During the holiday season, I can get so busy and not take care of myself as well as I do during other portions of the year. Not only is the holiday season filled with wonderful events and visiting with family and friends but for me, it's also the busiest time of year for me for work!
I'm not a 'set goals at new years' gal. Business goals, yes, I have a yearly level goal for certain things but otherwise, I set personal goals year around as my life ebbs and flows. Recently, I've set a few personal goals to care for myself this holiday season both mentally and physically. I've noticed that these small things have really made an impact and are also so easy to do day-to-day. I thought I would share them with you all in case you need some ideas or inspiration!
Drink Hot Water With Lemon daily
This is seriously the easiest thing to do and it's delicious. I love hot tea but this doesn't stain your teeth or have caffeine. It has the same cozy feeling that hot tea does but it tastes so refreshing because of the lemon. It not only brings me some joy but there are a ton of health benefits to doing this, too, if you want to research them on your own! I precut the lemons into small wedges and get the seeds out and all of that so I have slices on hand for a quick cup!
Get Outside Once A Day
Henry kind of forces this goal on me but it is MISERABLE in the cold weather to go outside. I heard this saying a year or two ago 'there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear' and it has always been in the back of my mind. I ended up ordering a few things over the year or two to make going outside more palatable like gloves, hat, etc. As long as I am decently warm on our walks, I'm more likely to stay outside longer. I find that even just 15 minutes is good enough but ultimately strive for 30 minutes. I really notice a difference in my mood if I don't get outside during the day!
Time Myself Doing A Chore
There are some chores that drive me CRAZY. I swear that I wipe down our kitchen counters 5 times a day. In my mind, doing this takes forever, but if you time yourself doing something like this, it's literally 5 minutes. Yes, it takes me 5 minutes to wipe down the kitchen counters and while it drives me nuts, by timing myself doing this and now knowing it is such a quick little task, for some reason it just seems less burdensome!
Declutter
I made a rule for myself to get rid of one item in our house every single day for the rest of the year. I put it in a bag and once it is in that bag, it's done. I'll either donate it or give it to a family/friend who wants it. I am not someone who holds on to things, I love to get rid of stuff and cannot stand clutter. I do a big declutter once or twice a year and it always feels so good but this is a nice way to do a little upkeep and makes me feel so much lighter! This takes literally 2 minutes out of my day.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
I have to say that I am a good eater. I like basically all foods and truly love fruits and vegetables. I don't think about eating fruits and vegetables much as I always buy them at the store. If you had asked me a few weeks ago if I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I would say absolutely. I recently read something that was talking about how many adults in the US don't get enough fruits and vegetables in their diet. I then started to really pay attention to my meals and my fruit and vegetable count at each meal. I am not a big breakfast eater so I often skip straight to lunch but for lunch, I often just have an omelet or scrambled eggs, sometimes I sautee vegetables in there but more often, I tend to just eat them plain or with cheese. Sometimes I'll have a sandwich or a wrap, no sides or any exrras. I like something quick and easy to make at home. When eating at home, we almost always have vegetables with dinner. But I did notice, overall, I could definitely increase my fruit and vegetable intake. So I've been really paying attention to both fruits and vegetables and adding as many in as possible! Throughout the day, I'll just eat a small bowl of carrots as a snack or a handful of blueberries if I'm thinking about it. It is not hard and it is delicious! This isn't a diet or anything like that, I have just done my own research and my thoughts are that adding in more fruits and vegetables is a good idea! It is always a good idea to do your own research or consult a doctor! I'm also a big gratitude person and like to think of all of the ways I am grateful every single day. Having access to fruits and vegetables and the means to buy plenty of them for myself and my husband is certainly something I am grateful for!
These are all a work in progress for me but they are easy enough and have made a positive impact on my life!
2 comments:
I love this! I've been working on drinking lemon water before my coffee to increase my water intake first thing in the morning. I've heard it helps with settling the GI tract, have you seen the same? And a good point about fruits/veg, this encouraged me to be more mindful of my consumption.
Always love your posts! Another alternative to hot lemon water is hot mint tea. My sister briefly lived in London and picked it up there. It's just mint and hot water and it's so nice!
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