Mindful Mornings With Hood

This post was sponsored by Hood as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Hey Ladies! At the beginning of May, I shared a post chatting about some of the healthy changes I was making to my daily routine. Since then, a lot has changed in my life and I’ve thrown a few more healthy habits into the mix that I wanted to share!

So the first thing I’ve been doing was a huge adjustment for me…

I’ve made it making it a point to not look at my phone the moment I wake up. And for a good hour after that as well. Instead, I’ll make myself a bowl of cereal, a hot coffee, and go sit somewhere quiet to update my journal. Yes. Girlfriend now has a journal. I never thought I’d be a journal-er. But here we are.

I’m still starting my mornings with some Hood products. I use the Reduced Fat Chocolate and Fat Free Calorie Countdown dairy beverages (available at Walmart) in my cereal and in my coffee.

The Chocolate beverage is only 80 calories (56% less than traditional chocolate milk), plus 67% fewer carbs, and 75% less sugar. Great substitute for creamer!

And the fat free version is my go-to for morning cereal. It has 42% fewer calories, 75% less sugar, 67% fewer carbs than milk, and provides 25% of my daily value for calcium and 15% of my daily value of Vitamin D (based on a 2000 cal diet) per cup!

Once I have my little breakfast made, I’ll sit at my desk, on the porch, hop back in bed…anywhere quiet and comfortable, and begin to write. Sometimes I’ll write a few pages, sometimes a few sentences, but I use my journal to jot down the random thoughts that seem to constantly fill my head. It feels really good to remove them from my mind and place them somewhere else.

When I need to be present during the day, it’s helpful to tackle these thoughts first thing! I’ll note good things, bad things, things I’m excited about, things I’m scared of… all the things! And then I try to set an intention for the day. It can be a small goal or a big goal, but it’s usually something that’ll be beneficial to my mental, emotional, or physical health. It’s been a much more productive use of my time than scrolling through social media and I find that it helps me relax a little bit before jumping into the day.

Once I’m done writing (if I still have a little time), I’ll read a couple of chapters in a book. My book club is currently reading The Wife Between Us and it is SO good. I’m almost done and cannot wait to see how it ends.

Then I usually do my hair and makeup real quick, get dressed, pack up my things, make an iced coffee to go using the Hood Calorie Countdown Reduced Fat Chocolate Dairy Beverage again…and head out the door! Side note: the no plastic straw movement is serious business and I want to invest in some reusable straws so I can stop being part of the problem. Let me know if you have any that you really love and that are easy to clean!

So that’s my mindful morning routine in a nutshell! I have a bit of anxiety and have been feeling waves of different emotions lately, but taking that quiet time to reflect and relax has made a world of difference. I’d highly recommend trying it out if you don’t already do so!

 For more information about Hood, a leader in high quality dairy products, visit their website (you can find some more great recipes over there), as well as their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts. Also, if you’re interested in trying them for yourself, click here to grab a coupon!!

Thank you all so much for reading! I have some new beauty products that I’ve been LOVING and am dying to share with you! Hopefully later this week or early next…stay tuned!

XOXO