The Ultimate Morning Routine For Balance, Mental Health & Hormone Support
24:57 Share

This is the Pursuit of Wellness podcast and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn. What's up guys? Welcome back to another solo episode. Today we are talking all things my current morning routine.

And I think this will be a good episode to do now because things have changed a decent amount. Probably if you've been with me for a while, they've changed a lot because my morning routine used to be super intense. And there's definitely a time and place for that. But that time is not now for me. My morning routine lately has been much more intense.

mental health slash fertility hormone focus. Like let's say it's my feminine era morning routine. It's been way more flexible. It's been way more enjoyable, I would say. Definitely still some health things sprinkled in there and some non-negotiables. But I, you know, if you've been following me lately, I've been going through IVF and it's definitely taken a mental and

and I don't have the bandwidth that I used to have. And although exercise is still an important part of my life, it makes me feel so good. It's not, it's no longer a top, top, top priority. So I wanna fill you guys in on what that looks like and give you an inside look. If you've been with me for a while, as I said, I used to wake up at 5.30 a.m. and roll out of bed and go directly to Gold's Gym and do a crazy workout for an hour and a half.

And it's okay to evolve and grow and change. I think that's such a big thing I want to emphasize because the old me, I had such a hard time letting go of my routines. Like nothing could get in the way of me waking up at 5.30 and going to the gym. And if anything changed, like if I was sick or going through something or if there was like a workout class I got invited to, I would change.

say no every time and just keep doing my thing because I think I was so reliant on my routine for some reason as like a safety blanket. And now I kind of like change things day to day, depending on what my mood is or what's going on, which is really nice. And it's given me like a sense of freedom that I didn't have before. So yeah, let's hop in and give you a look at what it looks like now. And truthfully, it changes every day.

But I will give you a look at what it is like typically. And there's some things in here that don't change. So lately I wake up between 7 and 7.30, which still feels like a luxury when I went so long waking up at like 5, 5.30.

7 to 7.30 feels really, really doable. Something that I've been doing recently, which was actually inspired by Michael Chernow, who came on the show very recently. If you go back and look at my recent episodes, he talked about sobriety and gratitude and prayer were a really big part of his routine.

And what he does is first thing in the morning and last thing at night, he gets on his knees and says a prayer. And as you guys know, I've been just like leaning way more into like my spirituality and praying and gratitude and things like that during my IVF journey. And I have started saying a prayer every single morning. And I say something, you know, in my head for people in my life, for things I'm going through, for...

You know, just like giving me the strength to get through what I need to get through that day or whatever it may be. And it's just this moment of like gratitude, asking for help,

and being present. And I feel like it has put me in a really good headspace to take on the rest of the day, which is so nice. And then, you know, last thing at night saying, thank you, you know, thinking about the great things that happened to me that day. Um, just like taking a moment to soak it in because it's so easy to just blast through everything and focus on the negative. So that is something I've implemented that I really, really love.

The next thing I do, and also I should mention before I say the prayer, I open the blinds because I want to see outside right away. And then I turn off my hatch rain noise machine that I have going and I head into the bathroom, do the normal things, brush my teeth.

brush my hair, throw on some kind of active wear, dog walking outfit. It's been super cold in Austin lately. So I bundle up and then it's time to head into the kitchen. The very first thing I do in the kitchen is take any medication that needs to be taken on an empty stomach. Pretty sure my thyroid medication is what I take. And then I make a hydro flask. So I take a big cup like this. If you're watching on Spotify on video, I take a big cup.

cup of water and I add all my fancy things into it so that I have that going for the day. So I'll throw in some like electrolytes or something. I always throw in a scoop of bloom colostrum and collagen peptides. That has been amazing for my skin and gut health and I do it every single day. If I'm exercising, I throw in my creatine, which has been amazing. And I'll throw in a scoop of glutamine, which is great for gut health.

