Inside Our Healthy Morning Routine
We love to travel but we also love to return home. One of the main reasons we love returning home, besides the beauty of Arizona, is because it allows us to jump right back into our healthy routine. We are definitely a family that enjoys a healthy routine. Today, we will give you insight into our healthy morning routine which lends itself to a more energized, productive day.
As we mentioned in an earlier blog, a healthy morning begins the night before with a good nights rest, i.e. don't stay up too late and ensure you get 7-8 hours of sleep.
We rise every morning without the use of an alarm clock between 5am-6am. We are sure there are some that will read this and think, no alarm clock...yeah right. So, if you are not a morning person YET, don't worry. Go ahead and set an alarm because when establishing a healthy routine and really being able to create a healthy habit, consistency is important.
The first thing we do every morning besides make the bed is immediately put our workout clothes on. Being in them will help eliminate excuses and increase your chances of following through with your workout.
The next thing we both do upon waking is drink a tall glass of water. After 8 hours without food or water, your body is in a mild state of dehydration. A tall glass of water first thing will do the trick. Remember, water is the ultimate hydrator! We actually keep a large bottle of water between the sinks in our bathroom and hydrate whenever we get out of bed, especially Katie when nursing Sophia.
Then...COFFEE!!! Nothing better than starting our day with a black coffee, or two as Grahame prefers. We LOVE our Nespresso! Okay, we have to be honest, we are kind of coffee snobs even going so far as to having to have our coffee in special double walled glass cups. But in our defense, friends and family are instantly sold after trying the coffee cups just once. We avoid creamers and sweeteners as they are extra calories and ruin the amazing taste of coffee ;-). For us, we would rather not spike our blood sugar as it will have a negative effect on the next part of our morning routine. Coffee time is also when we take 10-15 minutes to check morning emails, stocks, news, etc.
Next comes our favorite part of the morning...going into Sophia's nursery after hearing her awake in her crib. Every morning when we go in, she is standing in her crib with the biggest smile on her face. So blessed!! Our healthy routine doesn't just involve the two of us, she is part of the family too. And remember, no excuses! By the time Sophia wakes up, we are done with our coffee, emails and all ready to go...running that is! After Katie nurses Sophia, we leave her in her pajamas, grab her water and head out for our morning run. You will notice at this point, we have had zero calories so far in the day which is by design. Running or working out on an empty stomach forces your body to dip into fat stores more quickly.
We run 5 days a week, just over 3 miles and alternate who pushes the jogging stroller aka "The BOB" which we love. We run in a fairly hilly area so there are lots of ups and downs which makes for a great loop that typically takes 25-26 minutes to complete. And as for Sophia, she loves to be included. Running 5 days a week with her has created her own little routine, plus she enjoys the fresh air and being in nature. We don't always take the same 2 days off, we just listen to our bodies, make sure we get in at least 5 days but also know the importance of rest and recovery. Running or working out early also sets your metabolic rate at a higher level for the rest of the day. This is where the excess energy comes from.
So, the last and most important part of our morning routine is eating a healthy breakfast. We eat the same breakfast pretty much everyday, of course improvising a little if we run out of something. As we mentioned in previous blogs, we prefer to eat organic whenever possible. Our typical breakfast consists of:
2-3 Egg White or Whole Eggs
1 Chicken Apple Sausage (Skinless, Free of Nitrates)
1 Cup of Gluten Free Oatmeal (Made with water) - Bakery on Main or Glutenfreeda
Large Glass of Water
*Occasionally, a serving of fruit or an unsweetened apple sauce
Oh...and a whole lot of vitamins but we will save that for another blog!
For us, we love our morning routine. It is hard to be anything but positive after beginning the day this way. We encourage you to create your own healthy morning routine. It may not be easy in the beginning but with time, you will grow to love it. And, you will feel amazing all day long.
Have a great morning!