I actually wrote this post a while ago and meant to share after the new year, but with all the anxiety and media buzz around health right now, I thought this was the perfect post to get out today.

Health is not just about your physical appearance and fueling your body, your mental health is just as important. Here are a few things you can do every day to feel better, be more productive and maybe even drop a few pounds.

Take a probiotic every night before bed. Gut health is single handedly the most important thing regarding our overall health and immune system, and yet something that is most ignored. As someone who has struggled with stomach issues her whole life, I can’t believe I wasn’t taking one sooner. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my second daughter, Joey that I started to take one to help with irregularity. I’ve also realized since taking them I have not been sick nearly as much I used to be. I also use these Mommy’s bliss probiotic drops in my 6 month olds bottle every morning to help with her immunity.
Drink lemon water every morning. If you can, make a pitcher of water, slice one lemon, some strawberries and a few sprigs of mint. Keep in the fridge so you can drink it every morning before coffee. This mixture helps you stay hydrated, gives you a good dose of vitamin C, and aids digestion. If you can stomach the taste, adding 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar also has great benefits and really helps with gut health.
Add collagen to your coffee. We start to lose our collagen around age 20, so adding it back in is very important. Collagen is great for your skin, nails and joints. I love the vital proteins collagen protein - it has 18g of protein per serving plus the benefits of collagen, and helps starve off hunger first thing in the morning.
Try intermittent fasting. The benefits of fasting are amazing for your metabolism, mental health and disease prevention. It will take your body some time to adjust, but it’s been a game changer for me mentally and physically. I practice the 16:8 eating method, meaning I fast for 16 hours and eat for 8. My typical eating window is 11am-7pm (you are asleep for the majority of the fast). The goal here is the eat the same amount of daily calories, but in a shorter window which helps prevent over-eating/snacking, more balanced meals and a faster metabolism.
Move your body. Even if it’s just 15-20 minutes, moving your body has serious affects on not only your physical appearance, but mentally too. Since I work from home while taking care of my 6 month old, getting out for walks is huge for me. The fresh air always revitalizes me so I don’t feel so cooped up inside all day and the babe loves a change of scenery, too. I’m currently doing a 30 day move challenge where I’m challenging myself to move every single day for 30 days in hopes this will encourage a daily routine. I’d love for you to join in on the challenge with me!
Take care of your skin. What a lot of us don’t realize is that healthy looking skin starts on the inside. As mentioned before, probiotics are a huge part of this, but so is clean and safe skincare products. I am loving the new Beautycounter Countertime regime - it has absolutely changed the overall appearance and elasticity of my skin. Another favorite is Tula, which is made out of all natural superfoods and probiotics. Having good skin helps boost your overall confidence, too. You can shop my favorites below.
Get more sleep. Easier said then done, but I had a stretch where I was staying up until midnight after being on my phone or computer too late and not ever letting myself get tired. Recently, I started setting an alarm for 30 minutes before my desired bedtime to remind myself to put my phone away. I’m usually on the couch watching TV at that time, so this reminder encourages me to go charge my phone, brush my teeth and do anything else I would before bed so that when I am tired, I can just plop into bed and fall asleep. If I have a really hard time falling asleep, I love these melatonin chewables that also have great vitamins in them!
Take supplements. The most important is vitamin D (unless you live or work outside where it’s sunny all the time), because we are all deficient. For immunity, I take a daily echinacea with vitamin C during cold and flu season, as well as a pre-natal. I’m not pregnant or trying to get pregnant but pre-natal vitamins have everything you could need as a woman so don’t be afraid to take them even if you’re not a mom. My three year old Tayler gets a vitamin every morning, too which also has probiotics in them (we love these). If you are worried about your immune system, I’d suggest taking all of these, in addition to elderberry syrup.
Eat clean. I try to make a salad or smoothie every single day. This is a great way to get some leafy greens and antioxidants from berries (I always add spinach or kale to my scrambles, too). Ditch anything that comes in a box in you can avoid it as processed foods are so bad for us. At dinner, try replacing a typical starch like potatoes or rice for another vegetable. My favorites are roasted brussel sprouts, broccoli and kale. Get the kids involved, too! Tayler eats everything we eat and she especially loves my smoothies (for my favorite recipe, check out this post)! We also started Joey on solids at 4 months old because she was purely formula fed I wanted her to get the benefits of whole foods also. I make a lot of my own baby food by boiling them for 10-15 minutes and then blending to desired consistency. Right now she loves apple/banana and sweet potatoes/carrots, which are all full of great vitamins and minerals.
Create a morning routine. I have to admit, I’m not always great at this since I am not a morning person, but I’ve really been making an effort to stay consistent and it’s helped so much with my overall stress levels. I always start with setting an alarm for 30-60 minutes before I know my kids will be up so I can have time to make the bed, shower or do my skincare routine (depends on if I’m working out in the AM) and check my calendar and emails for any important tasks or meetings that day.
Write out your goals everyday. This will get you in the right mind set for the day and prioritize your to-do list. Put the things that absolutely must get done at the very top. And know that there will be days when not everything will get checked off the list and that’s okay.
Keep a clean and organized home. The less time you have to spend looking for things, the more time you can spend being productive! Also, doing daily chores will keep you from spending hours cleaning on the weekend. Here are some things I do daily + weekly to help keep up with the chaos. Daily: a load of laundry (with 4 people in the house and germs from a daycare, I am constantly doing laundry), sweep the floors, wipe down the kitchen counters, put the dishes away. Weekly: vacuum common areas, empty trash bins throughout the house, and wipe down common areas like coffee table, bathroom vanities, etc. with disinfecting wipes. Once a month we do have a house cleaner come to do the deep cleaning (like showers and toilets).

AND DON’T FORGET TO WASH YOUR HANDS!!! We make our three year old sing happy birthday while washing her hands to ensure adequate amount of time. Same goes for adults! And if you get sick, don’t go out, use common sense and stay positive people! It’s a crazy time out there, but I have all the faith in the world that we will get through this. Oh, and since this post is about mental health, just as much as physical, try to limit your news intake. If you need to be informed, do your research and read articles by credible sources. Don’t let the hysteria of the news freak you out and give you more anxiety.

Much love to you!

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