps in so many ways. Um, and when I would coach women around a hundred days without alcohol, one of the biggest pieces that we always started with was setting up this morning routine or morning ritual. And it was the top thing time and time again, that women said was the number one thing that really transformed their life the most.

(6:55 - 7:22)
Of course, that's beyond the not drinking piece. And I think that the beautiful part about that was is, okay, first off, it was this long list of things that I asked that they do. So they would get up, um, you know, 10 to 30 minutes before the rest of the people in their family woke up, or if they routinely woke up at a certain time to get ready for work that they woke up prior to that in order to add on some extra grace within their morning.

(7:23 - 7:44)
And then I would ask that they, you know, sit down, meditate if that's what their word was, or they could easily just sit in silence for about five minutes. Um, that's without doodling or making lists or even petting the dog, but just sitting in silence. And then after that, they would open up their, Oh, I'm sorry.

(7:44 - 8:25)
And then after that, do a little bit of breath work in and out through the nose, just about 10 rounds and then open up their journal and journal, either stream of consciousness style, where they were just right and set their timer for 10 minutes, or there were prompts that they could use if there was something specific that they were kind of looking for, or a question that they wanted to answer from within, then they would journal on that. Um, and then yeah, some, a little mild stretching, if that fit and some of their goals and they would, um, write their gratitude. So, and actually the gratitude piece was.

(8:25 - 8:44)
I recommended they do that before they even put their feet on the ground. So when they woke up in the morning, the first thing that they would do is let us think of five things that they were grateful for. Um, and then an advanced level was actually doing the, um, attitude of gratitude list where you would just write down all the things that you were grateful for and feel into it and mean it.

(8:44 - 9:02)
And you could do that within a 10 minute period as well. So, yeah, I mean, although that sounds like a whole lot, that only takes about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on, you know, how deep you go into your quiet time where you're journaling, it can extend to 30. And I used to do that as well.

(9:02 - 9:23)
So a decade ago, that was what my morning routine looked like. And then now it's stepping outside in the morning with, um, a glass of water. This is a very beautiful way to, um, to receive what you need from the, from the earth.

(9:24 - 9:58)
And, um, so that's going to sound very, um, you know, very potentially out there for some of you, but there is some beautiful data and beautiful research that has been done, um, by Veda Austin. She actually is continuing the research that was originally done by Dr. Imoto, who photographed water crystals. And, uh, like after they were exposed to different sort of emotional environments and intention and Veda Austin has continued that work.

(9:58 - 10:10)
So if you don't know who she is, please look her up. She's actually, uh, it's really calming to listening, to listen to her speak. I just love the connection that she has with water.

(10:10 - 10:48)
She, um, through her work, she has shown how water forms distinct structures and patterns and response to words, prayer, and even thought. And this stuff is reproducible, meaning that you can do this in your home once you learn how to do it. And yeah, I mean, that's fabulous, right? In the conventional Western world of evidence-based, that hasn't been fully, um, followed, but if you actually really dive into any of that stuff anyway, there are a lot of holes within that, but this is reproducible, it's observable.

(10:48 - 11:23)
Um, and so what more do you need? And that's something that you can do in your own home. It's really fascinating. I mean, y'all, she has examples of the thought of a house and in the water crystal that's formed, it's a house and the, um, and she, if on her Instagram page, I believe it's her Instagram page that she would even put these out and say like, Hey, I would love for you guys to see what you see within the water pattern and the majority, like 90% majority would see the same thing that she would be seeing.

(11:24 - 11:43)
Um, so yeah, it's fascinating. So check that out. So my recommendation is, is to get a glass, um, container, a glass jug or a glass, um, um, or a glass cup, and then you fill it with water and that can be from your, from anywhere.

(11:43 - 12:03)
I mean, she has even done this research on tap water and being able to restructure it based on intention and word tap water, but your filtered water, your spring water, whatever you would like. And then, um, before you drink it, you thank it. Um, but that can look anything like sometimes it's mine is evolved.

(12:03 - 12:16)
I mean, I'm sorry. Mine is more involved where it's like, thank you. Watch a mama, um, for the water that falls from the sky and soaks into the soil and returns again to nourish me and my family.

(12:17 - 12:28)
Thank you for forming yourself into exactly what my body needs today. I trust you. On other days, it's much simpler where I'm like, Hey water.

(12:28 - 12:31)
I love you. Thank you. And then, and then drink it.

(12:31 - 12:48)
Um, but yeah, this can be a prayer, presence, intention, anything that you put into that water before you drink it. And it, um, and it honestly, y'all, it tastes better. So just do your own little experiments, see how it works for you.

(12:48 - 13:01)
And then I go outside and I step onto my four, my porch. Luckily my porch faces East. So I can see that rising sun directly into my eyes and on my skin.

(13:01 - 13:06)
Um, sometimes it's for five minutes. Sometimes it's for 30 minutes. There's no rule here.

(13:06 - 13:44)
I mean, we're really stripping this back to make it super simple. I just let that sun absorb into my skin and the beautiful piece about getting it within, I think it's the first 45 minutes of when the sun rises is you're getting the infrared and the infrared has so much, um, positive effects on we humans on our, um, on our cellular system, on our biology. Um, it regulates the cortisol awakening cycle, the wake sleep cycle.