And then some ice cubes. And honestly, it tastes really good. And I'll like drink it while I exercise or whatever I'm doing. Then it's time to go let the prince out. I head upstairs to Arnold's bedroom.

Which is so funny that he has a whole room. We haven't really filled the rooms upstairs yet because we don't have kids yet or anything. So Arnold has his own bedroom and his crate and he loves his crate. So I wake him up and let him out, which is so cute. I give him a little cuddle and then he just shoots downstairs. Like this, he basically flies down the stairs. He's so fast and crazy. Then I feed him, which is a whole thing. He goes and sits on his little place, we call it. I go place and he goes and sits on this platform. Arnold's a very crazy dog, like very high energy dog.

very food obsessed so we have like a whole system with him because otherwise it's just madness so he goes on his place i put his collar on and then i put his snood on which is like this thing that holds his ears back i'm i'm doing a deep dive right now onto arnold's routine but it's just necessary i have a snood for him which like if you haven't seen it on my story it's so funny it's like a little scarf because his ears get in his food and

And the snood has like animal eyes on it. And it's just the cutest thing. I have like a frog one and a bear one. And he looks so funny. So I do that. Give Arnold his breakfast. And then it's time to let him outside. Because he needs to be outside immediately. So let him out. And then him and I go on a walk. We kind of switch up the walks we do in my neighborhood. But we get outside. I get some steps. I get some sunlight. Arnold gets his steps. He gets his playtime. It's honestly like...

the nicest way to start the day. And I normally walk for like 30 minutes with him. It's a really nice way to get some sunlight, like stay off my phone, be present, get outside. And also I should mention Greg handles Lulu. Like we divide and conquer responsibility. So he handles Lulu, I handle Arnold and that's that. So then I get home and I either make myself a coffee or

in our Breville machine or I grab an energy drink. Depends on the mood. If I'm weightlifting, it's probably an energy drink. If I'm headed to Pilates, maybe it's a coffee. My new favorite flavor is our juicy orange. It's subtle, orange, fizzy, so good.

At this point, it's time for my exercise. So I'll either change into a workout outfit or I'm already in one. And I'm either heading down to our garage for our home gym to do a weightlifting session, which I probably would have already decided what I'm doing. I'm either using the Strength app, which is my fitness app that I've

been developing since I started this career. Like it's all the workout plans I've been following since the beginning. And there's videos and different workouts for different body group, body, like muscle groups, et cetera. And then I'm either doing that or I'm doing Pilates, maybe walking, whatever it may be. So that's what I've gotten really flexible with, to be honest.

probably weight lifting like three times a week pilates twice a week sometimes i'll do a barry's class sometimes i'll go walk around the trail just depends i just try and switch it up every day i weight lift for about 40 minutes pilates is for an hour maybe i'll walk on the treadmill to get some steps as well like i'm definitely trying to hit that 10k steps every day it is tough when it's cold outside

As you guys know, I am someone who has completely transformed my life through a dedicated wellness journey. I lost over 90 pounds and I'm always looking for tools to provide deeper insights into my body. And that's where I found Function, which is founded by Dr. Mark Hyman. It's an all-in-one health platform that starts with over 100 advanced lab tests

covering your entire body from your heart hormones liver kidney thyroid autoimmunity cancer signals toxins nutrients and more function health has just added even more advanced add-on tests that you simply cannot get from most doctors they have a bpa exposure test to detect harmful plastic toxins for ever chemical exposure and the mthfr gene analysis which i know many people struggle with i

I've been on a fertility journey for a long time now, and it was really important to me that I tested all of my hormones, also getting in control my PCOS and so many other things. If you are on a fertility journey, I highly recommend getting your test done. Lab visits are fast and convenient at one of the 2,000 plus locations around the US.

all for just $4.99 a year. That breaks down to $1.37 per day for access to cutting edge health insights. All of your results are tracked over time in one secure place so you see your health story unfold. The insights come from top doctors based on your unique results.

