Late last year I started to get a little frustrated with my overall health and nutrition.

From snacking too much and not feeling like I was eating healthy often enough to seeing my weight creep up and feeling lethargic. I knew something needed to change.

That’s why I challenged myself to get into much better habits and get into a routine that helped me feel better.

I knew I needed to focus on changing just one thing (because numerous research studies show that when you upend your entire routine, you’re far less likely to stick with it compared to changing just one thing).

So, I told myself to add “the healthiest thing I could think of” for 90 days and see how I felt.

I’d been reading about daily greens supplements for a while and I knew from my own research that this wasn’t a fad (like cleanses and detoxes). It fit the bill in terms of (1) ease to start; (2) research-backed effectiveness and (3) numerous potential benefits.

And that’s how I started my 90 Day Green’s Challenge.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after 90 days. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much other than feeling accomplished I did something every day for 3 months.

But, the results have been pretty surprising. I’m obviously writing this because I’ve felt drastically healthier the last 90 days; but, here are the 3 most unexpected results I’ve seen…

More energy in the mornings

One thing I noticed was that it was taking more and more caffeine for me to get going in the morning (and throughout the day). I wasn’t feeling great about having two cups of coffee before the sun even came up.

As soon as I started taking Greens in the morning, the need for caffeine reduced dramatically. In fact, most mornings I don’t need caffeine at all anymore.

I still need a jolt once in a while if I didn’t sleep well or I have an important meeting early, but that pales in comparison to what was basically a caffeine addiction.

When researching why this happened, it appears this is because the greens I am using contain adaptogens (which are a class of herbs), which help naturally increase energy levels and decrease fatigue and stress.

This is definitely one benefit that surprised me the most and I am most happy about. I’ve reduced my overall caffeine intake from close to 300mg per day to about 100.

The snowball effect

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be more consistent with drinking a glass of water to start each day and getting my daily dose of fruits and vegetables.

The research on the effectiveness of these two things is overwhelming and I know from past experience that when I’m consistent with this, I feel better.

Obviously, taking a greens was going to make that happen – and I can confirm that the benefits are true.

What I didn’t expect is that knocking out both of these things in the morning had a major snowball effect about how I ate the rest of the day. I mentally felt that because I started off so good, I didn’t want to “waste it” by then eating bad.

That’s not to say I never have candy or chips anymore (my two vices), but it’s easier for me to say “no” and turn to healthier options.

Start your day off right and the rest starts to snowball!

Bye Bye Stomach Issues

I don’t want to be too detailed here, but I’d been having a lot of stomach issues last year, mostly at night. I often had a lot of gas or just felt bloated after dinner, regardless of what I ate.

However, about 2 weeks after I started the Greens challenge, those stomach issues have basically disappeared.

I used to laugh at the commercials about pro and prebiotics, but my gut is a believer now!

Will I continue?

As I mentioned previously, when I first started this challenge I didn’t expect to feel much different other than just being happy that I got into a good routine with something.

I was even hesitant to start because of the price tag.

In order to give myself the best shot, I wanted to use the best greens I could find (most vegetables, most vitamins and minerals, best process, etc) so I chose Athletic Greens, which is by far one of the most trusted brands.

The initial price tag looked hefty ($77 for a month’s supply – here’s the link for a 20% discount), but when broke it down in my head, I realized that this is only about $2.50 per serving. That 2.50 per serving seems even cheaper now that I’ve seen the benefits.

I am no longer taking a multivitamin (since Athletic Greens has all the nutrients and minerals except in more real food form), so that knocked out about a dollar per day.

Plus, I am drinking much less caffeine, down at least one coffee per day and one energy drink – knock off another dollar (or $2 in the case of my daily Monster habit).

So, basically it’s costing me an extra .50 to a dollar compared to my old routine.

Yeah, continuing is a no brainer. Adding Athletic Greens to my daily routine has been hands down AWESOME for how I’ve felt every day.

Ready for your challenge?

If you’re feeling like I was in regards to your health and looking for that path towards feeling more energized and healthier overall, I challenge you to try a 30 or 60 day greens challenge.

It’s one simple thing that can really get the ball rolling.

Or, if you’ve already thought about trying a daily greens supplement, but you weren’t sure if it would really make that much of a difference or were turned off by the price, I encourage you to try it for 30 days and see what unexpected benefits you see and if doesn’t basically pay for itself.

Now I am thinking about what my next 90 day challenge should be. What are your thoughts? Anything you’ve always wanted to try?