Why This Superstore Actress Starts Her Mornings With a Cold Shower

What's the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? A well-rounded morning routine sets the tone for the day and gets you prepped—both mentally and physically—before diving into a packed schedule filled with emails, chores, happy hours, workouts, and more. Our series Morning Person profiles those who have mastered the art of the morning routine. Tune in every Monday morning here and on our Instagram to learn exactly how the pros get it all done before the sun comes up, from their go-to breakfasts to their a.m. workouts.

As someone who has a tough time waking up in the mornings, I always wondered how actors deal with early morning call times, late-night shoots, and weird sleep patterns in general. Are they just generally morning people? So it was kind of reassuring to hear that Nichole Bloom, who plays Cheyenne on NBC's Superstore, isn't an early morning person. In fact, she told us that she missed her call time once by four hours. Stars, they're relatable!

Bloom shared her recent morning routine with us (in light of social distancing). See how she's starting her day during this time below.

When I'm in the midst of work on Superstore, I normally have to be on set by 7 a.m., which for me means I will sleep in until the VERY last minute because I'm truly not an early morning person. I'm getting better at waking up early, but I used to do anything for just a few extra minutes of sleep—like going to work in the same clothes I slept in and chewing gum first thing in the morning instead of brushing my teeth to save time. One time, I wanted to sleep in so badly that I kept hitting snooze in my sleep, and production sent someone to my house to make sure I wasn't dead. I woke up four hours late that time. What can I say? I really love and NEED my sleep. So being able to get nine to 10 hours a night has been something I'm fully enjoying during this quarantine.

Eyes open: This is when I naturally wake up. I used to feel like a lesser person because getting up early was so hard for me, and I always thought being a "morning person" sounded cool. But then I got an email from 23andMe, and it turns out my genes actually indicate I'm predisposed to wake up "around 8:30 a.m." It's a relief to have a genetic explanation for this! You're amazing, 23andMe. ILYSM.

Most mornings I skip washing my face and instead run an ice cube all over it. My facialist explained to me this is gently exfoliating and decreases oil. If I'm taking a shower in the morning, I do some cold therapy (à la Wim Hof) and start with hot, then run cold water at the end. Taking cold showers has many benefits, including strengthening the immune system and managing stress. I never thought I could get used to the feeling of a chilly shower, but they really do begin to feel good!

I fill a large glass with half-cold and half-boiling water to get the perfect "warm" temperature to squeeze my lemon into. The water must be warm and not super hot in order to preserve the active enzymes and nutrients that can get killed off in hot water. This is also around the time that my gremlin child Pikachu (my dog) gets hungry, so I feed him and let him out to wee.

Along with water and lemon, the Glowing Green smoothie is what makes my tummy happy and feeling good from the start of the day. It is so hydrating, satiating, and nutritious. I discovered it when I read The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder, which is my food bible. The book is all vegan (which I'm def not), so I appreciate that the principles can work and be flexible to whatever your food preferences are. I also love her podcast, The Feel Good Podcast With Kimberly Snyder, where she just posted an episode on natural ways to protect against the coronavirus, so I'm going to listen to that later.

The Breville Espresso Maker is my love. I used to go buy a latte almost every day from the coffee shop by my house, so I consider this one of my smartest investments. Once I have my coffee, I sit down to journal and get my thoughts out before I go on to whatever else I do that day—whether it be a workout, a surf session, or an audition. Every day is different, but when I start my mornings with all my favorite rituals, it makes me feel lighter on my feet and more grounded in my mind.