Baby, let me be your motivaton (note to self)

 

A lot of you were curious as to what keeps me motivated on a day to day basis. How do I stay committed? How have I not ‘fallen off’ in the past year and a half?

 

Here is my biggest and best secret: I am not motivated to eat healthy and work out every day. ‘Falling off’ has different degrees, and you have to get comfortable with the idea that there will be bumps in the road. Embrace the imperfect days because there will be SO many and you can’t let those deter you from your healthiest self.

 

I think, culturally, we have become accustomed to instant gratification, working hard when we feel like it. I choose to set myself to a higher standard. I always try to lift my gaze, I try to play the long game. Yes, I have immediate goals. But my biggest goal? Living a long, healthy and happy life. There is no quick fix there, I just show up every day. Each day brings a new set of circumstances and a new mood. I acknowledge that and I work anyway. It’s never really about motivation, it’s about discipline. It’s about being committed to yourself, to your health. And I also stopped telling myself that every workout had to be according to plan or every workout had to be amazing. They don’t have to leave you in a pool of sweat with sore muscles to count. If you just do your best every day, whatever that means for you. Your best will change day to day AND THAT’S OK. It’s normal, even.

 

I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, that you just have to do it. That the hard work is achieved by working hard. If you can get yourself to a place where you show up every day and get in your work out then I promise the feeling of motivation will strike in the midst or even after you have finished. You will think, wow, I didn’t feel like doing that at all but I did it and now I feel awesome and now I know that I AM capable of getting it done even when I didn’t feel like it at the beginning. This is a lesson that will resonate throughout your entire life. We don’t always FEEL like going to work, but when you are the one showing up and getting things done, the right people will notice. You may not FEEL like being open and honest and vulnerable with your significant other, but you will feel connected and your love will flourish as a direct result. Be about that delayed gratification life with a little instant sprinkled in every now and again because #balance.

 

Inspiration can be found on every corner of the internet. You have to decide that you are willing to put in work, that you are willing to put action before emotion. Then, every single day, regardless of the circumstances, you will be ready to put your best foot forward.

 

 

Tips

• Have definitive goals, write them down (don’t just have them in your head) and make both short and long term goals

• Use a reward system if that works for you, yas honey bribe yourself, we all deserve to be treated for hard work

• Stop thinking of it as a list of things you HAVE to do but as a list that you are CHOOSING to do and honestly, that we are privileged to.

• Put action before emotion, don’t wait to feel like it

• Find what works for you in an enjoyable way, make it FUN (don’t be miserable! If you hate running, don’t run. If you get bored easily, switch it up regularly)

• Find your tribe*

 

 

 

 

 

*if you are reading this, it’s probably because you are part of my tribe. Thank you for supporting and uplifting me every day so that I can be my best.

 

The Queen of Morning Routine

A few of you wanted some tips / advice on a morning routine. This is something I can definitely share with you as I went from giving myself just enough time to get out the door in the morning, to giving myself time to get a sweat in, shower, be ready for work and have time to spare.

 

What worked for me?

I started setting my alarm early just one day per work week. You can do anything for ONE day as long as you are committed and disciplined (these lessons are for another day) I found that I much preferred having more time in my mornings and that my mood and energy were both vastly impacted in a positive way on the mornings that I was waking up early. This is not to say that you personally HAVE to get up before work and do your workouts, nothing wrong with the evenings if that is what makes you feel good and what works for you.

I started adding more early morning wake ups over a 4 week period until I was getting up early Monday-Friday. It was just easier on my body to transition more slowly like this.

If you want to wake up earlier, YOU HAVE TO GO TO BED EARLIER. Caps, just to make sure you know I mean it. You still need adequate sleep. I wake up at 4:30 am and I lay down for bed at 8:30 and am asleep around 9. This is really important and why I think a lot of people struggle with waking up early, if you aren’t truly rested then of course you are going to be exhausted.

 

An evolution

My morning routine used to consist of scrolling through my phone for half an hour, stumbling out of bed, pulling on my workout clothes and getting in a workout before getting ready for work. It was all a rush and mostly a blur, but I got in that sweat. Morning workouts were my priority and focus and I didn’t bother with anything more.

