Weekly Happening- May 8
Productivity Tip of the Week
I gave you my full AM routine last week but in case you missed it, here it is again:
5:30am My alarm goes off. I leave my phone and my Apple Watch on their chargers on my bathroom counter, next to my workout outfit I laid out the night before. I have to get out of bed and walk all the way in my bathroom to turn off my alarm, so pressing snooze and going back to sleep is not an option. My workout clothes are right there ready for me, so no thinking about what to wear and no time to reconsider my plans for the morning. I brush my teeth and I also wash my face and do my morning skincare right away so I feel more awake and refreshed.
5:45am I head downstairs where a cup of coffee is already waiting on me. I make sure to prep my coffee the night before as well, and have the automatic timer on the coffee machine set for 5:29am so by the time I’m downstairs the pot is made. I also have my collagen powder set out on the counter for me with a coffee mug, so all I need is the creamer out of the fridge. I also always start my morning with a fresh bottle of water and I drink some before my first sip of coffee.
5:55am This is my mindset work- I put my headphones in, and do a guided meditation on the free Insight Timer app. After meditation, I put on a piano playlist and journal. My journals are usually centered around my emotions in my meditation and visualizing my dream life, and some days they are just my feelings as I work through any anxiety or dreams I had.
6:15am Edit YouTube videos- this can be tailored to what you’re working towards. Maybe you want to read a book or get a head start on work. Maybe you want to focus on household chores or listen to a podcast, but this is my time to edit my videos. I only have to edit for 15 minutes a day to complete my daily habit, but I usually end up getting so into it I edit for close to an hour every morning.
7:00am Around this time, or whenever I get done editing (no later than 7:15), I workout. I have a workout schedule for myself which could be a run, a pilates class on YouTube, or a strength workout in my garage gym. I also love going on a walk with my husband and our dog before 8am.
8-8:30am As I’m logging into work for the day, I start my computer. I do a little bit of make up if I want, do something to my hair, sometimes I change clothes- all depends on how sweaty my workout was and what I have planned for the day. Then I start my workday!
I set a goal to get up at 5:30am only 3 days a week so that I would not resent it or sacrifice too much sleep since I work from home and don’t have to be up that early, and I found that on my other two days, I’m still excited to wake up no later than 6:30 so I can still fit in most of my morning routine. It really keeps me sane and makes me feel in control of my day and my goals.
Last week I challenged you to wake up an hour earlier if you find the days are just too short sometimes, and I’m challenging you to the same this week, in case you didn’t do it last week! If you follow a timed routine on your earlier mornings, you will make the most of your time all day long and you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done before the kids are up, before your workday starts, etc.
Motivational/Inspirational Message of the Week
We all have the same number of hours in our day- but how we choose to use those hours is what sets us all apart from one another. You cannot look at someone who has everything you want in life and get jealous or upset because you have the power to achieve those goals as well. All it takes is the discipline to make a routine and stick to that routine, so you can achieve your goals. If you’ve been making excuses and using your family, your job, or your situation as a reason you “can’t be like her”, I challenge you to recognize those excuses and work on altering your mindset.
The reason this is so hard is because it crushes your own ego to look at your own habits and excuses and see them for what they really are- excuses. It’s so humbling to realize that you are the only one in your own way and it will shake you to your core when you realize that. So we keep making those excuses our own truths and reality, when they are lies to begin with- no wonder we feel so angry!
It’s a challenging step in your life to take to be honest and straightforward with yourself about the excuses you’re making in your own life and it can make you feel like crap about your decisions, but it doesn’t have to feel that bad. You should feel proud that you’re taking the steps to look into your excuses, address your own shortcomings, and change your life.
Outfit Favorites of the Week
I’ve started this new habit of recording my daily OOTDs on my TikTok and my YouTube channel, so I encourage you to follow me there if you want to keep up with my daily outfits! I get up every single morning and wear athleisure (usually 90% Lululemon- I was just telling my husband last night one of the best things I ever did and one of my biggest mistakes was buying my first pair of lululemon align leggings a year ago because now I’m fully obsessed) for my morning routine and my workouts, and sometimes I’ll change into another outfit if my workout was extra sweaty and I needed to shower before my work day.
I did, however, get a few new items this past week from H&M and Target that I’m super excited about. I got a linen button down in a gorgeous coral color from H&M, which is super soft and 100% linen, and a linen blend button down in classic white from Target. Both are oversized and I got both in an XS (my TTS) and I’m glad I didn’t size up in either one! I also got these cloud slides from Target that are only $15 and SO comfy!! They come in a bunch of colors, but I only chose “off-white” because I want them to go with every outfit. Also linking my double strap slip on shoes from two summers ago that are only $10 and worth EVERY PENNY. I have them in white and I just bleach them and wash them every year because they are my “water the plants” shoes and they get pretty dirty. They come in TONS of colors and this year, they even released some adorable floral prints.
New YouTube Video
Books I’m Loving
I’m still reading the 8 part series from Lucy Score called Blue Moon and I’m loving it so far. It’s 8 novels, all over 300 pages and super cute, light books to read. I’m now on to the 5th book. I’m reading every single night before bed and anytime I lay out with my Kindle, which is also water resistant- perfect for beach and pool reads!
Anything Else I have to tell you!
I’m officially tracking my nutrition again- my husband starting tracking his macros and his meals in MyFitnessPal again and it inspired me to do so as well. I’ve hit this weird plateau where I’m gaining weight but not doing any more strength training, and I’m not kidding when I say I can’t cut out any foods because I’m already not eating enough. My excuse is that I’m so busy I don’t think about it, so I am tracking my macros again and I’ve already found that I’m eating way too little protein and way too much fats (even too much healthy fats can be too much!) and carbs, and I’m not burning enough calories to balance that out. I’m also only eating an average of 1,000 calories a day on accident which probably has a lot to do with why my hormone levels are so out of whack and why I’m seeing an increase on the scale- my body is in starvation mode! Add on the fact that I’ve picked up my running again, and my workouts have been the same as they were when I was eating a lot more, and my poor female body is storing every cell of fat it can find because it’s in survival mode.
I’ve done a ton of research on hormones and the female body in the past two years so it made sense immediately when I connected the dots and I’m glad I’m tracking my nutrition again because I’m eating another 2 meals a day that are full of healthy micronutrients and upping my protein intake, and after just one week I feel SO much better and more energized.
My meals this week have included:
Breakfast: My all time favorite egg avocado toast, except I’ve recently added feta cheese to the toast and it’s delicious
Snack before lunch: A smoothie with frozen strawberries, spinach, seeds (according to seed cycling, you can research that if you don’t know what it is), protein powder and maca powder
Lunch: A salad with gorgonzola cheese, grilled chicken, apple, low sugar cranberries, pecans, and my homemade salad dressing (recipe below)
Dinner: Last week I had this amazing salmon orzo salad on top of a bed of spinach, and this week I’m going to make an amazing roasted chickpea/tomato/feta salad on a bed of arugula. I’ve made this meal so many times in the past and Mack and I LOVE it.
Xoxo, Jess
