My Morning Routine (And How To Create Your Own)

My Morning Routine (And How To Create Your Own)

A question I’m often asked by my friends and clients is: What is your morning routine? I actually love answering this question, because it makes me reflect on how far my routines (both morning and evening) have come. The more I’ve learned about wellness over the years, and the more I’ve prioritized my physical and mental well-being, the more effective and efficient my routines have gotten.

AND they’re super sustainable now—I used to have super long routines and I never ended up sticking with them because they demanded too much. Below is an overview of my morning routine, as well as my top three tips for developing your own!

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The Best of Pure Joy Wellness 2021 - Part 1

The Best of Pure Joy Wellness 2021 - Part 1

Oh 2021.. what a year it’s been! Coming out of 2020, I wasn’t sure what kind of year we were going to have, but I have to say, overall it’s been amazing. As a PJW community, we’ve grown stronger, connected deeply, and brought new people into the fold.

I couldn’t be prouder of all the badass women who are part of this community, including you! To celebrate, I’m using December to highlight the Best of Pure Joy Wellness from 2021.

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The 4 Exercises Every Woman Over 50 Should Do

The 4 Exercises Every Woman Over 50 Should Do

Last week on the blog, I wrote about a habit I adopted in 2021 that has made a major difference in my health (check out my post about bone broth here) and the response I received was overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that I want to share more things that have been game-changers for my health!

With that in mind, let’s talk about an exercise I’ve added to my routine this year that has totally changed my fitness, my body, and my age-related aches and pains… Pilates!


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How To Build Your Own Home Gym: My Top Tips

How To Build Your Own Home Gym: My Top Tips

If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that having workout equipment at home is a MUST. And now that many of us are working from home on a more regular basis, there’s no time like the present to perfect your home gym setup!

Much like starting a new workout routine, building your own home gym can seem like an overwhelming task. Where are you supposed to start? What equipment should you invest in?

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How To Make Walking More Enjoyable

How To Make Walking More Enjoyable

If you follow me on social media, you know that the third Pure Joy Wellness Walking Challenge is about to begin! Starting on Saturday, October 2, myself and the rest of the PJW community will be walking for 30 minutes a day for the next 30 days.

The Walking Challenge is about making a commitment to ourselves and one another and sticking to it—and we have a ton of fun motivating and supporting each other along the way!

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Why We Get Lower Back Pain & How To Fix Yours

Why We Get Lower Back Pain & How To Fix Yours

A few weeks ago, I woke up with a severe pain in my hip (or at least, I thought it was my hip at the time). My hip was so tight and felt like it was totally locked up. Having dealt with hip pain before. I tried every tool in my arsenal to heal it—I stretched, I slept on a wooden ball (no, I’m not kidding), iced it, took baths, everything. But nothing got better until I went to my chiropractor… and it turns out, I was treating the wrong area. My back was the issue, not my hip.

This experience got me thinking about back pain—specifically lower back pain—and how incredibly common it is, especially as we age.

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Here's Why All Women Over 50 Need An Exercise Revamp

Here's Why All Women Over 50 Need An Exercise Revamp

Let’s cut right to the chase: You’ve known for some time now that exercise is important when it comes to weight loss and maintaining a healthy body. But what you may not know is that as you cross over to your 50’s and beyond, the type of exercise you do takes on more significance.

Doing the same old workout routine that you did in your youth isn’t going to serve you well as you get older.

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5 Affordable Pieces Of Workout Equipment You Can Travel With

5 Affordable Pieces Of Workout Equipment You Can Travel With

We’ve all been there—we book a vacation, get to our destination, realize there isn’t a gym, and suddenly all of our hard work and consistency go out the window. We make excuses and end up skipping our regular workouts, and when we get back from vacation, we feel defeated knowing we have to start over again.

I cannot tell you how many times this happened to me when I started my fitness journey! Also, even when there is a gym on the premises, sometimes I only have 20 or 30 minutes free in the day, and by the time I get dressed and trek over to the gym, it feels like I don’t have enough time to get anything meaningful done. And other times, I’m too tired to leave my room! So now, I always bring equipment with me.

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Pure Joy Wellness Approved - Bala Bangles

Pure Joy Wellness Approved - Bala Bangles

This month’s PJW Approved product is none other than the stylish resistance accessory, Bala Bangles!