(13:44 - 13:50)
It stabilizes our mood. It increases motivation and drive. It sets the melatonin timer.

(13:51 - 14:17)
Um, it signals to the brain that we are here and that we are safe and that we are in the world. And that infrared, um, and if you get that morning infrared light, then you can save yourself a lot of money. And instead of having to go to the infrared saunas, now it's a little harder for people who live in Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere, who might not get this morning sun, depending on the time of the year.

(14:17 - 14:42)
Um, and if that's the case, then absolutely going to, to infrared saunas are fantastic for this or a red panel. Um, but again, if you can get that morning sun, um, wherever you are, then that's, you know, free and it's a bonus if you can touch the ground with your feet, because then you'll receive that electrical charge that's from the earth as well. And that helps regulate inflammation and nervous system activation.

(14:42 - 15:01)
At that time. Some other things that the, that infrared light does is it improves circulation, pain and inflammation, muscle recovery, it enhances skin health. And the other thing that is extremely important with getting the circadian rhythm down is it helps with leptin.

(15:01 - 15:12)
And I don't know if you have heard of leptin, but it is similar to insulin. It's, um, it's in both of those things are hormones. Some people call leptin the master hormone.

(15:12 - 15:32)
I don't know if you've heard of that either, but really leptin really helps us with body weight and metabolism and reproductive function. So it helps manage and stabilize our. Uh, hormones are sex hormones are estrogen, testosterone, progesterone.

(15:32 - 15:55)
It's very important and often very overlooked. Interestingly enough within the genetic panel, we can look at your leptin. Um, if you have, if you potentially will have some leptin sensitivity, which just, again, it really helps inform us if we need to put a little bit more emphasis on supporting our circadian rhythm and other things that help with leptin.

(15:55 - 16:24)
Uh, another thing that's interesting about, um, leptin is it increases when we eat protein within the first 30 minutes of the day, uh, and some other things, but if you feel like you just can't lose some weight, oftentimes it, it has to do with this leptin hormone that isn't optimized and getting some morning sun can help with that. Right. So, gosh, why wouldn't we do it for advanced levels is to work on blocking out blue light.

(16:24 - 16:32)
Um, I'm not even there yet y'all. So again, I don't like to share information that I haven't actually put into my own life. That's yeah.

(16:32 - 16:50)
Again, like the advanced level it's where in the evening you get the evening sun, um, during sunset. And then you, um, and then you block blue light in the house. And so most of our light, most of the lighting within our house is led, which emits blue light.

(16:50 - 17:18)
And so blue light blockers and things like that, or not having lights on in the house or, um, or, you know, using candle and I'm kind of laughing because I can see myself eventually doing something like that, but it's just not part of my experience right now. But if you do that more power to you, you're like an advanced, um, uh, circadian rhythm hacker and I love it. And let me know, I would so love to talk to you.

(17:19 - 17:39)
And then also during that morning routine, right? So I got the water, I got the sunlight, it's doing all those groovy things to me. And then I, um, go through gratitudes and now y'all, this happens to me naturally now, this is not something that naturally occurred like 10 years ago, but now it's not, I don't even think about it. It's not something that I tried to do that.

(17:39 - 17:48)
I have to, to really say, Oh gosh, I gotta do my gratitudes. Now this has become second nature. So I have to tell you, please hear me when I say you can't change.

(17:49 - 18:15)
We can all change that's neuroplasticity. We have this ability to, when we like the whole name of this podcast is the habit of the mind. When we decide to do something, when we decide to make changes and we take those small step actions day after day, and we see ourselves as the, as the person that we want to be, when we see ourselves as this new identity, we can get there.

(18:15 - 18:25)
We can become happier. We can become more, uh, with this broader sense of well-being. We can change habits that we find that are not serving us.

(18:25 - 18:32)
We can change. We can change it. It doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't have to be, feel like it's a place of coming from black.

(18:32 - 18:59)
I mean, it truly is just, uh, believing in ourselves day after day saying, I want this thing in my life and I know I deserve it and I know that I can have it. And, um, one of the places to start is really getting into this practice of listing everything possible you can think of. And if it's the same thing every day, that's fine too.

(18:59 - 19:42)
But can you stretch it? Can you find even something more to be grateful for? And this can be that I breathe without even having to tell my body to breathe, that I can smell the scent of the fall air. I have, um, the ability to touch the soft fur of my cat or that I can see the beautiful Oak trees in my yard. Whatever it may be that I can hear the laughter of children, or I can hear the sound of music, um, that I can feel the sound of music in my body without even having to try.

(19:42 - 20:02)
I mean, this is the list of God. You can think of something every single day to be grateful for. And maybe sometimes it's even that I can fall into bed later on today in the evening and, um, and you're grateful for, for that and ending of the day because of the beginning of the next.

(20:03 - 20:28)
So once you get this into practice, then it becomes natural. So when I am outside drinking my water in the sunlight, I'm immediately flushed with gratitude of all of the beautiful things that are happening and happening in that moment, that tiny little split second of a moment in time, and then also the ripple effect that that has. Okay.

