Emma Blomfield is a Sydney interior designer in her late 30s who runs a business that is especially popular with Gen Z clients who want their homes styled.
6.30am: I used to live in an apartment right on the train line, so I trained myself to sleep with my Google Home playing “Country Night” sounds to drown out the trains. Now ironically, I can’t sleep without the sound of crickets. My Google Home doubles as my alarm, so it goes off most workdays somewhere between 6 and 7am depending on the day. My partner is a rescue helicopter pilot and often up an hour before me. I’ll usually stir when he leaves, then roll over for a bit longer. When my alarm finally goes off, I do a quick scroll through my phone – usually catching up on WhatsApp messages from friends overseas or anything I’ve missed overnight.
6.35am: I’m lucky to live near a fantastic off-leash dog park, so my mini schnauzer Louis and I head over for a few quick laps. Louis immediately finds his best friend, a sausage dog named Nutmeg who he chases around the cricket oval while I listen to a podcast. Lately it’s been Marketing ATM, hosted by my friend Jess.
7am: Back home for a quick shower before heading to pilates. I try to go twice a week to keep my strength up – I’ve been doing pilates for about 12 years now and absolutely love it. I have tried doing it in the evenings after work but can’t ever find the motivation so two mornings a week suits me better then it’s done and I don’t have to think about dreading exercise for the remainder of the day.
8am: My pilates studio is conveniently in a little village of shops, so I run a couple of errands straight after class – picking up dry cleaning and grabbing some fish for dinner tonight. My partner will be home well after 7.30pm and if he gets called out late he may even sleep at the base so I’m on dinner duty.
8.30am: I stop home briefly to change. I have clients coming into the studio today so activewear won’t quite cut it. Before leaving, I take my morning supplements – I’ve been religious about taking marine collagen every morning for the past three years. Then Louis jumps in the car and we head to the office. I live about ten minutes from work in Mosman, so I stop at Pattisons for a chai latte and pick up a chimichurri chicken bowl from CaliPress before what is going to be a pretty full day.
9am: Breakfast is always simple – sourdough toast with Vegemite eaten at my desk while the kettle boils. I easily get through two or three cups of herbal tea during the day, so the kettle goes on early.
9.15am: By this time the team has usually arrived and the studio starts buzzing. We’ll often gather around the meeting table, opening fabric samples and material swatches that have been couriered overnight. Being an interior designer means there’s always something new arriving – tiles, finishes, wallpaper samples. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job before we all dive into emails and site visits or client meetings for the day.
What dietitian Jemma O’Hanlon, chief executive of Foodwatch says:
It’s great to hear you love cooking fish for dinner for you and your partner. Enjoying fish two to three times a week is recommended by the Heart Foundation for good heart health and also helps reduce the risk of stroke, macular degeneration and dementia.
Collagen’s health benefits are emerging in scientific research, particularly for skin hydration, elasticity, density and wrinkles. Chai lattes can be a delicious start to the day, although depending on how they are made, often contain some added sugar.
Herbal tea is a really good choice to keep you hydrated throughout the day and mixes things up from your standard glass of water.
Go for wholemeal or wholegrain toast with your Vegemite and try to enjoy it mindfully before you get stuck into your work. Why not mix it up on occasions with some sliced avocado on top for extra healthy fats, antioxidants and fibre.
Nice work on planning a healthy lunch in advance. It’s always good to have a plan around what your day will look like food wise. Many of us can so easily fall into the trap of reaching for the most convenient options at the last minute, which are rarely nutritious choices.
What exercise scientist Dr Justin Keogh, an associate dean at Bond University says:
Starting the day with a walk with your mini schnauzer Louis and doing pilates twice a week is a great way to get quality time with your dog as well as the cardiovascular, mental and musculoskeletal health benefits of these early-morning physical activities. While pilates is great for improving flexibility, core muscle strength and endurance to minimise/rehabilitate chronic low back pain, it may not prove sufficient to improve muscular and bone strength throughout the entire body. Adding in one to two sessions per week of gym or home-based resistance training exercises that target the upper and lower body muscles may further assist you perform some of the physical activities required in your job and reduce your risk of physical decline and developing osteoporosis-related fractures as you get older.