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A Top LA Trainer On The Best Time Of Day To Build Healthy Habits

Author:

Todd McCullough

January 03, 2017

Founder of TMAC Fitness

By Todd McCullough

Founder of TMAC Fitness

Todd McCullough is a Los Angeles-based, ACE-certified personal trainer, E-RYT registered yoga teacher, and founder of TMAC FITNESS.

Photo by Muth King

January 03, 2017

What is your day but a series of moments? It's the little decisions you make along your way that add up to a balanced life. Evolution Fresh®‎ launched their #MySmallSip initiative to spark small, healthy daily choices we each make to better our lives. With the second annual National Green Juice Day on January 26, 2017, what better way to celebrate than to share the healthy habits of some of our community members? Read on for wellness inspiration you can incorporate into your own life.

If you take away one thing from this article, take away this: Being fit, healthy, and happy is a daily process, and learning to love the process is the secret to succeeding in it. How do we love the process? By finding small wins like #MySmallSips each day.

Now, what is a win? Well that is up to you. I simply want to give you a foundation. This foundation is what I have build TMAC Fitness around: sweat, eat, mind right, and community.

Here's a glimpse into how I incorporate those pillars into my life. Maybe try a thing or two below. Maybe take an idea and make it your own. But the goal is simple: Find your win each day, your #MySmallSip.

Photo by Muth King

Morning:

My morning sets the tone for the day. I truly believe the most important times in our day are the first 10 to 20 minutes we wake up and the last 10 to 20 minutes before we fall asleep. It is imperative to build healthy habits first thing.

Movement and motivation. I have to start my day with movement. It can be a gym workout, yoga, or one of my TMAC 20 workouts. The key is to get my blood pumping and to carry that energy with me for the rest of the day.
Refuel. After my workout I have to refuel. Breakfast is either a veggie omelet with a side of fruit and coffee or an Evolution Fresh Smooth Greens & Kale juice. Vegetables give us energy. These two breakfast options leave me pumped and ready to tackle the day.

I stress the importance of doing all of this before I look at emails or social media. Your mind is powerful. I've found that if I cultivate healthy morning habits, the rest of my day will flow.

Photo by Muth King

Afternoon:

Eat light. Do you often feel wiped after lunch and struggle to get through the rest of the day? My trick to avoid this feeling is to eat mostly veggies, healthy fats (avocados and olives are great sources of fuel), and small amounts of protein and carbs for lunch. Carbs and sugars spike your insulin levels and cause crashes. Breaking down protein sources is a lot of work on the digestion system.
Afternoon snack. I usually have a snack a few hours after lunch, my favorite being an Evolution Fresh Smooth Greens & Kale juice. It's a delicious blend of greens, tropical sweetness, and smooth mint...and has only 7 grams of sugar per serving! This drink has just enough sugar to give me a boost but does so without the crash. I also like that it has mint in it to help with digestion.

Photo by Muth King

Evening:

Put down the phone. Before bed, I place my phone far enough away from the bed that I have to get up the next morning when the alarm goes off to Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes." I also have the phone set to "Do Not Disturb" from 8:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m.
Get a good night's sleep! The most undervalued wellness habit in my opinion is good sleep. You can eat all the kale you want, but if you feel like crap the next morning, you need to rearrange your life to get more sleep. I am not going to give you a magic number of hours that you need. It is different for all of us. Just listen to your body. Lights out.

One final #MySmallSip that is very important to me is more of a weekly routine than a daily one: It's about community. I believe a glass of wine and a few good laughs are good for the soul. I often find community in activities related to wellness. I also make it a point to share lunch with a friend whenever possible and to do a group dinner out one night of the weekend. After all, there is only so much solo foam rolling you can do.