While I’ve come a long way since my parents were scheduling my doctor appointments and my health routine consisted of some gummy vitamins and a few brussels sprouts at dinner, I will admit that learning how to care for myself holistically as a busy mom and an entrepreneur wasn’t an easy journey. After having my second daughter and being pregnant for the fourth time in six years (two losses, two babies) I knew that I needed to dial in my health, not for the sake of fertility but for the sake of me. I wanted to have the energy needed to be the kind of mom I envisioned and run the business I had spent a decade building.
So, I got serious about my health and started testing and trying ways to optimize not only my fitness and nutrition but also the little ways that my body and mind truly recharge. I wanted to feel good more than I wanted to look good. Rather than ‘seeing results’, my primary goal became consistency and small habits that make a big difference.
Related: A Vulnerable Look into My Health Journey (And Why It’s Stuck)
What Started My Journey
As an entrepreneur and parent with ADHD, this was definitely not an easy task. I started getting bloodwork done to understand my body, I hired a dietician to work on optimizing my nutrition, I focused on getting better sleep, I found workouts that fit into a busy day, and I no longer underestimated the power of rest and recovery. I eventually built a health routine that stuck. I can honestly say that I am so proud of myself for the consistency I’ve invested in my health, and I really do feel good! The word I often used when I first started my journey for how I wanted to feel was ‘vibrant’ and that still rings true today.
After two years of sticking to my routine with only minor tweaks, I feel like the process has begun to feel genuinely effortless. Believe me, I’m shocked that I can confidently say that! The consistency coupled with listening to my body and staying up-to-date on my labs and levels pays off. So, I’m here to share what that routine looks like for me each day, how it fits into my workflow, and why it doesn’t have to look shiny or cutting-edge to be effective.
Related: My Current Health Routine (and What’s Next!)
Optimizing My Metabolic Health
Diving deeper into my health, I started to get curious about my hormones, blood sugar, and the inner workings of my body that I, frankly, had been ignoring for years. I map out my metabolic check-ins as a yearly habit. I do bloodwork 2 times a year and then have my nutritionist review it to give me fine-tuned insights. This was a game-changer for me to really understand my bio-individuality and know for certain what supplements to take and diet changes to make. I recently had my bloodwork done and it was amazing to see the consistent changes that are happening and how the results reflect the energy and vibrancy I feel.
I also like to do Levels, a continuous glucose monitor, 2x a year, and it helps me see how my blood sugar is impacted by my diet, movement, and lifestyle. This focus was one of my first on my health journey because I learned that I was insulin-resistant and pre-diabetic which was a huge wake up call that I needed to make changes if I wanted to feel good and live long. I love keeping a pulse and not obsessing over the data while seeing how my body is breaking down the foods I’m eating. I loved this experience so much, I invested in the company.
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My Energy-Boosting, Grounding Morning Routine
Our mornings are busy getting everyone out of the house to get Coco to school. From the moment I wake up to when they walk out the door I am in full-on mom mode, which usually includes packing lunches, finding lost shoes, and giving 100 hugs. When they are off to school at 8am, this is when I do what I like to call my “reset.” Routines aren’t really a thing when you’re taking care of everyone else, so how about a little reset?
I take 20-30 minutes for my own morning reset before I crack open my laptop and dive into my work day. This includes my 5-minute skincare routine and laying on my PEMF mat to ground myself before jumping into the day. I also love doing my red light therapy (10 minutes on each side of my body) and finishing with a short meditation. Once I’m done with this reset which usually takes under 30 minutes, my work day begins. Use JENNA at check out to save $50 on your own red light therapy.
Related: Screw Morning Routines, Do This Instead!
My Nutrition Tips to Fuel a Busy Day
One of the greatest shifts came when I started to prioritize protein to fuel me. I don’t work well when I’m tired and hungry, that’s when I crave all the carbs, so learning how to get protein in every morning was a challenge (to say the least) because I was historically a breakfast skipper and someone who simply didn’t feel hungry in the morning.
When I started to prioritize getting my energy and recovery back in through my meals, I felt the difference right away. I try to get 30g of protein for every meal I eat and build my meals around the protein source. One easy way for me to get protein in in the morning is through a protein shake. I’ve been drinking Be Well by Kelly protein shakes (following her Fab 4 model) and Jocko Molk if I need a quick on-the-go shake.
I do not calorie count or restrict. I prioritize consistent meals, and protein as the superstar of each of them. As I’ve built a habit of eating breakfast and being intentional with the rest of my meals, I’ve noticed that I feel better, focus more easily at work, and I’m less hungry overall.
Other favorite protein sources include: red meat (i.e. grass-fed burger patties and steak) for lunches and dinners, eggs, and yogurt bowls.
Related: My Dietician Reveals the Health Issues That Were Holding Me Back
My Flexible Fitness Approach
There was a good chunk of time between pregnancies, breastfeeding, and just feeling tired all of the time that working out just didn’t happen. In the last two years, I’ve become so consistent with exercise and it’s been life-changing. I commit to 30 minutes of movement every day, and most of the time I keep it very simple: walking on my Peloton treadmill. I have loved the 12-3-30 structure, which is walking at a 12 incline at 3MPH for 30 minutes.
