My Morning Routine for Aligned Hormones

I get alot of questions about how I start my day to feel my best, and I realized that most of my daily habitual routines came from working on optimizing my hormones. One of these habits is having at least 20g of protein right away (before coffee) which helps with cortisol (stress hormone), insulin (blood sugar), and even thyroid hormones. That's why I drink this smoothie first thing each morning (which I also pack with micronutrients). My body craves it, and I truly notice a difference- better energy, mood, focus and digestion.

Here's the recipe (I don't use precise measurements)

🍌 1 frozen banana

🥛 1 cup of milk (I use 1/2 organic dairy, 1/2 coconut)

💪🏼 1 scoop protein powder (*quality really matters)

🦴 1 scoop collagen protein (my hair, skin & joints love this)

🍄 adaptogens (I use a blend of reishi, lions mane, cordyceps, maca, ashwagandha)

🥜 1 tbsp almond butter (makes it extra creamy & more satiating)

💛 cinnamon & turmeric (antiinflammatory & blood sugar balancing)

✨ sprinkle of bee pollen on top (antioxidants)

Between this daily smoothie and weekend banana protein pancakes, Jon & I buy an embarrassing amount of bananas each week 😅 hahaha! The running joke is coming home from the store and saying "I bought all the bananas they had", which actually has been the case on multiple occasions. We peel them before cutting in half and tossing into a freezer bag, ready for the morning smoothies.

*When it comes to protein powder, QUALITY is a big deal since most out there are garbage imo. So many brands are still using artificial flavors and sweeteners (which blows my mind because they just add more inflammation and are terrible for gut health!) Things to look for in a good protein supplement:

✔️grass-fed

✔️ easy to digest

✔️ natural flavors (chocolate is the best for this recipe)

✔️ natural sweeteners / low sugar (stevia or monk fruit)

✔️ tastes great (not like chalk or cardboard)

EQUIP checks all of these boxes! Their Prime Protein is delicious on it's own (with water), blended in a smoothie, or cooked into pancakes 😋🥤🥞 Use my code "MARTINA" to save $$

www.equipfoods.com/MARTINA In addition to this smoothie, getting outside for some light morning movement and a healthy dose of SUNSHINE 🌞 is such a key to regulating hormones and energy! A big reason for this is circadian rhythm - our body's sleep and wake cycle- is regulated mostly through light exposure. That's also why I make an effort to avoid blue light (from phones, TV, computers) in the evening (after the sun goes down). When I make an effort to turn down the lights and get to bed before 10PM vs staying up late (past 11PM) watching TV or looking at my phone, the difference is astronomical! Waking up the next morning, it will either be really easy to get out of bed and get moving, feeling driven and motived for the day, or I will be dragging my feet, looking puffy in the face, yawning literally all morning, and have zero motivation. I could go on and on with all of the hormone-focused wellness habits and routines I've developed over the years, and I'm actually working on putting together a full guide for this (which will be available soon!), because I truly don't know how I'd be functioning without living in this way. Sounds dramatic, I know, but as someone who is more sensitive than most, it doesn't take much for my hormones to get outta whack and I feel it right away (physically, mentally and emotionally). Thank you so much for being here, and I hope you found a few helpful tips in this post that you can start incorporating into your mornings to feel your best! With love, Martina :)