Immune Boosting Açai Berry Smoothie

Hello friends! I’ve just returned from a 2 week trip to Sydney, Australia with a stop in Southern California on the way back! It was an incredible trip, we got to see the Sydney opera house, visit with friends we have not seen in many years, and pet koalas – seriously, so adorable.

I woke up today jet-lagged and with a little sore throat and knew that I wanted to attack this thing head on: enter this delicious immune boosting smoothie.

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This past week I asked my Insta-fam what you all were interested to learn more about, and most of you said morning routines! I’m really happy about that, because creating a mindful morning routine has been one of the best healthy hacks I started in 2018. And it’s no surprise that some of the world’s most successful people attribute having a solid morning routine to their success.

Why Morning Routines Are a Powerful Habit to Keep

Having a morning routine is a habit, and the more you do it, the easier or more intuitive it becomes. If you haven’t read my post on how to create and stick to habits, go check it out first and be sure to grab my free habits tracker while you’re there!

Now, morning routines are not just about waking up, brushing your teeth, drinking coffee, and heading out the door. Because let’s face it, most of us do that any way. This is about going deeper, and being intentional with your morning to set yourself up for success for the rest of the day.

Do you ever have a morning where you’ve snoozed one too many times, jump out of bed in a panic, hastily throw on whatever clothes you see first, and then grab a coffee on your way into work? How do you feel after a morning like that? Most likely frazzled, stressed, and not in a place to be creative and think outside the box.

The idea behind having a mindful morning is that you are calm, focused, and ready for your day by the time you arrive to work. Having time in the morning just for you, allows for time to de-stress and prioritize what is most important.

I’ll share with you my current morning routine, which is pretty tight to be honest because I’m doing my clinical internship at the moment, and I have to be at work by 7am. I’ll also show you my morning routine when I was working from home and would start around 8:45-9am.

Current Morning Routine:

5:30am Wake up using my sunrise alarm clock, turn on the electric kettle to heat some hot water for my lemon water and coffee. Brush teeth, splash face with ice cold water.

5:35 am Make my warm lemon water and protein coffee, bring both drinks back to my room and set my Insight timer for 10 minutes of meditation (I keep my phone on airplane mode in the morning to help minimize distractions from social media)

5:45 am Either write down or say out loud three things I’m grateful for. This helps to set my day off with a positive note.

5:50 am 10 minutes of light yoga and stretching to wake my body up more. I like Yoga with Adrienne’s videos on Youtube

6:00 am Get dressed (clothes are laid out from the night before), put some makeup on, and grab my lunch from the fridge (meals prepped from the night before)

6:15 am Head out the door and start my 45 minute commute to work

Now, this current morning routine is less than ideal for me TBH. But, I am still making sure to get in some meditation, movement, and gratitude journaling in first thing in the morning. I am pretty low-maintenance when it comes to work outfits, makeup, and hair so it really does only take me 15 minutes to get dressed and out the door.

If you need more time for this, make sure to be aware of how much time you truly need to get ready. I also wanted to share my morning routine from a couple months ago, because it was my *absolute* ideal.

Past Mindful Morning Routine:

6:00am Wake up, turn on the electric kettle to heat some hot water for my lemon water and protein coffee. Brush teeth, splash face with ice cold water.

6:05 am Make my warm lemon water and walk over to the living room and set my Insight timer for 10 minutes of meditation, lighting a candle or palo santo.

6:15 am Make my protein coffee, get dressed for the gym, and make my bed.

6:30-7:30am Workout at the gym down the street from my house – mix of strength training and cardio.

7:45am Back home, shower, get dressed for the day, and make breakfast (usually a green smoothie)

8:15am Write out my priorities list for the day as well as fill in my gratitude journal.

8:30am Start working from home!

I think both of these morning routines show you that whether you have 30 minutes or 2 hours in the morning, there is precious time to be taken advantage of. Instead of arriving to work flustered and unfocused, you can arrive having already accomplished some major things.

A good morning routine begins the night before. I will do another separate post about nighttime routines, because this will help set you up for success in the morning!

One of the most important things you can do to have a good morning routine without distractions is to keep your phone on airplane mode in the morning. I don’t turn on my phone on until I get in my car for Google Maps. This eliminates the distraction of checking Instagram or emails right in the morning, which immediately pulls your attention and focus away from the present moment.

Tips for Creating a Mindful Morning Routine:

-Set your alarm for even 10 minutes earlier in the morning. If you can’t seem to find time in the morning, start small. Remember, 5 minutes of meditation is better than none.

-Resist the urge to snooze! I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with the snooze. But I started saying to myself: “you snooze, you lose” and for some reason it gets me out of bed! Try it and let me know if it works for you too!

