Beachside Brawl Star Brooke Williamson in Swimsuit Says "Morning Well Spent"

Beachside Brawl star Brooke Williamson is always on the go, managing restaurants and taking care of her family. But when she has the chance, the chef loves nothing more than being out on the ocean In Malibu. Williamson, 45, shared a picture of herself paddle boarding in a swimsuit on beautiful blue waters, at one point just laying down to soak up the sun. "Morning well spent 💙☀️," she captioned the Instagram post. Here's how Williamson balances her life, and exactly what makes her happy.

Williamson fits her workouts around her very busy schedule. "I wake up early," she says. "Drink my coffee while making my [son's] lunch and getting him set for school. Then school drop off, then a workout… I either spin, or run, or play tennis, or once in a while see a trainer for some real torture. I then shower and head to whichever restaurant needs me that day. I try to hit at least 2 spots in a day to see what's going on. Sometimes if work allows, I'll drive carpool to a tennis lesson or a soccer game, or sometimes I'll hang at work till a bit later and have dinner at one of the restaurants with my husband and son before heading home and spending some time catching up on emails. I try as often as possible to be home to put my son to bed to make up for all the times I can't when I'm traveling. I love the spontaneity of my job, but also sometimes crave some routine."

Williamson tries to eat healthily during the week so she has leeway on the weekends. "I often don't feel centered," she says. "When I am home, I make an extra special effort to keep myself physically healthy. I exercise a lot. I try to exercise every day—partially for my sanity and also because I know what I put myself through takes a lot out of me. I eat very healthy at home. I try not to drink during the week if I'm at home. I also don't watch what I eat or drink when I leave town. So it's extremes. For exercise, I run and I play tennis. Those are two go-tos. I used to do a lot of spinning, but I got back into running and I love what it does for my head."

Williamson takes joy in the simple things. "You know what? I'm actually most happy with myself when something is perfectly seasoned and cooked properly," she says. "So like, it doesn't really matter what I'm cooking. If I brine a pork tenderloin for the perfect number of hours or if a marinade for steak has that perfect balance… 'Cause I don't really measure anything. So it's kind of always a crapshoot. If I execute perfectly, then I'm pretty satisfied. But if I can do something well, that's what makes me satisfied."

Williamson protects her family life in order to stay happy and healthy. "When I'm making a point to be mindful of my food, sleep, and fitness," she says. "The physicality of my job, not to mention all of the traveling I do, is taxing… Sometimes I need to reset and pay attention to everything that I'm putting my body through on a daily basis. That I've managed to maintain my family and my marriage through all the chaos that is our everyday life. I work in an industry of work or get worked… I'm proud that I haven't let that dictate my family life."

Williamson enjoys getting fresh produce from the farmer's market. "We do a lot of fresh berries and grapes," she says. "My son loves strawberries. We get strawberries at the farmers market, rinse them, and always have them ready. We love to make popcorn at home, so sometimes I'll make a big batch and [top] it with fun, different seasonings. I'll add some garlic or onion salt to jazz it up. We are into a drizzle of melted butter, and I have this truffle powder. I don't love truffle oil, but the truffle powder is delicious. [Then I'll add] some sea salt. And a powdered cheese never fails. Recently, at work, I put a dish on the menu that is garnished with popcorn seasoned with turmeric and fennel pollen. So it is light yellow and tastes fennel-y."