You and your family should join Functions. Skip Functions waitlist and gain instant access at functionhealth.com slash a slash Mari dash Llewellyn. We'll make sure we have that link available in our description box as well. February is the time for entertaining, whether it's a Galentine's Day brunch with the girls or a Super Bowl watch party. They

There are so many different things you can do at your house. And I personally love to have my caraway cookware out on my stove. And I like to use it for baking, for my sourdough, my cookies. It is the perfect way to host. Plus, I love the fact that I know I'm serving with toxin-free cookware. 95% of home goods are made with toxic chemicals like PTFEs or Teflon. And over 70% of fry pans sold in America contain Teflon.

97% of Americans have PFA's toxic chemicals from non-toxic cookware in their blood. It is so important to make the switch guys and use non-toxic cookware. Make the swap to non-toxic living today with Caraway's cookware set.

It will save you $150 versus buying the items individually. And just a reminder, you have until February 24th to take advantage of our exclusive 20% off discount code. So visit carawayhome.com slash Mari or use code Mari, M-A-R-I at checkout to get 20% off your order. Yeah, and I really enjoy Pilates. I find it to be very hard.

especially the class I take here in Austin, which is called Forma. And it's literally impossible. Like I'm shaking, it's torture. So yeah, I'm doing one or the other.

After I'm done exercising, it is time for breakfast. I am a breakfast girl. Like I will never be someone who skips breakfast. I know girls who wait till lunch or they intermittent fast. Couldn't be me. I wake up starving and I like breakfast food. I lately eat sourdough, which I've been making myself. I actually need to make another loaf ASAP because I'm running low. I use the Ballerina Farms recipe from YouTube. She posted it two years ago.

and it makes two loaves and what I do is I eat one fresh and then I slice the other one and put it in the freezer and honestly toasting from frozen is amazing because it's frozen like at the freshest time and then I eat my eggs from my chicken coop this is like my dream situation like the fact that I can even say that to me is the coolest thing I do want to grow my own berries at some point and have a garden but I'm not I'm not all the way there yet I'll figure that out at some point

Sometimes I'll do like a yogurt bowl with granola, but like protein is so, so, so important to me. So if I'm doing yogurt, I want to use something that has a high protein content. Like there's a Skyr, S-K-Y-R, Skyr has high protein in it. I'll do that. You could do Fie, whatever.

whatever. I've also been drinking this juice every single day. I either drink it with breakfast or dinner and it's for fertility. So any queens listening who are doing IVF, trying to have a baby, trying naturally, doing IEY, whatever, you need to be consuming pomegranates. Like I'm sorry, pomegranates are my new personality. I'm obsessed with them. They literally work. Like I've watched it happen in other people. Pomegranates are nature's fertility medication. I think

because they have such high folic acid, they help with the lining of the uterus. They help with embryo implantation. So I am chugging pomegranate and beet juice to help with the chances of my embryos implanting right away. I shouldn't say embryos. That sounds like I'm gonna have twins. Embryo. Okay.

So I am consuming pomegranates regularly. I'm eating the seeds, I'm drinking the juice, I'm doing all the things. So what I do is I mix pomegranate juice, pure, you wanna get pure. I think my brand is called Lakeway. The ingredients should say pomegranate seeds and water and that's it.

So that plus pure beet juice with some seltzer, ice cubes and a straw because that stuff is like, it's gonna die your mouth. So you wanna use a straw. And I drink that every single day. You could also sprinkle like pomegranate seeds on your yoga or like whatever, but you need to be consuming that if you wanna have a baby. That is my opinion. I'm having breakfast. I cook it myself every day. I cook with butter by the way, or ghee.