Now my morning routine looks something like this…do not scroll through any feeds, pull on workout clothes, oil pull, start my lemon ginger tea, have a glass of cold water, get in my workout, stretch, have a green protein smoothie, skincare, shower and get ready for work, water my plants, listen to a podcast on the way to work.

I added things slowly. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Some mornings if I am feeling really tired or I didn’t sleep well, I take an extra hour to snooze. It should be about honoring your body and doing what’s for it, not punishing it.

 

Body care

I’m just going to touch on these briefly but they are a part of my daily morning routine and very, very important to how I feel throughout the day so I wanted to include them.

1. Skin care- I have never had a naturally clear and even complexion. I have to take care of my skin or it will get angry with me, and quickly. I have found that Tula has a great line of products that are working really well for my sensitive skin. They use probiotic technology in their products which are what can help to protect your skin from environmental stressors like air pollution, allergens, toxins, and UV ray exposure which we experience every day.
2. Oil pulling- yes, it seem hippie dippy, and maybe it is. But it works! Oil pulling is when you take a teaspoon-tablespoon amount of coconut oil and swish it back and forth (pulling it) through your teeth. This is an ancient Ayurvedic practice and I found that it really does work. It basically allows the crud in your mouth to stick to the oils and when you spit it in the trash (NOT DOWN THE SINK) all of that is removed from your mouth. For me, it feels like I have gotten a dental cleaning each morning and I have been able to tell a huge difference in the whitening of my teeth. I also started flossing after oil pulling and before brushing which has helped with my gum health.
3. Gut health- I am super prone to bloating and gas so when I found Organic Digest from The Natural Citizen, I was hoping it would sort me out even if just a little bit. I was so thrilled with the results coupled with starting most mornings with a lemon ginger tea that I have the Organic Digest each morning in either my smoothie or in my oatmeal. If there was only one product I could use for the rest of my life, it would truthfully be this one. I can tell such a difference in the way that I feel. You would be surprised how much your gut health affects your energy and overall mood! If you find yourself feeling bloated and blah more often than not, you should try this! A bag can last you a long time and you can feel free to use the coupon I use for myself FITGIRLK8 at check out. This gets $10 off and like I said, you can use it as much or as sparingly as you find works for you. Yay for no more bloat and blah!

 

I know ya’ll, it’s a lot. But our bodies work so hard to take care of us and preform the best that they can, we truly are worth the time and energy to make sure they can be as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

 

You time

Take 5 (or more) still minutes for yourself to set an intention for your day, to check in with yourself, to practice gratitude, to reflect on how you feel. This could be done by just sitting in stillness, through journaling or even through yoga. This may be something you have to work towards as those first few weeks may just be about getting your feet on the floor and your butt out the bedroom door. But I really encourage some stillness to your morning so you don’t start the day in a rush and then perpetuate that feeling all day long. It may seem like we spend our whole day with ourselves, but do we really? How often do you find time to sit with yourself, no phone, no one else, no noise? Probably not very often. I find that since starting my day mindfully I have become so much more calm, less stressed and just a kinder and more grateful person in general.

 

Tips

• Lay out your workout clothes (or sleep in them) in the bathroom or bedroom floor. If you don’t work out at home and you will be leaving to go to a gym or studio, make sure your bags are packed and ready to go the night before.

• Set multiple alarms in 5 minute increments of one another (I always set one for 4:25, one for 4:30 and one for 4:45 just in case)

• If you find that an early morning routine is making you exhausted and not serving you in a positive way, don’t bother. There is nothing wrong with having a different schedule from someone else. What’s awesome for me may suck for you.

• Put your phone into airplane mode before falling asleep if you struggle with social media addiction, this way you are not bombarding with tempting notifications upon waking up.

• Have a glass of cold water before eating or drinking anything else, you are super dehydrated from not having any water for 8 hours!

 

I hope you will find a morning routine to be as special and beneficial to you as mine is to me. But if you don’t, that’s ok, too!

XO