Hi Everyone ~
I hope you all had a great weekend and are having a good kick off for the week! I have been in a little bit of a funk lately figuring out what my path looks like, so I wrote this current post in hopes of helping me establish good habits to bring forth with me this year. Enjoy!
Find time for passion projects
I was really good at the beginning of quarantine last year making time for trying new projects, making time to write, and just doing activities that brought me joy in a time where there wasn’t any. And towards the end of last year, I really didn’t have the motivation to do anything new or fun which is what I want to change. I believe if we make more time this year to focus on the projects and activities that get us excited, then we as a whole will just feel happier throughout the year. I know we all get busy with everyday life (which sucks), but I hope that we can set aside even an hour of our day to doing something that brings us a bit of joy, then isn’t that time spent worth it?
Read and learn more often
I had a professor in college that would constantly remind us to “fill our reservoir.” What he meant by this was to never stop learning and absorbing information. I believe it’s super easy to fall into this state of comfort and feel like we know everything we need to know so we stop trying to learn new things. I truly want to read and learn more this year because that is the only way to grow as a human being both personally and in your career. Try signing up for newsletters pertaining to your interests, read a self-help book to help improve your personal life. Anything you can do to never stop learning a new skill or new habits to adapt can help improve your overall well being.
Move your body daily
I’ve learned the most important thing about working out is not necessarily always about lifting the heaviest weights or doing the most squats, but just focusing on always moving your body. I started working out with Beachbody on Demand and the one thing that is constantly reiterated is always move your body. If you need to modify a workout because it’s pushing your limits a bit far, then modify and still move your body instead of quitting because you feel like you aren’t able to do it. A habit that I believe we should all try to adopt this year is the importance of constantly moving on the daily. Even if it’s your rest day, try going for a short walk around your neighborhood or practice some beginner yoga to stretch and move. Especially with everything we went through last year in quarantine of always sitting around and not being active, this year we should try and do the exact opposite!
Do not disturb time
Nick has probably called me out for being on my phone time well over 100 times last year. As a society, we have an addiction to our phones. No shame, just sharing the facts. Especially being in quarantine majority of 2020, I spent a lot of time on my phone watching Netflix, scrolling through social media, endlessly going through TikTok’s, it was a lot of screen time on top of working on a laptop for work. This is a bad habit that I am really wanting to change and spend more time reading or doing activities that I haven’t had the motivation to do because I was distracted by my screen. Try creating a no screen box, turn your phone and other distracting devices to silent, then go and do something for 1 hour. See how you feel and maybe slowly add more time the next time you put your screens away. You may find a new hobby that you never would have thought you would have liked!
Meditation time
This is a habit I hope you all try and incorporate into your healthy habits this year because I feel like it is a great way to take 10-15 minutes in the morning or night to really check in with yourself and how you are feeling. I have found that whenever I have meditated in the morning, it helps me get my mind in check and set my intentions throughout the day. When I say intentions, I don’t mean the list of items that I want to achieve, but more so how do I want to feel as I go about my day (ie: focused, calm, happy) and how I want to feel at the end of my day (ie: strong, relaxed, accomplished). YouTube has a ton of free 10 minute guided meditations or you can check out the app Headspace!
Enjoy food that also nourishes you
I have always hated the idea of fad diets and cutting out foods that are actually meant to nourish your body. I’m not trying to bash on anyone else’s food choices because, believe me, I am the last person to judge on eating habits. This year I am trying to not cut out foods I enjoy but focus on adding in good food that also nourishes me at the same time. Your body is meant to support you and since I have started training with Beachbody, I have been taking more of an interest in what I put in my body. I mean I’m working out hard, why ruin that with bad food right? But don’t get me wrong ya girl still loves her Chick-fil-a but I just use it more as a treat on occasion, not lunch every other day. What I want to get across, is food should not be something that has to taste bad in order for it to be healthy. I have found plenty of recipes online that are healthy and they taste delicious and don’t cut out hardly any ingredients. At the end of the day, enjoy your food because it’s there to nourish and support your body.
Make more time for sleep
Sleep is necessary to function. If I want to go to bed at 9:30 pm, why should I be mocked for wanting to go to bed early and catch up on sleep so I am a better version of myself in the morning? My best advice is to listen to how your body is feeling throughout the day, if you feel like you have overexerted yourself then why not go to bed early. Lately, I haven’t been sleeping the best at night so I have probably been crawling in bed around 9 pm because I know my body is exhausted. Whenever you feel like you need to get some sleep whether it’s at night or maybe even a midday nap on your break, you should take that time for extra Z’s because you will wake up feeling a bit more refreshed and ready to take on your day.
Practice daily gratitude
This year I received a gratitude journal and I have actually been writing in it pretty consistently, which has never been true in the past, but I have loved writing in it every morning. It just puts me in a good mood waking up and focusing on all the good things in my life instead of waking up and going straight to my social media and filling my head with all the outside things. I think this is an important habit to incorporate because it’s a great way to check in on the little things that you are grateful for like, your family, your significant other, your warm cup of coffee in the morning, etc. All of these little things that make our lives just a bit better can make such a difference in your mood throughout your day and week!
I hope you all enjoyed this post and maybe you’ve taken away a few new good habits that you are wanting to adopt this year. I’d love to hear your own healthy habits that you are trying to adopt this year, so be sure to go share them below in the comments!
XX,
Hannah Rose
HANNAH ROSE 