(20:28 - 20:41)
So now we're just going to like, um, my whole family is now coming home from their violin and viola lesson. Um, my husband's taking violin lesson when my other takes viola. So it's going to get noisy in here.

(20:41 - 21:01)
Let me actually shut the door. I think what's really interesting too, when I was reviewing and reading my genetic profile is that there is like this intuition that I had with, um, with. Not wanting to do things towards the end of the evening that caused me to have a problem sleeping.

(21:01 - 21:37)
Okay. So if we're talking about circadian rhythm, the wake sleep cycle, and we also have to look at, of course, the sunlight and morning routine sets us up for a day where we can, um, more manageably go into our natural cortisol flow higher in the morning, lower in the evening. What's interesting though, when we look at our genetics is that, um, my genetic profile shows that I can manage stress for a long period of time before I show symptoms within my body that then translate into my mind.

(21:37 - 22:19)
Um, which of course, you know, like when we look at it, we're like, yeah, oh my gosh, I totally knew that. But it's so cool to know that that's part of my, um, you know, genetic profile as well, but what that means is, is that I also, it takes a while for me to decrease from a high stress situation when I'm in it for a long period of time, because I hold onto it. And so I've always been adverse to, you know, working late in the evening when I would work these 12 hour shifts and my medical practice, I would come home and I would be extremely wired, but really tired and, um, and no wonder I went to wine, um, to, to unwind because, um, it was a quick strategy.

(22:19 - 22:49)
And now I, uh, you know, know better about that, but at that point I didn't, it was actually kind of smart of me to reach for something that was going to help turn off that cortisol, um, or release some of that cortisol I was holding onto, but what's really cool about knowing this is that, um, within it, there are strategies where we could, where I can unlock that cortisol from holding onto it. And so I'm not as emotionally charged at night. Uh, yeah.

(22:49 - 23:31)
So one of the ways is, is to have that infrared sun is what it's, um, is one of the, uh, added benefits, or I should say the data proven ways for me to really help kind of, um, release that stress throughout the day is to really set myself up early in the day for it. And then in the evening, really trying to block out some of that blue light, not watching movies later in the evening and things like that, um, because I'm just, I have, I'm more prone to hold it onto that cortisol than maybe others. So it's so beautiful when we can really use and harness what our genetic profile is telling us.

(23:31 - 23:59)
It gives us really also this permission to be like, oh my gosh, no wonder that how I have been my whole life. Now, I'm not wanting you to set up stories that you can't reframe, but it is so beautiful to also say, okay, this is kind of a natural propensity. So how can I support myself now in order to, um, you know, in order to, uh, be able to get full rest and full healing and then feel amazing the next day.

(23:59 - 24:46)
Now, maybe you guys hear that there is going to be some commotion in the background, but we'll wrap up by just really saying that, um, if you were listening and you're thinking like, I want that, I want to feel like myself again too, and all of that jazz, then I have five slots open for December for the DNA vitality reset. What this really looks like and why I say five spots open for December is that we need to get the test ordered now because it takes four to six weeks to get any sort of, um, genetic profile, uh, results back. And so, um, because I take so much time and intention to read the profile specifically for you, like going through your history, your health history.

(24:48 - 24:59)
Any, um, areas that you want to work at. It takes me a little time in order to read the profiles to make it very boutique and personalized. So yeah, five slots are open for December.

(24:59 - 25:29)
And then once those are taken, then I'll open it up for January. So if you really want to get set up for January in December, know what your genes are telling you so you can put the blinders on. And when you hear all of this noise about, um, different, be it exercise programs or supplements that you need to be taking, or whether you should be doing, um, cold plunges or any of that stuff, we can really tell you if it will fit within your genetic blueprint.

(25:30 - 25:53)
And so you can put your blinders on, you'll know exactly what foods you need to eat, exactly what supplements that you need to take if that's your jam. I also, um, support people in my practice with peptide therapy. And so if we need to do some gut healing, can also look to see what type of probiotic your body needs, if it needs it at all, and so much more.

(25:53 - 26:04)
And so. If that interests you, please reach out. There's a link within the show notes that you can contact me, or if you want to DM me on Instagram, that's groovy too.

(26:05 - 26:15)
So I just want to say that in closing. So as you move into tomorrow morning, um, don't just do like a morning routine. Okay.

(26:16 - 26:39)
I want you to really receive the morning. I really want the morning to be a ritual that you can really, um, put into practice that you drink your water with presence, that you watch the light rise and that you let your body remember exactly who she is and why she is here. And this doesn't have anything to do with like, you know, doing better at a morning routine.

(26:39 - 27:13)
All you have to do is just be there, just be there when the sun rises, be there with your water and be there with your breath and, um, yeah, and I'll see you next week and I really hope that you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed making it for you. And as always, please reach out if you have any questions, the world needs the vibrance and wisdom of a woman's intuition to help heal the world. When we learn to trust ourselves through leaning into and through discomfort, we learn to trust ourselves and in that space is our power and clarity.