I've always been a morning person. There's just something about the freshness of a new day that I love! I tend to naturally wake up around 5:30 these days, though in the past I have had my fair share of 4am wake up calls in order to get to work by 6:30am. I have also always been a very organized and regimented person, so I often get questions about what my morning and evening routines look like. Truthfully, a smooth morning comes from preparing well the night before, but we'll get to that in my Evening post.

Here's how I start my days, at least during the workweek! The time schedule might vary a little, but the routine is the same.

5-5:30am: Wake naturally without an alarm.

5:35am: Take temperature as part of FAM (fertility awareness method) and to track thyroid health + take thyroid supplement.

5:40-5:55am: Measure heart rate variability, decide which workout to do (based on HRV), get dressed. (Note: I have a loose plan for my workouts at the beginning of my week, but will modify if needed based on HRV. I use the Polar H7 with two apps, Elite HRV and HRV4Training, and I love it! It's been neat to see how my body is physiologically responding to my exercise and lifestyle changes.)

5:55am: Drink Rootz pre-workout or about 4-8 oz of coldbrew coffee (lately from Superfood Coffee Co) and head to the gym.

6-7am: Workout! I rotate between Kayla Itsines workouts, Metabolic Prime workouts, walking with sprints, or most recently, a class at the YMCA (bodypump, some kind of dance cardio, strength, yoga, etc.). I always spend at least 10 minutes stretching before heading home. I love staring my day with a workout, and don't like to feel rushed!

7-7:05am: Bounce on the janky hand-me-down rebounder in my garage for a few minutes to get that lymph flowing!

7:05am: Take 5gm L-Glutamine (Thorne is top quality! This bottle lasts me for about a month.) in water with 2 MegaSporebiotic capsules (These have really been making a difference for me and are only available through practitioners. Let me know if you want to try them out for yourself!) and 25 bil cultures of probiotic from Custom Probiotics.

7:10am: Dry brush (more lymphatic support), shower, get dressed for work. I use lots of essential oils throughout my day, and they are part of my daily getting ready routine. On my abdomen I use lavender, lemongrass, and marjoram to help with digestive health/abdominal pain, and on my feet I use myrrh, sandalwood, and frankincense to support thyroid health, nerve health, and reduce inflammation. Sometime I put on a podcast (see below for favorites), music, or Gilmore Girls while I'm getting ready, but I also enjoy a quiet morning before the busyness of the day sets in. My hair/makeup routine is minimal, so getting ready doesn't take me too long. (Hallelujah for the top knot, my style of choice 99 days out of 100. Someday I'll get better about styling my hair, but now is not that time.)

7:45-8am: Eat something. It depends on what workout I did, but I might have a couple of eggs, go ahead and have my shake, or have some BCAA's with MCT oil and save my shake for when I get into work. Regardless, if I eat, I always make sure that I'm sitting and not feeling rushed. If I'm short on time, I wait to eat until I get to work so that I'm not eating in a stressed state, which makes a HUGE difference for me in my digestion/bloating.

8-8:20am: Grab my lunch bag and head to work! My start time varies depending on the day, so depending on how much time I have, I might respond to a few emails, catch up on Instagram comments, read for a few minutes, etc. I almost always listen to a podcast on my drive (about 25 minutes), and I listen to it at 1.5x speed so I can pack in even more information! Some of my favorites are High Intensity Health, The Keto Diet Podcast, The Nourished Podcast, Bulletproof Radio, Fat-Burning Man, The Paleo View, Revolution Health Radio, The Ben Greenfield Podcast, and most recently, The Happier Podcast. See why I have to listen to them at 1.5x speed?? There are so many good ones!!

That's my morning, in a nutshell! A few things I do to keep things snappy and organized: I get out all my clothes beforehand (more on this in the Evening post). I always put my things in the same place. My Polar heart rate monitor goes on the bathroom counter, as does my thyroid medication. My essential oils are there too. The thermometer lives on my nightstand. I have the same 8 or so outfits that I rotate through every two weeks for work, so those all stay on the left side of my closet, ready to go. I have my breakfast supplies all portioned out and ready to go, same with my supplements. You get the idea. I thrive on structure!

How do you do mornings? Do you have any routines in place to make them go more smoothly? I'm always open to trying something new!

Have you heard of Earth Runners? I first found out about them through Hilary Bromberg, co-founder of the company Barefoot Provisions. These minimalist sandals are made with conductive laces and inserts that allow the energy of the earth to flow through to the body. Now, before I lose you for being too "woo woo" (which is what I used to think too), hear me out.

There's actually quite a bit of support behind the benefits of being outside and being in contact with nature. Those who regularly do so tend to be in better health overall, not to mention have stronger immune systems and a more positive outlook. While this could all be attributed to taking a break from our modern lifestyle and relaxing a bit, research suggests that it could also have to do with the magnetic frequencies that we're exposed to. If you're interested in learning more about this, check out Earth Runners' write-ups on it here.

Even if you're not so interested in the earthing aspect of these sandals, there's no denying their comfort! I love how light they are on my feet, and their simple style goes with anything. I got my first pair over a year ago now (leather laces, suede top, conductive inserts) and after a couple of weeks of breaking them in, I quickly found myself slipping them on more often than any of my other sandals. I also love their durability.

Earth Runners recently upgraded their laces to improve their conductivity, and I opted in to test them out! I went with the black rubber top this time and the black nylon laces. I wasn't specifically going for a vegan option, but if that's important to you, then these would fit the bill! What I immediately noticed is that they were 100% comfortable straight out of the package. This could have been due to the difference between needing to break in the leather straps a bit and not the nylon ones, but regardless, I've been totally loving them.

As to the conductivity, I can't say that I've noticed a tremendous difference, probably because I haven't been comparing them side by side. However, I I trust the folks at Earth Runners and the research that they do! I know that I feel best when I'm outside and exploring, and whether it's placebo effect or not, having on a pair of Earth Runners makes the experience that much better. And if these ever wear out (doubtful, with their durability), I'll definitely be back for more.

If you're interested in trying out a pair for yourself, head over to the Earth Runners website. They have all different combinations of laces and colors to suit your needs, and I'm sure that you'll love them as much as I do!

Note: I was provided with a free pair of sandals for this review, but all opinions expressed are my own. I do not promote companies that I don't believe in.