Creating a New, Healthier Daily Routine

It's time for a new beginning!

I've created a healthy daily routine and I'm implementing it today :)

This is my fresh start to building a solid foundation with which to expand.

Morning

I read a lot of articles about how setting time aside in the morning is one of the habits most successful people have in common. So I've decided to stop rushing out the door and grabbing breakfast to eat in the car, I've decided to stop sleeping in as late as I can & I've decided to make the mornings my time to organize my thoughts and my life for the upcoming day.

Waking Up

Let us all make it a goal to start waking up at the same time everyday. It's actually really good for your health to have your circadian rhythm in sync. Oh, and don't set 5 alarms and keep hitting snooze. Wake up the first time your alarm goes off, seriously, you'll feel so much more energized.

Once you get into the habit of waking up at the same time everyday, you will begin to rise at this time naturally - even without your alarm clock. 

First Things First

I'm keeping a dream journal beside my bed. As soon as I wake up I write down anything I remember right away. Eventually, you'll begin to remember your dreams with great detail, all the time. 

Taking Care of Business

After writing down my dreams, I go to the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth, pee. Ya know, all the things you do when you wake up.

Tea Time

Tea is incredible for flushing out toxins, getting a touch of caffeine, and welcoming all the natural antioxidants it provides into my morning. I'm not a huge fan of coffee, and tea is healthier anyway. I'm trying to flush everything bad out of my system and learned tea can really help detoxify. I don't add any sugar or milk because well...sugar is addictive and milk is fattening & quite frankly, utterly disgusting. If you need to improve flavor, add some almond milk.

Yoga

Take your lovely cup of tea to your yoga mat, letting it cool as you warm up for your day. I take around 20 minutes to do some yoga and wake my body up. Then I take another 10 minutes to meditate and focus on calming my mind for what the day is about to bring.

Getting Ready

Now that my mind and body are ready to take on the day, it's time to prepare the rest of myself. I take a shower, do my hair, make-up, get dressed, make my bed. Everything I have to do to prepare for work. 

Eating

Don't you dare not eat anything in the morning. JUST DO IT. Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism, gives you energy, helps with weight loss, and prevents mid-morning snacking (you know, that time when you want to grab a donut from the break room). The best time to eat is 1 hour after waking up.

The catch is to make sure it's a healthy breakfast. It won't do you any good to have sugary pancakes and then crash at 10 am. Make sure your breakfast is balanced and healthy. I like to eat an omelet with a ton of veggies (spinach/mixed greens, green pepper, onion, banana peppers, etc.) then I add a side of fruit.

Time to Work

Now is when most of you will be leaving to go to work or school. I, however, have a slightly different kind of job, so I am going to be working at my desk at home making phone calls, or driving off to a clients house. 

The first few hours at work are the most important. Save the easy work for 3 pm when you're crashing and start off with the hard work while your mind is sharp and ready to attack the problems. 

Make sure you bring a refillable bottle of water with you for the day! Water is the most important thing your body needs. Please, for the love of god, STOP drinking soda. That shit is so bad for you. Coca Cola literally erodes rust...imagine what it does to your soft pink intestines (hint: it's terrible). And NO the sugar free soda is not better for you. It contains a lot of ingredients which are arguably worst than regular soda. Just cut all the soda out of your diet and watch the pounds wash away as your energy increases and you stop feeling so lethargic. 

Afternoon

All the working is going to make you hungry at lunch time!

Lunch

Make sure your lunch is healthy and balanced, just like breakfast. We've all been there when we grab a slice of pizza and call it a day. If you pack your own lunch, you'll save money, calories, and time. Bringing your own lunches (and preparing them all ahead of time on Sunday) will make the food healthier, it costs less than buying everyday, and it also gives you more time on your lunch break. 

I like to make a wrap, salad, or something light for lunch, with sides of protein, healthy fats, and enough food to make sure I'm full until dinner.

Make sure to drink a whole bottle of water with the meal to stay hydrated!

CHANGES!! :)

Evening

After work ends, don't just rush home, whip your bra off and put on Netflix. I know you want to, but it's not a good routine. 

Relax a Bit

Tie up loose ends, check emails, get the mail, pick up the house that you left in a wreck when you left in the morning because I mean honestly...who cleans in the morning. 

Exercise

You can workout whenever you want to, but I like to do so after work in the evening, or mid-afternoon on my days off. It gives me enough time to come down from the natural high, and I am not a morning person, I'm too tired and feel nauseous when I try to workout early. If it works for you, I've read there are plenty of benefits for working out in the morning.  

I'll be getting my gym membership back once work kicks back in, but until then, on nice days I'll go on hikes, run outside, do yoga, and at home workouts.

Stretch!!!!! Goodness, for some reason nobody seems to find this important except for the professionals. Stretching is what loosens the lactic acid that you just built up in the muscles during your workout. It lengthens the muscles and helps with the soreness. 

Drink a protein drink after working out to help your muscles heal followed with a ton of water! 

Dinner

Make yourself a lovely healthy beautiful dinner. Don't heat up anything out of a box...we are living bodies and our temples deserve pure nutrients. It's really easy to learn how to cook for yourself. They even have a lot of companies that deliver the exact food you need for the meal right to your door. Sign up, you lazy shopper! Just follow directions...how can you fuck that up?!

Again, make sure to be drinking that water. Flush out the toxins. Your pee should always be clear!

Clean Up

Don't just leave everything lying around for later. That's tacky, nasty, and childish. Put the dirty dishes in the dish washer, wash the pots and pans/anything you need to wash by hand. Wipe down the counters and clean the kitchen table. 

Night

We just had an amazing day! Night time is more about preparing for the next day than anything else. Don't just waste your life away by sitting on social media, or vegging out on Netflix. We're better than that now. We have the same amount of time every single day. How are you going to get better at life if you're wasting precious time in front of a screen?! Now is the time to follow your passion. Your dreams. 

Learn

Take some time to grow. Read a book, write in your journal, research a topic that you don't quite understand, watch TED Talks. Take an hour and just learn. The only way to get better is to learn, grow, and become better everyday. Educating yourself is the best way to do that. 

Wash Up

Change into your PJs. Wash your make-up off/shower if you do so at night. Pamper yourself a bit with a face mask, maybe do your nails, have a foot bath. Just relax and make sure your body is feeling good after the long day. 

Relax

Now it's time to relax! Pour yourself a glass of wine, crack a beer, make sure it's only one, and put on your favorite show. Read a book for leisure. Paint, color, draw. Whatever you want to do to relax and wind down at the end of the day. 

Meditation

Right before you're ready to head to bed, take some time to meditate. This is my favorite time because you're resetting yourself for sleep and healing after a long crazy day of learning and growing. I usually stretch again and do some bedtime yoga because my body's sore and then I spend 15-20 minutes in silence on my yoga mat meditating. 

Sleep

Finally, it's time for bed. You should be feeling relaxed and accomplished, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. If you're not, then you're not living life to the fullest, which is exactly what we're focused on changing. 

I pass out within minutes of laying down. I know how to quiet my mind and find my sleep space and slip right into my dream world. 

Tomorrow we do it all again!