Seeing my own progress is wild. When I started doing this over a year ago, I was breathless and had to slow down long before I could finish. I can now bump it up to 4MPH and feel great. Building my endurance feels really motivating! Most of the time I’ll watch a trashy TV show to pass the time (shout out to Love is Blind for the entertainment!), but on days that my schedule is stacked, I’ll take a meeting on the treadmill or walk slower while I edit, plan, and review items on my to-do list.
I’ve also been incorporating more weightlifting into my workouts. My goal is to weight train and lift heavy 3 times a week! I’ve been trying to sync my workouts with where I am in my cycle since some weeks I want to go hard and heavy and some weeks I want more gentle movement. I used to Olympic lift a lot when I was big into CrossFit, so getting back into that has been fun and challenging, but I don’t go near a measuring tape or a scale! I simply want to feel strong.
Related: Your Biggest Q’s About My Health and Wellness Journey Answered
My Mid Day Recharge and Reset
It’s an undeniable luxury to have a sauna and cold plunge in our home but the truth is, I use them every.single.day. I have not skipped a single day of cold plunging in over a year and a half. It’s such an integral part of my daily routine, and I’m shocked because as a collegiate diver who was in water daily and now HATES being cold and wet, I never thought cold plunging is something I would try, let alone be consistent with. But the dopamine hit and energetic reset I get from it is WELL worth it, and I’m so proud of myself for sticking with it. You can use code JENNA on my cold plunge tub to save $$$ at checkout!
Fun fact: I am Finnish and so I was raised in a sauna. Some of my fondest memories are going to my grandparents, stoking the fire, sitting in the sauna with my mom and grandma, and then running out into the snow while my body was steaming. LOL! So now, every afternoon after lunch, I do a 20-minute sauna and a 3-minute cold plunge… then I get right back to work!
Optimizing My Sleep
Now that my kids are sleeping through the night most nights (minus when my big kid climbs into my bed) I’ve become quite the sleep diva. I am really prioritizing not only getting a solid amount of sleep but better quality sleep, too. I shared in a recent episode of the podcast that I “turn down” our bedroom after I put the kids to bed to get it ready. I get our throw pillows out of the way, put our lamps on dim, turn the white noise on, and even get some sleep-supportive essential oils diffusing.
We do ‘no screens’ in our bedroom (minus my Kindle), which means no phones or TV. I plop into bed and throw on my red light therapy mask after my skincare to wind down. I keep my skincare simple but consistent and that time of the night helps signal my body to get out of work mode and mom mode and just to get grounded in my own energy before bed.
Related: Does Primally Pure’s All-Natural Skincare Really Work?
I also started mouth taping at night which I thought sounded a little extra, to be honest, but it’s been literally life-changing for me as a chronic mouth breather. Ever since I got my Invisalign, it’s hard for me to close my mouth fully with my aligners in, so mouth taping has forced me to breathe through my nose and I wake up without that terrible dry mouth feeling. It IS hilarious when I need to say something to Coco in the middle of the night because my mouth is taped… but it’s worth it.
My Top 6 Fitness and Wellness Must-Haves
• I keep my workout equipment to a minimum, but to boost my workouts a bit, I like to throw on some BALA Bangles! I recently saw an Instagram Reel where a girl was wearing them while blowdrying her hair I honestly thought that was genius.
• I love the HigherDOSE PEMF mat and haven’t skipped a day on it since I started, we love it so much that we even got my mom one and she uses it daily. Use JENNA at checkout to save 15%
• I love the insights I learn from my Levels glucose monitor and can’t recommend them enough. The small shifts I was able to make from even just the first time using it were powerful.
• My fitness ride or die might surprise you: my Primally Pure deodorant. It’s non-toxic and it WORKS. Tea Tree is probably my favorite scent and on heavy-intensity workout days, I opt for the charcoal! Use code JK10 at checkout for 10% off!
• These shoes has been a life-changer for someone who apparently has wide feet! I wanted to find comfortable walking shoes that weren’t ugly and that I could wear while traveling. I wear these everyday and they are so comfortable and chic.
• This weighted vest has been a fun new companion on my treadmill walks. It helps me work up a sweat and is so good for strengthening your body without a ton of extra effort. One thing I’ve learned lately is putting weight on your bones is so good for you bone density, so I’m vest-ing up!
Build a Routine that Feels Good to You
I may have ideas, but you have the final say about what health really means, looks like, and feels like for you. My system isn’t a copy-and-paste fix-all, and can only function well for you when you take what serves you and leave the rest, as they say. Consider how you want your body and mind to feel. Think about what room you have in your day, how much you want to invest financially, and where your current health needs are.
If you’re looking for that spark of curiosity (just like I was!) then I hope you’ve been able to find it here. Above all, I hope you’re reminded that you deserve consistency. You’re worth the effort it takes to find new rhythms in caring for yourself, wholly and proudly. You deserve to love how your life, mind, and body feel, no matter what that looks like for YOU.
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