Morning Routine for Gut Health and Reducing Inflammation
I’ll be the first to admit — I’m a creature of habit. My body thrives off of consistency and routine. Humans love a routine by nature. Our body systems are more efficient when we create habits and our body knows what to expect. My connection to routines is actually the inspiration behind my blog. I wanted to share my routines, my method, that my body loves.
In my previous post on What Happened When I Drank Celery Juice for 1 Year, I describe how my body healed from inside to out by drinking celery juice every morning. This was a HUGE component to becoming the healthiest version of myself, yet. That is one step of my morning routine, and I’m here to detail out the rest of my morning for you so you can try my method yourself.
In this blog post I am going to:
Give step by step details of my morning routine
Explain how to make celery juice most effective
Share my essential smoothie supplements with you
Share a mid-morning snack recipe
1 - Lemon water upon waking
My alarm goes off at 5am (I know… it’s crazy early. But I like to live a little before I head off to work!) After I let my dog outside, I head to the kitchen to grab a fresh lemon. You can keep them in the fridge or on the counter, it makes no difference. Cut in half and squeeze the juice of half of the lemon into a tall glass. I like to add the water after so I can use a spoon to scoop out any seeds that got in there. Then fill to the top with water (room temp to cool is great for digestion, but if you prefer cold, then go for it).
WHY? Lemon water first thing in the morning not only kick starts your hydration, but it also makes any toxins in your blood and liver more readily available to be flushed out by the celery juice you’re about to follow it with. Do not eat anything after the lemon water, let that do it’s magic for about 15-30 minutes.
2 - Prepare the celery juice
While I’m drinking my lemon water and putting away some dishes from the day before, I break out my juicer and a bag of the Costco celery (here’s my juicer, and check out my first post to see why I use Costco celery). I juice about half of a bag of Costco celery for one tall glass (14oz) of celery juice. I like to stick my glass of celery juice in the fridge after this because it’s much better when it’s nice and cold.
WHY? Celery juice is an amazing thing… if you need convincing, again, check out my blog post on what happened to me after I drank it every day for a year. The naturally occurring salts in celery juice bind to toxins in your blood and liver and flush them out of your body. Simultaneously, it reduces inflammation in all your body systems and heals the intestinal linings of your gut. It is unlike any other fruit or vegetable out there, and its powers are incredible. Drink celery juice for a couple of months, and your mind will be clearer, your gut less bloated, your energy abound.
2 - Wait 15-30 minutes / get in a workout / drink your celery juice
While my celery juice chills in the fridge and my body processes the lemon water, I do a quick 30 minute workout. It usually consists of a run and strength exercise, or a yoga class. It is my personal preference to exercise on an empty stomach if it’s a workout under 30 minutes. If that doesn’t work for you, that’s OK! Just make sure you wait 15-30 minutes after your lemon water to drink the celery juice, and always drink the celery juice on an empty stomach (no food). You can absolutely drink your lemon water (wait), drink your celery juice (wait), eat something, and then workout. I’m a little more crunched for time in the morning so I prefer to make the most of my minutes and multitask.
WHY? It is essential to wait 15-30 minutes after drinking your lemon water before drinking celery juice to allow the acids in the lemon water to work their magic and loosen toxins. It is equally essential to drink your celery juice and wait 15-30 minutes before eating food to allow the celery juice and its natural salts to interact with your intestinal lining without any food interfering. This is how MAXIMUM healing takes place.
3 - Make a smoothie
I drink my celery juice right after my workout because it’s nice and cold and I’m thirsty anyways, so I find it refreshing. While I drink my celery juice, I like to pack my lunch for work and start making my smoothie so I don’t fixate on drinking the juice (I didn’t always find it refreshing… haha). I do mix up my smoothies now and again, but my go to is this Liver Detox Smoothie. It has bananas, blueberries, dragonfruit, and two supplements I throw in — chaga mushroom powder and a organic fiber powder.
WHY? My first food choice of the day is a smoothie, because I can drink it while I get ready for work and it’s a powerhouse of nutrients. It supports further healing of my stomach and liver by supporting the detox process. Regarding the chaga mushroom — I could write an entire post on the way that chaga has transformed the way I sustain my energy through the day, but I’ll save you the details. If you add ANY supplement to your diet, make it chaga. The mental clarity and energy I get from it is day altering. I throw in a scoop of the best fiber powder I’ve found after a lot of experimenting. I love that it has prebiotics and how it reduces bloating and keeps me regular.
4 - Shower, get to work, eat my post-smoothie snack / coffee
After I shower and get to work, I bring along a snack to have with my coffee. I know the jury’s out on coffee… but I just can’t help myself. I allow myself one cup a day — either brewed coffee with some non-dairy creamer, or a shot of espresso with some oat milk. Whatever I choose, I’m careful to pick a high quality bean that causes the least digestive upset. My favorite is from a local roaster, called Beacon coffee. They ship around the U.S. as well. My mid-morning snack is typically something I prepared at home ahead of time and can bring along all week, like these Pumpkin Oat Bars! Simple, whole ingredients, gut-friendly pumpkin and oats, what could be better?
WHY? You will be hungry and ready for some solid food after the liquids all morning. I love to be able to snack on something that I know is healthy and has clean ingredients. While making my mid-morning snack on the weekend does take some time/preparation, I try to keep it as simple as possible and know that I will be thanking myself as I rush off to work. And as to why I drink a cup of coffee?… because I love it and it makes me happy. No further explanation needed.
That’s it!
So that’s my morning routine; that’s my method every morning. It leaves me feeling full of energy and ready to be focused for my day at work. The best part? My body knows what to expect because I’ve created a pattern for it to adapt to. Yes, consistency requires discipline and dedication. But, it’s worth it because it doesn’t leave my body guessing what symptoms might pop up. I’m controlling what I can, and my body loves me for it. You can shake it up by switching out your smoothie or mid-morning snack, but I do my best to stick to fruits / grains my body is familiar with.
But seriously, if you take anything away from this, give that chaga mushroom powder a chance. I linked it once more below. At a minimum, you can throw it into your coffee (use a frother to really blend it up) and it gives it a warm cocoa flavor. And even if you don’t adopt my method, you can still get some benefits from that easy step.
Did you try the chaga? Have a smoothie recipe you think I should try? Have a question? Let me know in the comments!
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