4 Foundational Habits That Keep My Whole Routine on Track

This post is sponsored by Solgar – The statements in this post have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Do you have a few habits that everything else in your life rests on?

I have four habits that I consider foundational – if I make those happen, the rest of my daily routine is a hundred times easier.

Once I crossed over into my thirties, I’ve noticed how much of a difference it makes to my life when I take good care of my body. Those days of being able to get by on 5 or 6 hours of sleep and exercising once a quarter are gone.

I discovered Solgar earlier this year (you can buy all their products on Amazon which is so convenient!) and I love their focus on wellness.

They’ve been producing high quality supplements since 1947 and most of their products are gluten free, kosher, halal, vegan, non-GMO and vegetarian certified. Plus, they make nearly 400 different products so there is literally something for everyone.

Over the summer, I started adding Solgar’s Skin, Hair and Nails supplement into my daily routine and I understood immediately why it was such a fan favorite!

Here are four other habits that make my whole life run more smoothly.

daily habits

1. Going to bed on time. Several years ago, Bart and I committed to getting enough sleep on a regular basis. Neither of us are those magical people who only need 4-5 hours of sleep. We both consistently need about 8 hours of sleep to function at a high level, so we now go to bed between 10 and 10:30 virtually every single night. Even on the weekends, we don’t stay up late (I go to an early exercise class on Saturday mornings, so it’s not tempting to me to stay up later on Friday night) and even though we can sleep in a little on Sunday mornings, we use that to get EXTRA sleep and still go to bed at the same time on Saturday night. I suffered a lot from insomnia when I was pregnant, but happily, I rarely have issues with it now. But on the occasional times that I do, Solgar’s Melatonin is a lifesaver.

2. Exercising. When I was pregnant with Ella, Bart and I walked four miles together every morning. It was such a FUN part of our daily routine and I loved going through the beautiful Boston neighborhoods near our apartment. Since having kids, though, it’s been much harder to fit in exercising and until last fall, I couldn’t make anything work for me for more than a few months. Then I joined the local rec center and started attending a cardio-weightlifting combo class, and that has been a game-changer for me. I think only once in the past year have I missed a class when I was in town, and I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I also run two nights a week once the girls are in bed and it’s so fun to finally feel like I can run a few miles without
wanting to die.

3. Getting showered and completely ready. I learned from my mom the importance of getting dressed every day (in my entire life, I’m not sure I ever saw her stay in her pajamas for the full day). As soon as I get home from the gym, I shower, get dressed, and do my hair and makeup. Then I don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. I mentioned the Skin, Hair and Nails supplement earlier, but it’s amazing how much easier it is to get ready quickly when your hair and skin are in peak condition.

4. Having the same breakfast every day. I’m a total creature of habit, so I picked a breakfast that worked for me (sautéed vegetables, chicken sausage, eggs, feta, and hummus) and I have it 99% of the time. I love it because it keeps me full for most of the morning, it’s not sweet so I don’t start craving sugar at 8:30 a.m. and I don’t have to make a decision about what to eat for breakfast every day. I also take a Probi® 20 Billion Vegetable Capsule with my breakfast (and it also has no sugar) to get things started out on the right foot. I’d love to hear what habits are foundational to your life!

And if you want to try Solgar Products, you can grab them on Amazon!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Photos by Heather Mildenstein