In the last decade, the rise of athleisure has mixed fashion and fitness in a way that changed the wellness industry forever. But the focus has mostly been on clothes, not accessories. Bala Bangles—stylish one or two pound weights that can be strapped to your wrists or ankles—are here to change that.

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Why Everyone (Yes, Everyone) Should Lift Heavy Weights

Why Everyone (Yes, Everyone) Should Lift Heavy Weights

When I look back on my fitness journey, It’s hard to believe there was a time when I didn’t lift weights. Believe it or not, I actually didn’t start strength training until my thirties!

At the time, I was working in television and I was the queen of aerobics. My cardiovascular health was outstanding, and sure, I was thin, but I had no muscle mass or tone to speak of. I was skinny, but I wasn’t what I consider now to be fit. It wasn’t until one of my colleagues at the station said, “You know, you would be great at lifting weights,” that I decided to give it a try.


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Why Having A Strong Core Is So Important For Women

Why Having A Strong Core Is So Important For Women

When you think of the word “core,” you might envision six-pack abs or a washboard stomach, but having a strong, healthy core is about much more than that. Your core consists of all the muscles in your trunk—they surround your abdomen on all sides, which allows your body to twist, bend, and rotate, support your spine, and aid in posture. In other words, it’s at the center of everything you do.


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Pure Joy Wellness Approved! Theragun

Pure Joy Wellness Approved!  Theragun

As many of you know, we’re almost done with the Pure Joy Wellness Walking Challenge! 30 days of 30 minutes or more of walking. I’m so impressed with and proud of all of you who are participating—you’ve been killing it! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have, and are ready to finish the challenge out strong.

In honor of the Walking Challenge, I wanted to share one of my favorite recovery products with you…

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Why Walking Is The Best Workout For Women Over 50

Why Walking Is The Best Workout For Women Over 50

We all know that moving our bodies is essential for staying healthy and happy—but if you don’t have much experience with exercise, starting a workout routine can be intimidating. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that “working out” means you have to go on super long runs, lift two times your weight, or complete intense workouts that leave you feeling drained. Fortunately, that isn’t the case at all.

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Why Jumping Rope Is My #1 Go-To Exercise (& How To Do It)

Why Jumping Rope Is My #1 Go-To Exercise (& How To Do It)

It’s no secret that I love to jump rope (and I can get very competitive about it!). Jumping rope was all I wanted to do as a child, and when I would play with my friends, we’d see who could jump the most times without skipping a beat. Today, it’s a consistent part of my daily workout routine—and I still find it just as fun!

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The Importance Of Flexibility & 5 Stretches You Should Do Daily

The Importance Of Flexibility & 5 Stretches You Should Do Daily

As we get older, we slowly start to lose our flexibility—the ability to move our muscles and joints through their full range of motion. It’s kind of a “use it or lose it” situation. And while flexibility might not be top of mind when you think of training, it’s an essential part of fitness and plays a major role in our overall well-being. 

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Pure Joy Wellness Approved! TRX Home Suspension Trainer

Pure Joy Wellness Approved!  TRX Home Suspension Trainer

Welcome to the third edition of my blog series: Pure Joy Wellness Approved!

The wellness industry is saturated with products. (It’s a multi-trillion dollar industry, afterall.) My goal with this series, Pure Joy Wellness Approved, is to help you cut through the noise, and give you insight into the items and brands that I use on a regular basis. Every month, I’ll be featuring a product I love that can make achieving your health goals easier—whether you want to lose weight, take better care of your skin, develop an exercise routine, find balance with your nutrition, or improve your mental health, to name a few.

So, let’s talk about this month’s product...

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5 Lifestyle Changes For Sleek, Sculpted Arms

5 Lifestyle Changes For Sleek, Sculpted Arms

Summer is finally here and If you have been fighting flabby arms and feeling self-conscious about putting on your tank top, it is time to make a change. For too many women (including myself), the upper arms are a problem area, especially the triceps area at the back of the upper arms.

Sometimes referred to as bat wings, this area is easily neglected, because compared to the biceps at the front of your upper arms, it’s less visible.

So, if sleek, sculpted arms are the accessory you want most this summer use these 5 lifestyle changes to get the job done.

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