7 Daily Habits to be a happier & healthier YOU every day
Today, I am going to share with you 7 very actionable steps you can take as a very busy mom to feel more productive, less overwhelmed, and live a fitter, healthier, and happier life.
These are things that I actually do myself and they have made my life so much better...I can’t even begin to tell you, so let’s get straight into it.
Wake up early and by that, I mean earlier than the rest of your household. This is going to be different for everyone. I know that when you have little ones sometimes we are up all night so I realize waking up early can be really hard to do but let me just sell it to you on these points
Regardless of how hard it is to wake up early, it is even harder to wake up on someone else’s schedule. So when you can wake up On your terms - your schedule, even if you get an extra 30 minutes to yourself then you start the day on your own terms. This is incredibly important - just that shift in mindset the fact that you get a little bit of time all on your own in the peaceful time of the morning sometimes before even before that sun arises. It’s the most valuable time and can be the very best start to your day.
Also, if you can something just for yourself first thing in the morning and get all of the many things you have to do out of your head and organized, you will have accomplished something. Even if the rest of your day goes to crap...at least you know you’ve started out well and you’ve accomplished something.
2. The first thing you’re going to do is have a large glass of warm water and lemon. This is one of the top healthy habits that I am always drilling into my clients...and why not add it into your daily routine that once you wake up (early) you go straight to the kitchen and squeeze an entire lemon into a large glass of water - what I like to do is fill half the glass with cold filtered water and a half with boiling water - to have a perfect warm glass of water with my daily probiotic (another easy healthy habit to add into the mix) and drink the entire glass all the way to the bottom.
This will help you wake up and your body is craving water - it should be the very first thing your body gets in the morning. Your body needs this - not coffee or tea - water. Of course, I am a big fan of coffee and tea but drink the water first. One trick I tell myself is I have to “earn that coffee”. And, lemon water itself has so, so many benefits but that is a topic for another day. And I actually have a blog post all about the benefits of lemon water (
3. Next tip: Do not get on the phone, do not get on the computer before you give yourself a little YOU time. My advice: Sit your body down, take a couple of deep breaths, and get really present. Try to give yourself at least 5, 5-10 minutes of quiet time. Now I am purposely not calling it meditation but essentially this is what it is...it is different for everybody. I just find that the word meditation adds this stress level to a lot of people - and even to me...because of the expectations that go along with the word itself. I know for me, I get frustrated with the thoughts coming into my head and even more frustrated trying not to have them. Instead, if we just let those thoughts come in - acknowledge them, and then let them go with concentration back to our breath. Of course, this 5-10 min of quiet time will be different for each of us and what works for me may not work fo you. You can also try listening to a guided meditation through apps like _____HEADSPACE___ which is awesome. You can try it out for 10 days of 10-minute meditations and it’s great, check it out here. There are many free options to try on podcasts. One way I like to do this is to start by counting about 10 breaths in and out and really feeling the air coming in and out of my body. Then I like to close my eyes and just listen. I try to become really acutely aware and really present to the morning noises around me...and hear the clock ticking, the cars outside, the birds in the trees, etc. THe other thing I like to do is a body scan. Starting at my toes and feeling the energy move all the way to the crown of my head.
3. Move your body, do some sort of exercise. Yes, of course, you must have known that I was going to add exercise to this list. Yes, I am not saying you need to do a full High-Intensity Interval training but you can do that - I just want you to do at least 5 minutes of movement in the early morning. Personally, I like to wake up a little slower. I usually don’t go into an intense workout first thing in the morning, I like to wake up a bit slower. I love doing a bit of yoga or just stretching. I like to do fluid movements and really paying attention to how my body is feeling by tuning into any tightness I might have and awaken my body in a more gentle manner. I usually start with a few sun salutations and yoga stretches and then adding in a few moves to get the blood flowing and the Heart rate to rise a little (like push-ups, squats, jumping jacks) Just a few minutes of movement
4. Now, this next part is fun…I call it the Big Brain Dump. Time to get organized. So now you are really awake and your brain is ready to work. You’ve had fuel (lemon water), you’ve spent some time really getting present and you’ve gotten that heart rate up and the blood flowing so now it’s time to get organized. So take pen to paper. I don’t care how attached you are to your phone and using technology to do lists but this exercise needs to be done on real paper with a real pen in your hand.
