The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a transitional week for many of us, but that doesn’t mean our self care has to go right out the window. In fact, here are a few things you may want to consider doing before January 1st to help you sail into the New Year feeling rested, rejuvenated, and recharged:
1. Ease into your day || Spend at least one morning this week waking up without an alarm, and let your body wake up when it is naturally ready. Instead of rushing out of bed, get out of bed slowly, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and delay looking at social media for as long as possible.
2. Donate || Bring your holiday leftovers to a local food pantry or family in need instead of throwing them away or mindlessly eating them all week long.
3. Buy a cute journal or notebook || Use it to reflect on your personal, professional, and health related accomplishments and wins over the past year. Then brainstorm and set some intentions in all three of those areas for the upcoming year. Perhaps using the rest of the notebook to start a regular gratitude practice can be one of those intentions!
4. Simplify || Consider what regular or upcoming commitments may no longer be serving you. What can you start saying no to next year? My philosophy is that if it doesn’t make you feel good, leave it behind. What about the past year didn’t feel right? What can you let go of to create space for something new or something better? This could be a habit, a fixed mindset you’ve been holding on to, a relationship with someone that doesn’t lift you up, and/or how you’re spending your time.
5. Declutter || Organize cabinets, closets, or other spaces in your home that may need physical de-cluttering. Often times doing so can bring about a sense of mental renewal or calm. Don’t forget about the random clutter that can take up mental space as well: newsletters in your email that you don’t read, the photos on your phone, your computer desktop or files in Google Drive, or even any lists with unfinished items that keep lingering. Give yourself permission to not finish them! You’ll be surprised by how good and energized you feel when you free up this kind of space. It’s like freeing up space on a computer that’s bogged down with programs and background stuff making it run slower than normal.
6. Clean up your social media accounts || If you are following someone on social media who doesn’t inspire you or make you feel empowered… buh bye! UNFOLLOW. I promise that you simply will not miss seeing anyone who doesn’t make you feel very good about yourself. We should only surround ourselves with people who lift us up, and this includes people online!
7. Head to the gym || Use the quietest gym week of the year to try something out of your comfort zone. Consider using a machine in the weight room that you’ve never tried before or picking up a set of weights that is heavier than you would normally select. There will barely be anybody in the gym this week, so it’s the perfect time to give something a go that you wouldn’t normally try during a more crowded time.
8. Look up some recipes || Make a list of fun, healthy recipes that look delicious to you that you’d like to try your hand at making next year. Bookmark them or keep the list accessible so that next time you feel like you are in a dinner rut, you have something to reference! Some suggestions to get started: this winter citrus salad, our go to homemade chicken salad, or these no bake coconut date balls.
The Legit Fit Lounge is my FREE online fitness community for people who are tired of sorting through all the noise and conflicting information surrounding diet and exercise.
In this group, we break free from society’s extremes of yo-yo dieting, fad diets, and rigid programs that don’t set us up for success. We know that we don’t need to deprive ourselves of the foods we love or spend hours in the gym to get the results we want.
Instead, we implement strategies that are realistic, sustainable, shame-free, stress-free, simple, anti-perfect, and FUN! The people in this group join to get (or stay) fit… the LEGIT way. And I’d love to have you join our tribe as we head into the New Year! Just click the image below to join. 🙂
Readers, let’s chat! How are you taking some time for yourself this week? Tell me what kind of self-care is on the agenda!
