Over the past year, many of us have changed our morning routine. We’ve adapted to working from home or different schedules and adopted new ways of getting through lockdown, from daily walks to an energising sea swim. It might mean taking time to make porridge to set you up for the day or doing the Irish Times crossword. Many people have started to include some morning exercise into their WFH routine – making use of that saved commuting time to do something they might never have got round to if not for Covid.

But even if your mornings generally feature Coco Pops and throwing together kids’ lunches, these five tips could become new habits at the weekends. From a great start to speedy self-care, here are some ideas for a brand new day …

1 Yoga teacher Maura Rath offers online yoga classes on weekdays live at 7am, while at weekends there are 8am sessions; Rath also runs a virtual corporate studio for businesses, to support staff working from home. Somehow online classes can be easier – there’s no pressure, no rushing to and from class, and it’s a great way to begin yoga or take it back up. See www.yogawithmaura.ie to book, with classes from €8.

2 Outdoor yoga is the perfect social-distance activity, with mats spaced out on the grass or beach. Chris Molloy is a skilled teacher who will inspire you to do downward dogs in the great outdoors. She has set up The Outdoor Yoga Society, and you can join her sessions around the city, from Herbert Park (Saturdays) to Dun Laoghaire. There are also classes available outdoors from Cavan to Kildare and Sligo. If you can’t get there, Molloy offers online classes too, and her Yoga Nidra wind-down sessions on Instagram Live on Wednesdays, 8.30pm are popular too, for the end of the day. www.chrismolloyyoga.com

3 Many health and beauty experts I talk to start the day in a bracing way. Tracey Woodward of Irish brand Modern Botany, for example, tells me she swears by the benefits of a cold shower for glowing skin. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s invigorating and will wake you up and get your circulation going, especially if you’re not sleeping well.

4 Follow this with a full body moisturise. While most of us are now pretty good about applying a face cream and SPF every day, who has the time to put on body moisturiser every day? But as we approach summer, we’re tackling dry skin without taking too much time about it. I’m finding Aveeno® Daily Moisturising After-Shower Mist (€7.99) to be a quick and low-maintenance way to pack some moisture back into skin that’s been covered up all winter. I wasn’t sure that a mist spray would be as effective as a body cream – but actually a daily spritz of this light glycerin and oat peptide blend locks in moisture and sinks in fast, so you don’t have to stand around and wait for it to dry. Plus it’s fragrance-free so doesn’t clash with your perfume …

5 Talking of which, a bright, sunny scent can help to lift you up for the day ahead: I’m currently wearing the new Neroli oil from essential oil experts, The Nature of Things, based at The Chocolate Factory in Dublin. Benoit Nicol notes that neroli, distilled from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, in this case from Tunisia, is a very expensive oil to distill. “We combine it with organic jojoba oil – this well-balanced blend can be used as a luxurious perfume oil to apply on your neck or wrists.” I wear their lovely jasmine oil as a perfume regularly. Nicol describes neroli as a “feel-good” oil that can help you feel more positive and calm, so also drop some into your diffuser to make your home office smell great all day. €38, at shops nationwide and www.thenatureofthings.ie.

www.Aveeno.ie