Waking Up Well: Dr. Casey Means's Fun And Functional Morning - Good Gear

Welcome to Waking Up Well, a column where we hand-select people we admire and ask them to share how they start the day. We think morning routines are a crucial part of an intentional wellness journey and we’re fascinated by the practices of our favorite figures.

Stanford-trained physician, tech entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Casey Means wants us to live in a world where there’s less disease and a more flourishing society — and she believes it all starts at the cellular level. Fueling our cells properly and prioritizing our metabolic health translates to better-functioning organs, healthier tissues, and overall wellbeing, all the way up to our mindset. She’s shared her insights on some of our favorite podcasts and, to be honest, it’s totally transformed how we think about our health.

Her book, Good Energy, launched in May, and months of book tour travel disrupted her regular routine. She recently returned home to Los Angeles with a renewed commitment to her daily health practices, including the morning that nourishes her cellular health. From her book to her metabolic health company, Levels, we know she’s a wealth of wisdom on supporting our daily functional health in simple ways that even our loved ones can join in on. So, we asked Casey to take us along for a morning of fun, functional healthy habits. (We also found out that Casey is currently focusing on supporting her hormones and mobility as she hopes to get pregnant in the near future! Tips for hopeful and expecting moms below.)

Read on for how she sets herself up with good energy for the day ahead.

6:00am | Quick wake-up & cleanse 🪥

My partner and I wake up to an iPhone alarm. We tend to start the day off blasting upbeat music in our house to get motivated! I brush my teeth with Dr. Bronner’s ALL-ONE fluoride-free toothpaste (while I attempt to make the bed with my other free hand!), wash my face with Osmia mud cleanser, put my contacts in, and head to the kitchen.

We’re getting out the door so quickly for the morning workout, so I don’t put on any makeup and tend to wear comfier, looser workout clothes. I usually save the cute activewear sets for my afternoon hikes! (If you must know, my favorite set right now is from my friend Gabby Reece’s clothing line, LAIRD.)

A gray tube of Osmia Purely Gentle Mud Cleanser with floral designs and product information on a stone surface, casting a shadow on the textured background.

6:10am | Energy-boosting coffee alternative ☕️

I’m in the kitchen, making my pre-workout coffee alternative: 1 Pique Nandaka packet, 1 scoop grass-fed Momentous Collagen, 1 scoop (5 grams) Momentous Creatine, a little bit of allulose by Rx sugar, and 6 ounces of grass-fed A2 organic milk by Alexandre Farms, all mixed together in my milk frother. Getting off coffee has been a game-changer for me — I don’t have an afternoon energy crash anymore!

6:15am | Family time & functional fitness 🏃‍♀️

We are out the door and on the way to a 6:30 a.m. workout class at F45. This is precious morning time when my partner and I get to chat and drive by the ocean on PCH! I always check my Oura ring data and Levels CGM data in the car to see my sleep score and glucose levels as well. Now off to our workout!

A person with medium-length auburn hair wearing a teal sports top and leggings stands outdoors with their back facing the camera, surrounded by lush green foliage.

7:35am | Set up circadian rhythms ☀️

When we’re home, I try to do something outside before taking a shower, to get the photons in my eyeballs and get those circadian rhythms set! I might empty our food scrap bowls into the compost bin and tend to that, survey the garden and remove any snails from our vegetables, open mail or Amazon packages outside and break down boxes, take a walk around the block, do a cold plunge in our Plunge tub, or meditate in the yard with my partner. The key is doing something early in the morning to get sun on the skin and eyes.

Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, my partner and I do a 10–20 minute meditation together, either on Insight Timer or the SRF app.

8:15am | Super smoothie moment 🥬

Time for my proper breakfast. I usually make a smoothie in the kitchen to make sure we get our protein and creatine in after our workout. This shake has literally everything you can possible imagine in it: Kale and green from our Lettuce Grow, Timeline Nutrition berry powder, beeya magnesium powder, maca, Momentous L-Glutamine, more Momentous Creatine, turmeric powder, beetroot powder, Be Well By Kelly Protein powder, Energybits spirulina, and chlorella, Mary Ruth’s liquid probiotics, Athletic Greens, Greens Powder by Solluna, blueberries, cauliflower rice, and water.

A woman in a teal workout outfit sits on the grass in a park, stretching her legs. She appears to be in the midst of a fitness routine.

8:30am | Extra clean makeup routine 🪞

Next I’m showering, blowdrying hair, and putting on makeup, as I often have to be on camera from my home office for podcast recordings, talks, or interviews. I love clean beauty. I use Timeline skincare which focuses on the mitochondrial health of the skin for my face, and Osmia body oil for the rest. Then I put on Ilia foundation, Rituel de Fille highlighter, Beautycounter cream blush, Thrive Causemetics mascara, and Thrive liquid eyeliner. I use Giovanni hair serum and spray for my hair.

9:00am | Treadmill desk and a bit of magic 🪄

After showering and getting ready, I head over to my computer. I have a standing treadmill desk so I always start the morning walking at a slow speed. I tend to start the day here and then move to my outdoor standing desk in the yard as it gets sunnier out. I always have a huge container of water at my desk with a splash of lemon juice with sea salt from Spicewell for electrolytes.

I have a neon sign that my boyfriend gave me that says “Magic” above my desk so I turn that on to set the mood for my day!