The valuable lesson this fashion blogger learned from her morning workouts

Welcome to My Morning Routine, where Christine Andrew and other good-life gurus share their personal (frequently surprising, often healthy) morning rituals—to help you make your a.m.’s more awesome.

Christine Andrew Creator of Hello Fashion, designer for ILY Couture, and rock-star mom

My mornings usually start at around 6:30 a.m. Three to four days a week, I like to go to the gym and work out with my trainer for an hour. I’ve just started doing this in the past few months and it’s helped me so much to clear my head and really get in a good mindset for the morning. I’ve also loved working with my trainer because there are moments when I feel like I can’t go any further and she pushes me. I feel like I’ve been able to carry that into my business life, into motherhood, and into every different aspect of my life.

If I eat too much before I work out in the morning, I get sick. So I’ll just have a little pre-workout protein drink before I go, and then will have more protein when I come home. I’ll make egg whites, oatmeal, or avocado toast—I love avocados.

Working out in the morning has helped me so much to clear my head and get in a good mindset.

I also love coffee—there’s nothing like the smell of a fresh cup of coffee! I’m from Colombia and my mom would have coffee every morning, so I feel like I remember the smell so well. In the past, I would drink something sugary like a chai latte or caramel Frappuccino. But this year, I’ve been trying to eat a lot healthier, so I’m trying to eliminate my sugary drinks.

Beckam, my youngest (who is 4), sleeps until around 8:30, so I have an hour to plan out my day, make my to-do list, and collect the products I have to shoot for my blog. He really loves to sleep in, so I let him sleep until about 20 minutes before he has to go to school and then he’ll get ready really quickly.

For breakfast, Beckam loves pancakes. Growing up, my dad made me pancakes every single day, so it’s kind of cool that he loves them, too. We found these protein ones by Kodiak Cakes that have oats in them, and they’re super good and healthy. When we have breakfast together, I try during that time to be off my phone, off my devices, so that I can hang out with him for like a second.

When my son and I have breakfast together, I try during that time to be off my phone, off my devices, so that I can hang out with him for like a second.

Once I drive Beckam to school, I shower and get ready for my day. If I have a shoot, then someone will come and do my hair and makeup. But I definitely don’t put on a full face of makeup every day—I like to let my skin breathe a little, too. I’m such a sucker for skin-care products that I’m very religious about putting my favorites on every day—morning and night. I’m obsessed with the Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream, Kate Somerville’s DermalQuench Liquid Lift, and SkinMedica’s TNS Recovery Complex.

Once I’m dressed and ready, my team comes here to my home office. I have two women who work for me, and they’re here at 9. That’s when we really start our day.

Savor your morning cup of joe the low-sugar way with Busy Philipps’ genius take on Bulletproof or Hanoi House’s protein-packed coffee recipe.