I don't cook with olive oil and I put butter on my sourdough bread with flaky salt, yum. I don't put honey 'cause like I can't have sweets in the morning. Like I have a really hard time with that. It makes me like feel brain foggy. So I skip that. And honestly, when I eat breakfast, this is a time where I like check my phone, see what's on the cow for the day,

Has anyone texted me? I go on Instagram. I see my TikTok stuff, which is honestly scary. Like every time I click on TikTok, I get scared because I feel like anything could have happened on there overnight. Do you know what I mean? Like what's going on? And then after I've eaten, that's when I really take all my supplements. So it is a lot more simplified than it used to be. Like if you've listened to this podcast for the last two years, I used to take a crazy amount of supplements every

because I thought it was helping my skin or like whatever I was doing, like going through it. Now it's way more like fertility focused and I'd say simplified. So normally I'm taking my Bloom Greens every day to get in all my vitamins and nutrients. Or you could mix that in with your Hydro Flask or with your pomegranate beet juice. I actually saw a girl comment on my TikTok saying she mixes her pomegranate juice with her greens, which I think is genius. I also told you guys, I take this IVF egg freeze pack

pack like a supplement pill pack if you just google that you'll find it it has everything you need in that one pack which is fantastic then i also take right now i'm taking like vitamin d because i'm we're not getting enough sun like it's too not sunny enough here in austin and zinc

And that's pretty much it. And like any medication that I need to be taking, I really feel like that's all you need. And then, you know, obviously at night I'm taking like magnesium and stuff, but way more simple than it used to be, thank goodness. After my supplements, it's time to head into the bathroom to get ready. So this is a moment where maybe if I'm feeling extra fancy, I'm gonna do red light therapy. You guys know I love Bon Charge. I love the face mask. Really good for acne, scarring, wrinkles, like whatever. Great way to like,

you know, meditate, read a book, do something. Or I'll do one of my Epicutis sheet masks, or I'll do Jouer eye patches, just something to like vibe out. I wash my face with Clear Stem always. Do all my serums, moisturizers. Lately I've been gua sha-ing. I do not know if I'm doing it right. Like a little whatever jaw, cheekbone, down the neck, trying to flush the

puff and the toxins I feel like with everything going on with me lately hormonally like I feel like a science experiment I like my face looks different every day so it just makes me feel like I'm doing something like I'm chiseling something so I'll do that for a minute when I'm like moisturized and then unless I'm recording like if I'm recording like this and I'm on camera I'm

or I'm doing a shoot, then I'm gonna do makeup. And I never put a ton of makeup on, but like for me, this is a lot right now. And I've like found a lot of things I really like. Like actually I use some new stuff today that I got because of my friend Hannah Chody, because she's like a beauty influencer and posts really good makeup. And I put like Bobbi Brown vitamin something as a face base. And I do a Say slip tint moisturizer. And I do Westman Atelier moisturizer.

concealer if you want to see my makeup routine honestly go on my tiktok because i've done it on there a couple times but most of the time i literally just put color science sunscreen which is acne safe and it has tint to it so it makes your face look a little more tan maybe i'll do a little bit of concealer on like acne scars a little bit of like the road freckle blush i have an acne safe powder that i'll sometimes use eyebrow gel by victoria beckham

benefit lip tint and that's it like I like it to look really really natural if you're looking to revamp your wardrobe in 2025 quince is my go-to for luxury essentials at affordable prices go

quince offers a range of high quality items at prices within reach like 100% mongolian cashmere sweaters from $50 washable silk tops and dresses organic cotton sweaters and 14k gold jewelry the best part is all quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands by partnering directly with top factories quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes savings on to us

And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics. I love this. I'm obsessed with the Mongolian sweaters. It's such a great look with jeans. I wore one this weekend. It is amazing. Give yourself the luxury you deserve with Quince. Go to quince.com slash pow for free shipping on your order with 365 day returns.

That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash pow to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash pow. You guys know I went through a drastic weight loss journey in 2017 and I wish I'd had this tool called Lumen. It's the world's first handheld metabolic coach. It's a device that measures your metabolism through your breath

And on the app, it lets you know if you're burning fat or carbs and even gives you a tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workout, sleep, and even stress management. All you have to do is breathe into your lumen first thing in the morning and you'll know what's going on with your metabolism, whether you're burning mostly fat or carbs. It will give you a personalized nutrition plan for that day based on your measurements.

