Starting the day begins with a good nights sleep, but what steps will you take to make sure the first hour of your day is as productive as possible? IKEA has set up a program called First :59, that provides lifestyle tips from the bedroom to the bathroom to help you and your family manage your mornings.
As one of four experts, I’ve shared my favorite tips for managing my busy mornings as a dad and full-time blogger.
Nutrition and healthful eating is important in our household, but as with most families, time constraints are an issue and can be a hurdle to eating the right foods.
Our Vitamix get’s serious use and one of my favorite morning tips is preparing a green smoothie for breakfast. There are a ton of recipes available online but we usually just wing it and stuff our smoothies with a mix of kale, spinach, celery and frozen fruit such as strawberries, mangos, blueberries and bananas. You can also drop in avocados, oranges, apples, really any fruit or vegetable. We all have fun experimenting.
We make a large serving of three smoothies and off we go! If we’re still hungry, a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal pairs perfectly with our smoothies.
We prefer smoothies to a green juice as we retain all of the fiber found in the vegetables and there is no waste. The fruit adds a sweetness that any kid (and adult) would love.
In addition to our green smoothies we start the day off with a large glass of fresh water. We stay away from fruit juices which usually contain a lot of added sugar and with our smoothies we are getting plenty of natural sugar from the added fruit. Water helps balance our body after a full night of sleep.
We do love our coffee, but we’ve found the best way to start our day is with a healthy breakfast, then indulge in the caffeine.
For additional inspiration, you can follow the dedicated First :59 Pinterest board. You can also share your own morning routine suggestions on social media with the hashtag #First59.
Visit First59.com for more tips and product suggestions to start your day in the best possible way.
photo: Robert Gourley and WoodleyWonderworks
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