my newest routine

I recently started juicing in the evenings. Years ago, I loved the occasional fresh juice. Those that have been around know that when I was pregnant with KK, I craved green juice and citrus-laden juices constantly. Even now, I love a good, fresh juice - it’s one of those things that makes me feel really good and it makes me feel like I’m really caring for my body. However, I could never get the routine to stick.

But! Fast forward to now and with a few small tweaks, I finally got a juicing routine that I’ve able to consistently prioritize. I thought I’d also use this as an opportunity to model my process for creating routines, and answer a whole slew of FAQs.

Let’s do this! Here’s how I created + implemented my new juicing routine.

1. Soul search.

   • What is something I’d love more of in my life? What’s something I’d love less of - or none of? Is there an issue I’d love to resolve or a goal I would like to achieve?What is important to me? What makes me feel my best? And, alternatively: what makes me not feel my best?

   • See my full list of things here, if you’d like some ideas of things I already do to feel my best.

   • So let’s apply this to my juicing example. Consider yourself forewarned: I have a lot to type. But to me, the lengthy soul searching beforehand sets me up better to create a routine that works well for me.

     • After our pregnancy loss, I got in the habit of having a nightly glass of wine. Which is totally fine, but if I’m being honest, I’m just not that into wine - I don’t particularly enjoy it. It became a mindless habit, and it occurred to me I’d rather invest in a joy-inducing habit. Plus, the nightly wine was wreaking absolute havoc on both my skin and my sleep, so that’s what really pushed me to reevaluate.

     • While I was totally fine to nix the nightly wine, I knew myself well enough to know that at the end of the day, I like a non-water beverage. It then dawned on me: what about an evening juice? Years ago I loved fresh juice - I love how it made me feel, I love how it made my skin look, and I loved the extra dose nutrients. Maybe I could make an evening juice a routine?

2. Look over your schedule, your home, and your budget. How can we incorporate this new routine?

   • I believe our schedules, our homes, and our budgets should reflect our priorities. When I really want a routine or a priority to become more apart of our lives, I first look at these three places to see what I can tweak.

   • Budget: Our budget doesn’t have much wiggle room currently, so buying fresh juice isn’t an option for this current season of ours. However, I can totally add some produce to our weekly grocery order. My go-to favorite juices are kale/apple/lemon or carrot/citrus, and now that I’m not getting wine, we can totally fit that extra organic produce in our grocery budget, especially since kale, carrots, citrus, and apples often go on sale at our store. Given that the budget has limited wiggle room, I’m also going to break out my old juicer, my citrus juicer, and stainless steel straws from years ago instead of splurging on new juicing toys. (Sometimes I look to see if there’s something I can purchase to make a routine easier or more appealing.) Maybe if this routine really sticks, we can look at upgrading to a nicer, cold-press juicer for a holiday gift in the coming years. (Or maybe not! I do love my juicer.)

   • Schedule: How can I realistically incorporate this into my schedule? I learned making a morning juice was a routine that would never stick. However, making this a daily evening routine works. I’m already cleaning up the kitchen, Brett’s putting KK down, and I unwind by sticking a few veggies in the juicer. I run the dishwasher at night anyway, so right after I make my juice, I add the juicer parts to the dishwasher and finish cleaning up the kitchen. And once the kitchen is cleaned and the dishwasher is going, I rest for the evening with my fresh juice. Bliss! Absolute bliss! Alternatively, I could also make a bigger batch of juice during my Sunday meal prep sessions as another option, or I could even make a juice during KK’s naptime…or when she first wakes up and she’s independently playing. Fantastic! I love back-up options for when life happens.

   • Home: What tweaks in my home can I do to make this routine easier? Simple! I store the brush I use to clean my juicer next to my sink in my caddy. I cleared off my counter to make some space for my juicer to live next to my vitamins + supplements. (Another routine I prioritize.) I know myself well enough to know that a daily routine won’t happen for me if I have to repeatedly dig an appliance out of a cabinet, and I’m more likely to do a routine if the materials are staring me in the face. And! Since I buy groceries once a week, my juicing produce can take up some substantial room, so I put one of KK’s play baskets in our garage fridge as the place where I keep my juicing produce.

3. choose one teeeeny, tiny new routine to try

   • now here’s the fun part. I know it can seem suuuuper tempting to implement a ton of new routines at once, but we don’t want to do that. that’s how routines fizzle and die. at least for me. I need to slowly ease my way in. otherwise the immense amount of change overwhelms me.

   • when starting a new routine (or when I’m wanting to make a few changes), i pick just one new teeeeeeny, tiny daily or weekly routine, and I only do that one new one alongside my established routines. i do NOT try, say, seven new routines at once. instead, I will ONLY do that one new routine alongside the established routiens until the new one becomes a mindless habit. then AND ONLY THEN will I choose a second teeeeny, tiny new routine to add-on. and I will only do that new routine alongside the established routines until they’re all habits. AND SO ON. this is the key for me.

     • for example, I will not take on any new routines until this one sticks. and I probably won’t try any new juicing recipes outside my two favorites in the meantime either, just for simplicity’s sake.

4. reevaluate regularly

   • in each new season of ours, I look around and see what routines need to be tweaked, what new routines need to be created, and what routines are no longer working. it’s all a fluid process!

     • similarly, if a routine isn’t working, I ask myself: can anything be done to improve or tweak the routine? Is there anything else you can change in your home or schedule to help implement your new routine(s)? does this routine actually align with your priorities, or is it a routine that worked well for someone else? what’s not working about this routine in this season? is the routine no longer serving you in general at all? is it time to be let go completely?

ALSO! What I do when I’m not “feeling” a routine: I get asked this a lot. Sometimes I just don’t feel like doing a routine. And that’s okay! When this happens, I don’t force the routine. If I’m not feeling like a routine, I will skip it. Because one of two things happens: I either really miss the routine and am reminded of how beneficial it is. And I jump back into it with a newfound appreciation. Or, I notice that, for whatever reason, I didn’t miss it and I need to evaluate if it needs to be tweaked - or completely eliminated - in this season. A win win!

I’m currently two weeks into this new routine. And even after only two weeks of swapping juice for the wine, I’m so happy. This routine brings me so much joy. I feel like I’m taking better care of myself and I feel like it’s the perfect thing for me to have for my evening beverage, before my body rests for the night. Some article I read said that while many people love a morning juice, an evening juice is an awesome option, too. It mentioned having fresh juice before sleeping is like inundating your body with a big ol’ multivitamin, and that your body loves that influx of nutrients before sleeping for the night. Whether the article was credible or not, I’m not sure, but I love how all that sounded.

And, like the other things on my list of things that help me feel my best, I love new routines and rituals that calm my naturally-anxious mindset. And whether it be the dose of added produce or the grounding ritual of chopping up produce and adding it to a juicer, this routine has been the best addition to my anxiety toolbox.

My skin and my sleep are reaping incredible benefits, too.

Create routines that take care of you, however that looks for you! For me that meant a bigggg old glass of fresh juice in the evening. You do whatever works best for you!

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