-Start with one thing at a time. You know the fastest way to fail at this? Try and do everything at once! Seriously, pick ONE thing and stick with it for at least one week before adding on something else. I always recommend starting with meditation. If you need some inspiration, check out this post on my favorite meditation apps.

-Change with the seasons and don’t be afraid to allow your routine to change! Right now, I’m in a season of intense work. I’m doing my clinical internship to become a Registered Dietitian and the hours are insane. That’s okay. I’ve adjusted my routine to still include just a few of my favorite things and when I’m back to a more relaxed work schedule, I’ll likely shift back into morning workouts and having a slower morning.

-Just do it. Seriously. However many excuses you have, just try out one simple thing like writing down 3 things you’re grateful for, or 5 minutes of mindful breathing. Whatever it is, try it out and stick with it for at least 2 weeks before deciding it’s not for you. And of course, report back and let me know how it goes!

So what do you think? Do you have a morning routine you love, or are you going to try one of the things listed here? Let me know in the comments below so I can hear about your beautiful mindful morning routines!

xo,

 

Last year I hosted a free 5 day habits challenge in an effort to help my community stick to five easy healthy habits. We focused on drinking enough water throughout the day, meditating daily, eating our greens, getting enough sleep, and exercising. These five habits are things we should all be doing, but often fall short.

Today, I wanted to dive deep into the psychology behind habit formation, and how you can actually start and maintain habits for life. Let’s jump in!

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Have you ever found yourself in a funk? Maybe thinking about how everyone else is somehow succeeding – whether it’s at life, career, family, money, body – and you are decidedly, not?

I used to be like this. I would get into downward spirals, sometimes on purpose, and just dig myself deeper and deeper with little light ever coming in. This happened especially when I was younger (being a teenager is tough!) and had very little confidence in myself.

I remember crying in my mom’s bed, telling her how I had no friends (completely untrue) and how I wasn’t smart enough (straight A student), and had no talent (captain of my basketball team and dancer for many years). My mom is amazing, but she would just look so confused, like why are you telling yourself this story?

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If you’re looking for a few simple ways to boost your metabolism, this will be the perfect blog post for you. I know there’s a ton of nutrition information on the internet (some credible, some not) – but when it comes to metabolism, there’s a few key things you need to know before we dive in to the nitty gritty.

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This may be my all-time favorite recipe. No lies. I absolutely love salmon, and let’s be honest, grilling it with some lemon and spices can get pretty old quickly. Enter these super delicious, super easy, super moist, salmon kebab skewers. I love this recipe because its easy enough to throw together during the week, but it also looks super fancy and as if you spent hours in the kitchen. Looking to impress some guests, definitely try this recipe.

Why Salmon?

Salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Meaning? As humans, there are two types of poly-unsaturated fats that we cannot make: Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids (aka alpha-linolenic and linoleic acids) are essential fatty acids, because our bodies cannot make them. These types of fats are needed in the diet, however the traditional American diet is heavy on the Omega-6 fats, and less so Omega-3. This is why people are often promoting Omega-3 fats because we often don’t get enough.

DHA and EPA are two types of fats that are made from Omega-3 fatty acids, and these are especially important because they help reduce inflammation, are critical in brain health (and brain development of your baby when you’re pregnant). Salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and I always recommend my clients to have 2-3 servings of fish per week. If you’re pregnant, better to stick to smaller fish to decrease the risk of mercury entering your bloodstream.

Genius Food

I recently picked up a copy of Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life, by Max Lugavere. In the book he talks about the benefits of eating wild salmon on brain health (in addition to reducing risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause mortality) specifically. Aside from EPA and DHA omega-3 fats (see above), wild salmon also has high amounts of astaxanthin. This carotenoid, he says, can boost cognitive function, protect the eyes and skin, and provide antioxidant effects and free radical scavenging.

Additionally, astaxanthin can “switch on” the gene for protecting DNA damage and the stresses of aging. It’s no wonder that fish is often promoted as a healthy source of protein, and salmon in particular has so many wonderful health benefits. If you’re interested in other genius foods, definitely check out this book!

Easy Weeknight Dinner

The other reason I love this dish, aside from the protein, omega-3 fats, and antioxidant power, is that it’s super easy to throw together on a weeknight. For instance, when I come home from a long day, the last thing I want to do is cook for an hour and a half, then wash dishes, and then the night is over (you may feel the same way?!). Instead, try eating these skewers straight from the skewer and not even use a plate: win-win!

Lastly, you can let these salmon kebabs marinate overnight, or even just throw it all together right when you get home – either way, this dish is delicious, healthy, and super moist and flavorful. In short, if you’re looking for a delicious, simple and healthy weeknight dinner – these salmon kebabs will be your new favorite recipe. Enjoy!

You might also like: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad