Like most people, you set a new year’s resolution. At the beginning of the year, you’re excited about it. However, after the first month hits, it’s easy to let your motivation slip away. What I’ve learned in the past is that if my resolutions are too out there (so different from my norm), I’ll fail right away. When I create habits that are easy for my lifestyle, however, they get adopted without question. That’s where my new morning routine comes in.

When I changed my diet (which I talked about here) a couple of years ago, creating a healthy breakfast habit was something I really worked on. I wanted to create a routine that felt second nature, and simple to incorporate into my day to day. I wanted to stick with it, so I kept it easy. Since everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I took the first step and started making a healthy breakfast every morning. I had little time to spare, but wanted something tasty, which introduced me to my one true love: smoothies. Everyone who knows me knows that even in the 13-degree winter, I still have a smoothie in hand. I love how they’re jam-packed with nutrients but crazy delicious and satisfying. I think we can all agree that it’s harder to get our fruits and veggies in than our bread, carbs, fats, etc, so I love how smoothies make this really easy.

Along with getting into healthier breakfast items, I started incorporating other healthy morning habits which included getting my body right by exercising, stretching to stay limber, and keeping my gut healthy with my fave probiotic Renew Life® Ultimate Floraâ„¢ Women’s Care Probiotic (available here & more info on where to buy below).

Since I know the first step to change is often the hardest, today, I’m sharing my 4 favorite smoothie recipes that helped me kickstart my mornings as well as some other healthy habits that are guaranteed to set your day up for success!

Check the recipes out below. (The Green Machine is my absolute favorite)

The Green Machine

• 1 cup of spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 cup of almond milk to blend

Banana Berry Blast

• 1 cup frozen berries (I use a mix of blueberries/raspberries)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp agave (or honey) (optional)
• 1 scoop of plant protein powder (optional)
• 1 cup of almond milk

Chocolate Banana Thickshake

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp agave (or honey) (optional)
• 1 scoop of plant protein powder (optional)
• 1 & 1/2 cup of almond milk

Mango Orange Sunrise

• 1 orange (with skin cut off)
• 1/2 cup of frozen mango
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp agave (or honey) (optional)
• almond milk to blend

*An important note: as you can see, I didn’t add an exact amount for the liquid required in the recipes above. If you prefer a thinner smoothie, you may need to add a little more almond milk. If you prefer a thicker smoothie, add less liquid than suggested. This doesn’t make a huge difference in the taste or calories at all, just in the consistency! Also – since I like a sweeter smoothie, I tend to add a splash of agave, but if its sweet enough for you without – feel free to leave it out! Feel free to make these recipes your own, they’re just flavor guidelines.*

Other healthy habits to incorporate into your routine today:

Take a probiotic

I’ve talked a lot on here in the past about my digestion issues, and I’ve had a host of them over the years. (Feel free to check out how I cured my digestive issues: here.) When I started on the path to fixing my digestion, I began taking a probiotic recommended by my doctor: Renew Life® Ultimate Floraâ„¢ Women’s Care Probiotic 25 Billion. I’ve been taking this probiotic for years now, and it has truly changed my digestion for the better.

If you’ve ever had digestive issues in the past or simply want your gut to be the best it can be, you should definitely incorporate taking a probiotic into your daily routine. While probiotics help to support digestive health, they’re also great for your immune system.

The Renew Life Women’s Care has 25 billion live cultures per capsule (basically, the more cultures the better when it comes to probiotics) and it’s dairy, gluten, and soy free, so it’s perfect for everyone. Along with that, Renew Life Women’s Care Probiotic is the #1 Women’s Probiotic (based on sales units). You can pick it up at Sam’s Cub, where they exclusively carry the 90ct bottle. You only have to take it once daily, so the big bottle lasts forever—which I love. And it’s something that has been so easy to incorporate into my life. Find it at Sam’s Club here.

Stretch it out

Stretching has been a huge help for me! A few years back, I discovered I had sciatic problems and my back was constantly hurting. I went to a chiropractor for a bit to see if that would help ease my pain but after a few months, I determined I had to take manners into my own hands. I started to incorporate stretching into my daily routine for 15 minutes a day, and it made all the difference.

If you’re new to stretching and don’t have a routine in place, turn to google! For weeks, I googled “lower back stretches” until I found a few I liked and still use them today.

 

• Drink a glass of lemon water

When I get up in the morning before I hit the gym, I make sure to have a glass of lemon water. Lemon water has been proven to stimulate your liver (through the citric acid in it) and helps it detox.  People who drink lemon water in the morning report that they experience a big mental boost and have increased energy!

• Make a to-do list

Time and time again, it has been proven that you’re more likely to accomplish a task if you write it down. While i’m big on online notes, I have made it a habit to jot down my to-do’s in a notebook at the beginning of the day, so that I have a framework of what I need to get done before the day is over.

I find that writing things down and checking them off really helps to hold me accountable and keeps me productive.

I hope you guys enjoyed the recipes and learning a little more about my morning routine. While I don’t have it down perfect *at all*, it’s something I’ve been working on throughout the years, and am getting better at day by day. I really think all of the above has really helped to set me up for success and feel more accomplished than I ever have before. I’d love if you guys could share some of your morning routines in the comments – would love to hear what we have in common!