You can also breathe into it before and after workouts and meals so you know exactly what's going on with your body in real time. It will give you tips to keep you on top of your health game. Your metabolism is your body's engine. It's how your body turns the food you eat into the fuel that keeps you going. Your metabolism is really the center of everything and it's so important to know exactly what's going on.

Take the next step to improving your health. Go to lumen.me slash pow to get 20% off your Lumen. That's L-U-M-E-N dot me slash pow for 20% off your purchase. Thank you, Lumen, for sponsoring this episode.

And then for my hair, I mean, I'm not much of a hair gal. Lately, I've been super into like getting a blowout and trying to make it last as long as possible. So like you go to like Milk and Honey if you're here in Austin or Chicago or LA, get a blowout, make it last. My hair gets greasy quite easily.

So actually I recently got the Crown Affair dry shampoo and it's pretty fantastic. And that will help me make it last longer. So I'll make it last for like four days is like my max. And that's like an efficient way of doing my hair. If not, I love my Dyson Airwrap. I did that today for the flippy ends.

Or I really like the Air Straight. That's a new Dyson product that you could like blow out and it's like a straightener and it goes from wet to dry and it's completely straight, which is like kind of crazy. But yeah, I'm not like a huge hair girl. So I just do what I can.

And then we go into the closet. Today I'm wearing like a real outfit. Like today I had to wear jeans and like a whole thing because I did a shoot at Walmart. But normally I'm wearing active wear and like trying to make it look cute. You know what I mean? Like I'm wearing a workout set and I'm trying to make it like

good for real life. And then depends on the day. Sometimes I'm working from home in my upstairs office or I'm heading into the office. Like right now I'm in the studio. Then I'll probably dress a bit nicer. But usually by like 9.30, 10, I'm heading out the door, going somewhere for work, whatever it may be. And that's the morning. That really is the morning. And that's way more chill than I'm used to.

but I'm loving it and I'm really enjoying it. And I know it wasn't too biohacky, too crazy, too wellnessy, but I just wanna be honest, like this is where I'm at. This is what the bandwidth of what I am able to offer right now. And that is okay. And I hope you...

Got some little tidbits from here, guys. And I know I mentioned a few products, so maybe we'll try and link them in the description box. If you want to try the Bloom Energy drink, it's at Target, Walmart, Kroger, Meijer. It's in a lot of retail stores now. You can also get it on Amazon, our variety pack. You can get our colostrum and collagen peptides at Walmart and Target. And yeah, guys, I really appreciate you listening. A reminder...

I know a lot of you listen, but not all of you are subscribed to the show. And if you're not subscribed, you might miss an episode. And we have really, really fun episodes coming out. A lot of solos. I know you guys really enjoy the solos in the girl chats. There's a lot of those coming because right now I'm very much feeling pulled to doing more solos. I feel like I'm going through a lot in my life. And although I love my guest episodes and my experts, I'm just in an era where I'm really like,

focusing on what I'm going through and wanting to chat with my friends and things like that so a lot more girly chats coming so make sure you subscribe to the show leave a review if you loved it go follow me on TikTok and Instagram we'll link all of that in the description box and I'll see you guys on the next episode

Thank you for joining us on the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. To support this show, please rate and review and share with your loved ones. If you want to be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast or video player. You can sign up for my newsletter to receive my favorites at marilowelland.com. It will be linked in the show notes.

This podcast is a Pursuit Network production brought to you by Michaela Phillips, Joel Contartese, Davielle Waldner, Jen Lauren, and Mackenzie Mizell. You can also watch the full video of each episode on our YouTube channel at Pursuit of Wellness Podcast. Love you, Power Girls and Power Boys. I will see you next time.

The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor or health team.