Start by looking at your phone, your calendar, where you keep your schedule, and then what I want you to do is get it all out of your head and on to paper. Don’t think too much about what order or how important something is or when you need to do it...write down every little thing that comes to your mind that you have to do and write it all down on paper. This is your big brain dump. And no, I didn’t make this up myself, or this technique, I have taken all of these ideas from the most successful and productive experts out there and made them my own. These are techniques I’ve tweaked from the best in the industry and I know this will work for you too. This is a powerful exercise because it will automatically take the overwhelming feelings away. So, once you have finished getting all of the many to do’s out of your head and onto paper - take a look at your list and circle the 3 things you absolutely have to do today - not tomorrow, not by the end of the week, these are things that have a time limit and they cannot wait. No more than 3 to start. These should be things that are specific, actionable, and fairly quick to complete. For example: “Follow up with Jane about our appointment tomorrow 8 am”. Also, at least one of these things should be a task that is moving closer to whatever your goal is right now. So my goals are usually 3 months or 90-day goals and I try to make sure at least one of my 3 top to-do’s is a task that is pushing the needle closer to that goal.
5. Organize your day: Okay, I use a moleskin journal for my daily calendar. I am a huge fan of using a plain journal for a daily calendar - this baby is my bible. Now, I know some of you are not a fan of using a daily calendar - or at least using an old-fashioned paper calendar but hear me out! All you need is a normal notepad - you don’t need to spend money on anything fancy - any lined notepad will do the job!
First of all, you get to check things off when you complete a task and this is immensely satisfying! I set mine up this way. Write the date at the top: and then I start with my Then GOAL & Affirmation- and as I said I have 90-day goals that are very specific and so I write those at the top so I can keep them at the top of my mind every day. Writing my goal down every morning helps me stay focused on pushing that needle towards my desired results. Its also something I go back to and re-read throughout the day, I find this practice very therapeutic - it helps me to stay present. Next, I usually write down a gratitude list. I know a lot of people prefer to do their gratitude journal at the end of the day which is a wonderful practice but personally if I wait to do it then...I don’t always end up getting it done. By doing it in the morning, I set myself up with a positive and grateful mindset - it just makes me feel good! The next section is a SCHEDULE (only timed appointments) where I write down the time of the appointment and I circle the appointment details and a box to check off when it’s done! Finally, the last section is your TO DO LIST. So the first 3 tasks that go into the to do list are the ones you took from your brain dump - and those are the priorities to get done. Don’t write anything else down until you complete those items. If you put too many things on your to-do list it becomes more overwhelming and stressful...especially if you don’t get them done and the point of doing these organizing hacks is to decrease that feeling of stress and increase your quality of life and your productivity. Use this journal as your personal and professional calendar. I use the other side of the journal for any and all notes. Any correspondence, follow-ups, details I need to remember...it all goes in the book. No more random post-it notes or pieces of paper...put everything, everything in this book, and that way you always have it in one place. Now, if you don’t like carrying something around with you - then just take a picture of it on your phone to refer too but if you’re a busy mom like me...you are carrying around so much other stuff - this doesn’t take up much room and it can help you stay focused on what you need to do and free from distraction.
7. Finally, this is the last on the list but I’d argue the most important. Personal Development: If you still have a bit of extra time at the end of your productive morning, now is the time to add in a little inspiration & learning time. It can be anything from writing, reading, or listening to podcasts. Listening to podcasts and reading books are my favorite ways to learn, evolve, and develop as a person.
In summary: the 7 daily habits of fit and happy moms…
Get up early (before the littles if possible!)
Water first “earn that coffee”
Quiet the mind, meditate/pray just don’t get on the phone or computer
move your body
brain dump
organize your day - plan and prioritize
read/listen/write: any personal development that inspires and elevates your mind and spirit
