For the past month or two, I feel like I’ve been really consistent with my routines and been better at keeping up with healthy habits. I am someone who thrives off of a routine and plan, and I feel my best when I follow a few healthy habits and have structure to my day. I have tried so many different “health practices,” whether it’s different workout styles, ways of eating, morning routines/wakeup times, supplements, etc. I definitely don’t have it all figured out by any means, but the recent products + habits I’ve been keeping up with have really made a difference! I feel like the biggest thing that has helped me is consistency and doing my best to keep up with my healthy routines, even if I don’t always feel like it. Balance is important, but I find that I crave getting back on track with these habits after a few days without them!

SUPPLEMENTS

Like I mentioned, I have tried soooo many different vitamins, supplements, probiotics, etc over the past few years. I really struggle with stomach problems, and I’m always looking for a solution and trying random recommendations and products that have never really worked. But for the past six weeks or so, I’ve been taking L-glutamine every morning and night, plus a magnesium supplement every night before bed. Taking these things consistently has helped so much! L-glutamine helps repair your gut lining, improves digestion, aids in recovery after workouts, and reduces inflammation. This article on all the benefits was so interesting! I’ve also been learning a lot about the benefits of magnesium. There are multiple different types, but I take this one, which is a blend of magnesium oxide, citrate, and succinate. It’s supposed to help with muscle relaxation, sleep, and bathroom regularity. I take one at night before bed and I feel like it helps me fall asleep quicker too. I used to take a multivitamin gummy every day too, but I ran out. I definitely need to get some more, because I want to make sure I’m getting B-12 and iron every day!

ROUTINES

I can do a whole detailed post about my current morning routine, but I think just having a routine in general makes such a difference. It used to be so hard for me to wake up early, but now I usually wake up at 6:30 every day. Some days it’s still hard, but I’ve gotten so used to it that I usually can’t even sleep late on the weekends now, haha. I just love being up early and having a head start on my day, and it helps me feel so much more productive. I always feel better when I work out in the mornings, and I love being at the gym early, when it’s not too crowded and I have time to move my body. Then I’ll get home and shower, get ready, read my devotion, and make a little breakfast or protein ball before class. My night routine isn’t quite as regular, but I do still have a few steps I try to complete each night. I plan out the next day, journal for about 20 minutes, fill out my gratitude journal with the Grateful App, foam roll + stretch, take my supplements and read. A few habits I’ve been trying to add into this routine are: moisturizing and using my gua sha, turning off all screens by 9 pm, and taking time to have a focused prayer period. Something I’ve been loving recently is foam rolling and stretching for 3-5 minutes before bed! I heard on a podcast that it helps you sleep better, and wow I don’t realize how tight I get throughout the day. It feels so good to stretch and roll out my legs and back.

WORKOUTS

Back in February, I was feeling in a big rut with my workouts, and I always felt tired and burnt out with my runs. I realized I was pretty much doing the same thing every day: a 3 mile run and a 15-20 minute pilates workout a few times a week. While I enjoyed this routine for a while, I felt really stagnant. I wasn’t getting any faster in my runs or challenging my pace/endurance at all. Back in 2021, I ran the St. Jude half marathon, and I really enjoyed having a training plan and a challenge. So I decided to follow that plan again, and I’m loving it! I don’t have a race I’m training for specifically, but I really just want to build up my endurance and run at least ten miles. My week of workouts is usually 2 speed/tempo runs, 1-2 chill runs, a long run on the weekend, and two full body workouts. I’ve been following fitbymik on YouTube, and she has great 20-40 minute workouts! I used to never do weights or any sort of plyometric exercises, but I’ve been loving implementing these into my routine. I usually do a 30 minute full body and 20 minute arms and abs one each week. I love feeling myself getting stronger and going up in weights, and it’s a good way to cross train on the days I don’t run. Right now, I’m at seven miles, and I’m supposed to run eight this weekend! Long runs are definitely tough, but it is just the best feeling of accomplishment after I’m done.

FOOD

A big thing that I’ve really tried to be better at this year is eating more whole foods and less processed foods and snacks. When I’m busy going to classes all day or on the go running errands, I’m so bad about just snacking on protein bars and random snacks and not making balanced meals. I still am not perfect at this, but I’ve definitely made progress! I feel way better when I’m focusing on eating balanced meals and not buying so many processed snacks (even if they are the “healthy version”). I mentioned some foods I’ve been loving recently in this post, and I still haven’t gotten sick of them. My friend and I also have regular Monday night dinners where we pick a recipe to cook each week, which definitely helps me try new healthy meals too! We’ve made a summer garden pasta recipe, lemon pepper salmon, loaded salads with roasted sweet potatoes, and more!

RANDOM

Now for a random brain dump of habits and things that make me feel my best!

• Getting outside as much as possible! Homework outside on campus, long walks, eating on my balcony
• Not drinking as much coffee- only 1-2x per week
• Writing out my prayers for the week and reflecting each morning
• Not having the Instagram app on my phone so I don’t scroll as much
• Bringing a book in my backpack to read before class instead of being on my phone
• Drinking at least 80 oz of water per day
• Going for long walks at sunset (especially when I pray instead of listen to a podcast)
• Even if I’m not super hungry for breakfast, having a protein ball or greek yogurt after my workouts to refuel

What habits have you been loving recently?