I feel like I haven’t dived that deep into my lifestyle & wellness routines and figure I should talk about it since it really is a big part of my life. If you’ve been following me for awhile you know that I struggle with anxiety and I’ve done a lot of trial & error to figure out the best way for me to overcome it sans medication. The habits that I have formed because of this have not only helped my anxiety but have really shaped my overall lifestyle for the better! Investing in yourself & your wellness is, in my opinion, the best thing you can do for yourself. Some of these are self explanatory but putting them all together really makes a difference & sticking to it!
+ Drink water first thing in the morning: Your body is like a plant and needs to be watered first thing in the morning. You have spent anywhere from 6-8 hours not drinking water and your organs need that quench to wake up the body & have it start properly functioning. I make sure to drink a glass of water (via my massive 64 oz water bottle) every morning before consuming coffee.
+ Organize your day via notebook: I know. You’re probably thinking “welcome to 2020, we have apps for that” but honestly there is something so much more productive to me about writing your daily goals in a notebook. I have been using the Skinny Confidential’s daily notebook format & it has really been helping me to be productive. Each day is a blank page. First you write your podcast, workout, music & book of the day. Next you write down 3 things your grateful for & your Must do’s, whatever you HAVE TO accomplish that day. Next you write how you want to feel that day & who you are sending happiness to. Lastly you write a to-do list in the order of things that need to get accomplished, but keep it realistic like walk the dog, check emails, write a blog, etc. Here is a great notebook & these are my all time FAV pens.
+ Workout 5 days a week: Sounds daunting but you can do it. I am not saying you need to do an hour workout everyday. If you do a 20 min workout you will feel just as good. Moving your body is life changing & has seriously helped me with anxiety and clearing my head. If there is a day that I am just not feeling it Ryon will make me workout because he even knows how much better I feel after! lol (and he doesn’t want to deal with my drama if I don’t!) Since I am still avoiding gyms right now I am doing the Melissa Wood Health program 5 days a week & they are usually 20-40 minute workouts, majority are bodyweight only. So now you really don’t have any excuse, no equipment needed. She has a free 7 day trail happening right now too!
+ Have healthy food on hand: Don’t give yourself the opportunity to eat bad. Every week Ryon & I plan our meals out for dinner & then on Monday we have pre portioned meal preps delivered to our door for lunches. It saves us money & I also really don’t enjoy making lunch so there ya go! Eating healthy gives me energy and keeps me in shape, those two things alone are enough to keep me from eating poorly.
+ Keep Alcohol to a 2-3 night min: There are days when you need a glass of wine right at 5 pm and honestly, you deserve it. Nothing wrong with drinking, just drinking in excess. Sunday – Thursday I try and avoid drinking & I find it helps a lot with mental clarity, having more energy, being less puffy & just overall well being. Does that mean if I’m having a bad day on a tuesday or just feel like a drink I won’t have one? No. It just means I probably won’t drink one day on the weekend.
+ Do something for yourself, ALONE: whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, alone time is needed. Read a book, walk your dog, do a facemask while listening to a podcast. Whatever it is! Time alone can help center yourself & I actually now really enjoy my alone time because of this! The more I pour into myself the more I can overflow into other people.
+ Put on SPF every DAMN day: tale as old as time for a millenial 27 year old with birth control melasma right? Everyone at every age should wear an SPF everyday. The sun is no joke when it comes to pre mature aging and you will thank yourself in the long run. Here are a couple of my favorite daily SPFs. Here, here, & here.
What healthy habits do you stick to?
Xx, Courtney