As I was creating my 2023 vision board at the start of January and setting goals for the year, I noticed a trend in the goals and priorities I was setting for myself this year – they were almost all health and wellness related. I decided 2023 was going to be the year of prioritizing my health and overall well-being in all aspects of my life and these are habits I’m carrying with me into my daily lifestyle.
1) Taking daily vitamins + reducing my caffeine intake
I can’t go a day without taking my multivitamin to ensure I’m taking good care of my body and ensuring I have the nutrients I need. In addition to my daily multivitamin, I’ve also been taking Vitamin D during the winter months for a couple of reasons. One, due to the lack of sunshine during this time of year in the PNW, it’s very much needed, but I also experience cold weather hives, and taking Vitamin D has seemed to help reduce that a bit.
As hard as it’s been to do, I’ve also been reducing my caffeine intake. While working full-time in EST/CST timezone while being based in the Seattle area can be hard, I was relying on coffee so much last year and ultimately did not want to continue that habit, but also felt it messing with my overall health and wellness. I noticed myself getting heartburn more, stomach cramps, and of course the occasional caffeine jitters. I ultimately didn’t like the way it was making me feel which is why I have been cutting it out of my diet. But don’t get me wrong, I still have the occasional cup! So far, I’ve had five cups of coffee this year!
However, I’ve also recently started taking these energy vitamins daily and have been loving these as a more healthy substitution!
2) Budgeting + being intentional about what I spend my money on
An important part of wellness that is often not talked about enough is financial wellness. One of my biggest goals this year is to be more intentional about what I’m spending my money on – AKA less shopping for clothes and wasting my money on clothing trends that go in and out of style so quickly, minimizing how much I eat out, reducing the amount of Starbucks runs I take, etc.
So far this year, I have done very minimal shopping on clothing and have instead been spending my money on things that are important to me that are good for my overall well-being. Things like getting facials and investing in taking good care of my skin, getting my hair done and investing in hair products that are good for my hair health, traveling, dates, and ensuring I’m saving more money this year.
3) Investing in my skin + maintaining a good skincare routine
Prior to 2023, believe it or not, I had never gotten a facial before! I got a spa gift card for Christmas and knew I wanted to put it to use to get a facial. Getting my first-ever facial was an immediate game-changer for me and I knew I wanted to get them more regularly after all of the amazing benefits that came with it, even though it does require spending a bit more money. I have now put myself on a routine to get facials once every two months!
I also immediately switched up my skincare routine after speaking more with my esthetician after getting my initial facial and have since sworn by a morning skincare routine of toner, HydroPeptide line-lifting serum/collagen, moisturizer and/or Vitamin C serum, and SPF, and a nighttime skincare routine consisting of face wash, retinol, and moisturizer.
Now that I am officially in my late 20s and experiencing fine lines, I want to ensure I’m taking good care of my skin now to maintain healthy, young, and vibrant skin as I age. It’s always worth the investment!
4) Investing in my hair
For years I have struggled with fine and thinning hair and it has always been one of my biggest insecurities. It’s really amazing how much of a confidence booster having a good hair day can have.
I’ve worn clip-in hair extensions for years, and along with that, was doing everything I could to help my fine and thin hair grow. I was taking daily hair vitamins, using hair growth serums (and still do both of these things to this day), being mindful of products I was using in my hair, and giving myself my own hair trims to get rid of split ends. I hadn’t spent money at a hair salon in about 7-8 years!
But this year I wanted things to be different, and something a bit more natural. My natural hair had finally grown out to a length I was happy with, but of course, was still incredibly thin. I just wanted to love my hair and have that ‘good hair day’ feeling more often than I was. And to make up for all those years not spending money at a hair salon, I finally went and darkened my base color and got a partial balayage to add some dimension to my hair, and then got one row of sewn-in hair extensions (with no added length!) and I love how natural it is, and this new length compared to my clip-ins I was wearing before!
This was definitely a ‘treat myself’/self-care investment, but I am so happy with it and love how it has made me feel.
5) Cooking more meals at home
Going hand in hand with saving money by eating out less, one of my goals this year is to cook more at-home meals. Due to my many stomach sensitivities, it has made eating out at restaurants very challenging, and I ultimately prefer cooking my meals at home as I can control the ingredients I am putting into my food. This way I can also spend more time cooking meals that are good for my health and ensuring I get a good vegetable intake especially, something that I would tend to lack in my diet.
6) Staying hydrated
Honestly, why is drinking water so hard? It’s something I had struggled with for so long!
Maybe it’s something about adulting because this year in particular, I have found myself craving water on the daily and I can’t go anywhere without my Hydro Flask. I also find myself sticking with just water when going out to restaurants rather than ordering a different kind of drink.
But also, ever since my esthetician told me staying hydrated helps your overall skin health from within, I am drinking more water than I used to. *Also me not trying to waste my money and buy into the hype of the Stanley Tumbler* ~ unless, are they really worth it??
7) Maintaining a consistent workout routine
Looking back at 2022, I was so good about working out in the gym five days per week during the first half of the year but neglected my routine in the second half of the year. I had put so much pressure on myself to work out five days per week when that just wasn’t realistic for me given my busy lifestyle.
I felt like I had failed by not being able to maintain my five days a week schedule when really I just needed to set a realistic goal. This didn’t mean needing to go to the gym five days a week, but at least being active in some way, and maybe the gym three times per week. And that’s exactly what I implemented.
This year I prioritize going to the gym for my daily exercise 2-3 days per week, attend a reformer pilates class one day per week, and of course, getting in multiple walks per week with Charlotte for her daily exercise as well. I also have been paying attention to my body. If one day I need to substitute going to the gym with an at-home yoga class, then that’s what I do!
This simple re-structure has already made such a difference and feel like it’s a goal I can easily meet each week without putting too much pressure on myself.
8) Less time on social media
I will admit, this is something I implemented in the second half of last year, as I’m sure a lot of you noticed how less and less I was on social media. As a blogger/content creator, it can be tough minimizing social media time given how big of a part it is about being in this industry. But I just found myself stressing out way too much about it and not having the time to keep up with all of the changes, and ultimately shifted my priorities by focusing more of my time and attention to my career. Though don’t get me wrong, I still very much love blogging, and writing out this post has made me realize how much I miss being active on my website on this little corner of the internet of mine. Blogging should be fun right!?
Starting this goal in 2022 and continuing it into 2023, I average about 2-3 hours of screentime on my phone each day, and spend more of my time reading books, with family/friends, catching up on TV shows, and all of the other things I’ve listed in this blog post.
What self-care goal or healthy habit have you implemented into your daily life this year?
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Thanks for reading!
XX
Kelsie