Mornings are madness around here. Like, someone get Blake up, I need to get to the gym, shower, wait, I need to eat breakfast to crap I should probably brush my hair kind of madness. Does that about sum it up for you? 😉 HA! One goal I had for the new year though was to get into a better morning routine, not just for myself but for Marcus and mainly Blake — she needed some consistency and a little structure in her mornin’ life. 😉

We started off slow with both Marcus and I getting up at the same time, he would jump in the shower, I would work on breakfast/answering emails, then we would switch and I would get ready for the day and by ready, I mean like 5 minute hair brush and a little makeup — I don’t get the luxury of showering everyday. HA! I’m kidding, but seriously I don’t. It was working well for us and things were going smoothly! Blake was doing better in the morning and I was a little less frazzled by 9am than before. Once we had that figured out for about a month, we said, okay let’s healthy things up. We had big goals and wants for change this year and organization, structure and our health were our main priorities. However, we wanted to do things right and slowly because in the past when we tried to change 10 different things in one day it backfired and we were back to our old ways within a week. So we slowly introduced a healthy lifestyle. Marcus would work out at night after Blake went to bed and I started waking up earlier and hitting the gym for a 30-45 minute work-out before our new morning routine! Guys — it’s been game changing. GAME FRIGGIN’ CHANGING.

So we went one step further and added in food, eating changes, which is still in the works, but we’re makin’ progress. We’ve introduced probiotics, healthy food and a new smoothie with plant-protein which has been a huge help for after my workouts! Because did you know, fun fact, but consuming protein after you workout is crucial for rebuilding and toning muscle! In fact, it’s recommended that young women consume 15-23 grams of protein after exercise to get the most out of their workout. Well, I wasn’t doing that before and since introducing OLLY’s new Super Foods Smoothie to my life after workouts, it’s been game changing for my energy and well, making my workout entirely beneficial. Marcus has done the same with his evening workout! I’m going to be honest, I knew plant protein was important, but I don’t think I realized how important, especially when working out consistently. It’s made all the difference. Protein is as essential as calcium and Vitamin D for supporting the development and maintenance of both bone strength and structure. Bet ya didn’t know I was gonna give ya a fact lesson in this blog post, eh? 😉 HA! But I mean it when I said we are honestly trying to make some big changes this year and since I share everything with y’all, you’re gonna get to see it all, duh.

That fun fact leads me to the next thing we’ve added and this time with Blake. Since Marcus and I have been drinking the OLLY Super Foods Smoothie, we started giving Blake their Kids Smoothie and she’s friggin’ hooked. Like adorable, asks-for-it-every-morning-in-her-Minnie-cup hooked, ha! Now let me get all Mom on ya for a minute, sorry not sorry, but she’s been super regular and well, honestly, happier since we started doing it. I think it’s just helped regulate her little body! Plus, she thinks it’s a treat since it just looks like chocolate, but little does she know I’m just loadin’ her up with all the healthy things. 😉 HA!

Anyway, there’s some of the fun changes we have made to our morning routine. I’ve had lots of questions about our recent lifestyle changes so hopefully that’ll give you some answers! Here’s a quick recap of my top 3 tips and tricks to a smoother mornin’ routine and healthy lifestyle:

1. Start slowly. Don’t make the changes happen in one day, take weeks at baby steps and eventually you’ll have it all there!
2. OLLY Smoothies — seriously, buy them (they have others too in addition to Super Foods Smoothie), drink them everyday and give your little’s the Kids Smoothie one!
3. Make it a team effort and get enough sleep. Now, I’m not perfect at the sleep thing, but we’re getting there. Sleep makes a huge difference all around for well, everyone. It just takes a little better prioritizing of your day.

What things do you do in your house to keep up with a healthy lifestyle and smooth morning routine? I want to hear all the tips and tricks you use in your house!

Thanks to OLLY for sponsoring this post!

---