Alison Wu is the founder of Wu Haus, a destination for recipes, tips, and inspiration (just one look at her feed is guaranteed to make your stomach growl). With her posts ranging from healthy eating advice to cultivating healthy friendships, Alison’s goal is to empower and inspire people to take control of their health. She’s a big proponent of meditation, drinking lots of water, and getting eight hours of sleep, making how she gets so much done such a mystery. Wondering how this Portland-based wellness guru ends her balanced day? Read it all below.
6:30 P.M. My husband and I usually end our days around 6:30 P.M. and begin prepping dinner to our favorite playlist of the moment. Eating nutrient dense, nourishing meals is incredibly important to us. I’m a big proponent of understanding what your body needs and feeding it accordingly. For example, in times of heightened stress or anxiety, we’ll cook warming, grounding foods that balance the 1st chakra (muladhara or root) to bring us back down to earth. My husband usually helps me cook, and we chat about our days.
7 P.M. I’m a firm believer in needing to disconnect in order to reconnect with family, friends and the inspiration that exists all around me. My husband and I take a break from social media and email during dinner to enjoy an hour or so of uninterrupted time together.
 8 P.M. After a cleaning up dinner, it’s time to take our dog Tilly for an evening walk. Especially on crazier days, I like to use this time as a walking meditation, being in the moment and taking in my surroundings without judgement.
 8:30 P.M. To begin the unwinding process, I’ll prepare a cup of calming tea using herbs like chamomile, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, lemon balm and cinnamon, which all have comforting effects on the nervous system. I like to store each of these herbs in a separate jar so I can pull them out, smell them, and choose a unique combination to make each evening. I use tea time to unplug from my phone and computer and focus my attention on the present moment, read an inspirational book or write in my journal.
 9 P.M. Creating a bath time ritual is one of my favorite ways to practice self care. I love making over-the-top baths (proof here, here and here) and really taking the time to relax my body and my mind. When I’m feeling extra festive, I love adding flowers and citrus to my bath and surrounding the tub with crystals and candles. I’ll skim through a book of poetry or just close my eyes and let my senses take over.
9:30 P.M. My nighttime beauty routine is pretty simple and straightforward. Before applying any products to my face, I use my jade roller to help with increased blood circulation and decrease inflammation. I then wash my face with Osmia Organics Black Clay Facial Bar, moisturize with January Labs Retexturizing Night Cream and I’m done!
9:45 P.M. I’ll prepare a castor oil with a stress relieving essential oil blend and apply it for 20-30 minutes while lying in bed reading a book or catching up on the news. One of my intentions for 2018 was “less scrolling, more page turning,” so it’s important for me to disconnect from my phone before bed in order to fully relax.
10-10:30 P.M. Lights out.