Plus, her tips on how to create (and stick to!) healthy habits.
Mornings are anything but typical for Hannah Bower. One day she could be getting her kids ready for school while also needing time to shower and prep for a morning Zoom meeting, and the next day she’s filming workout videos for her app. As a wife, mom, trainer, and pre- and postnatal specialist, Bower understands that there’s never quite enough time in the day. But, she’s a firm believer that carving out time for yourself and taking little steps to improve your life can help you reach your fitness and wellness goals.
She made some time in her busy schedule on an early Wednesday morning to chat with me about her morning habits and her tips for creating a healthy routine.
Here’s what an average day looks like for Bower:
With her kids, 10-month-old Siah and 3-year-old Jaden, Bower says mornings can be a bit unpredictable. While her littlest one wakes up as early as 5:30 a.m., her whole family is typically up for the day around 6:30 a.m.
“Once I am up, I bring the kiddos down, grab a cup of coffee and then we play with [them],” Bower says, noting that she and her husband, Josh Hall, work in a few interactive games with their children before breakfast.
“We often eat pancakes,” Bower says of her family’s typical quick and easy breakfast. “We throw in either fruit or some flaxseed or chia seed in the mix and then peanut butter.”
Her first drink of the day is always coffee with soy creamer — it’s the most essential part of her morning routine.
“I look forward to my coffee as I’m going to bed,” Bower says. “Coffee just lets me feel like I can tackle the kiddos — no matter what they throw at me — and get the day going.”
After a fiber-filled breakfast with her family, Bower preps Jaden’s lunch, gets him ready for school, and is out the door by 8:15 a.m. to drop him off by 8:30 a.m.
Post school drop-off, Bower and her husband spend the rest of the morning tackling admin work for their nutrition supplement company, Twenty2 Nutrition. On any given day, they could be using this time to conduct meetings, do accounting work, or manage employees and warehouse tasks.
“[This is] all of the backend stuff that typically Instagram doesn’t get to see that just keeps the business afloat and running and running smoothly,” Bower says.
Bower believes that staying organized is essential when running a business. Every night the husband and wife duo review their schedule for the next day in order to make things run more smoothly.
Once business and admin tasks have been tackled for the day, Bower usually hits the gym around 12 noon, where she combines filming new content for her fitness app with her daily workouts.
Bower understands the importance of balancing family, work, and fitness, which is why her workouts are designed to get maximum results in minimal time and made to fit all bodies and all lifestyles. Bower says part of a successful routine is setting goals and sticking to them. If you’re super busy like her and you don’t have enough hours in the day, the best advice she can give is to schedule workouts into your calendar to stay on track throughout the week.
“Just writing it out and scheduling it in your calendar is one of the best keys to get you to go,” Bower says. “If it’s actually written out and scheduled into your calendar, you’re more likely to make time for it and take it seriously.”
Bower aims to help her clients develop a sustainable, healthy relationship with fitness that goes beyond the scale. Her new six-week challenge, "Diet Culture Detox," launches next week and embraces her philosophy by pushing participants to transform their mindsets, not just their bodies.
Rather than just a physical transformation (which Bower says is the icing on the cake!), attitude, dedication, consistency, body positivity, and mindset shifts will be key markers for success in this challenge.
Sign up for Bower's "Diet Culture Detox" challenge here.
Establishing — and sticking to — a morning routine can be tough, but doing so is a great way to form successful habits. It’s also important, Bower says, to take things one step at a time.
“I think when we get super motivated or want to change our lifestyles, we can tend to have this all or nothing mentality and try to switch up our life 180 [degrees] really quickly. That leads to burnout and yo-yo type dieting.”
“So I always encourage people to take baby steps. Don’t try to change everything at once. Focus on one little thing, master it, and then try to implement a little bit more so it’s not overwhelming. It becomes more sustainable and you can start enjoying your life without feeling like you can’t do it,” Bower says.
Bower’s fitness app includes a set of Mindset Monday exercises, which is a great place to start if you’re looking to create consistency by establishing a successful morning routine of your own.
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