It’s that time of year again. The inevitable New Year Resolution. In the past I’ve done resolutions that typically don’t stick, leading me even to skip the tradition other years.
This year I’m trying something new. Instead of calling it a New Year’s Resolution, I’m just calling it a Reset. Though I try to stick to my routines of eating healthy and working out, the holidays often throw a wrench in things. Work gets especially busy for me with planning for the following year and I try really hard to be present and truly enjoy the holidays. Because of this, I’ve found myself at the end of December having walked significantly fewer steps and with a little extra fluff because I’ve indulged in lots of extra carbs and sweets. I need a reset to get back on track to better health and overall wellness!
I’ve decided to implement 30-day challenges – one for each month of the year. Ideally, these challenges will form habits and become part of my regular routine so that by the end of the year, I’ll have 12 new GOOD habits that will improve my life.
January – Daily Meditation
For January, I’m choosing to implement daily meditation. This is something I found to be extremely helpful years ago, but for whatever reason, I fell off the bandwagon. I’ve tried different apps but I’ve found Calm to be the one I like the most.
February – Food tracking
In February, I’ll be tracking my food – again. I use MyFitnessPal to track my daily intake of food. I like this app because it features the largest catalog of food with the most accurate data. It also has a barcode scanning feature to easily capture nutrition information from the packaging. I started tracking my food a few years ago because I was struggling with fatigue. I stopped for a few months to test what I had learned from tracking and though I think I was doing okay, I want to begin again to make sure I’m staying on course.
March – Daily Yoga
March is an extremely busy and stressful time of year for me at work, so I chose daily yoga to disconnect and help me reduce my stress. I absolutely adore Adriene from Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. She’s so down to earth and does a really great job of guiding you through each pose and offering modifications for every fitness level.
April – Daily 10,000 steps
As the weather warms up and the snow melts here in Minnesota, I can finally get outside again! I love walking outside but if it’s too rainy or we get any last-minute snowstorms, I can still get my steps in by using YouTube videos created by Get Fit with Rick. Most of these low-impact walking workouts are set on a sunny boardwalk with the Dubai cityscape behind him. Bonus – upbeat music, a fun accent, and he’s great at giving cues.
May – Get outside daily
Fresh air and sunshine are so important for mental health. I chose to make a point to get outside every day in the month of May. Not only does sunlight increase serotonin levels, which boosts your mood, but it also helps regulate your circadian rhythm, meaning better sleep. Fresh air can help clear your mind, improve focus, and reduce stress by lowering your cortisol levels. Just don’t forget the sunscreen!
June – Journaling
Journaling is something I’ve been meaning to try for a while now. I found this great post here with 50 therapeutic journaling prompts that I’m excited to try.
July – Reading
I love reading both fiction and non-fiction books (mostly self-help books) but I often don’t make the time. I’ve chosen to read for 30 minutes every day in July.
August – Photography
I have so many pictures of my kids from when they were babies but as they’ve gotten bigger, I’ve gotten really terrible at remembering to pull out my phone when they’re doing something funny or cute. I like to think that I’m just focused on staying present in the moment but let’s be honest, I’m not getting any younger and my memory is not going to capture all those moments. My goal this month is to take photos every stinking day.
September – Dry brushing
Have you ever tried dry brushing? It’s a little strange at first but the benefits are great! I swear I can feel a difference in my body immediately after. Dry brushing is a skincare technique that involves brushing your skin with a dry, natural-bristle brush like this one here. It exfoliates the skin, improves circulation, and stimulates the lymphatic system among many other benefits. Click here to learn how.
October – Mom Challenge
I found a great 30-day challenge called the Mom Challenge. This is designed to be more intentional with your kids, giving a different assignment each day to complete. I try to do things with my kids like going for walks, reading, playing, and baking but I like the idea of finding new ways to connect with them.
November – Gratitude
Writing down what you’re grateful for daily is a great way to shift your mindset. I have done this in the past and definitely felt a difference after doing it for just one week. I felt less depressed as I reminded myself of everything positive in my life. This time I plan to use a blank notebook but in the past, I’ve used this fun 5-Minute Gratitude Journal.
December – Cold shower
December is often a very busy time of the year so I chose to do a cold shower (or at least 2 minutes!) every morning. Cold water stimulates blood flow, improves mood, reduces muscle soreness, and even promotes weight loss.
There are really so many 30-day challenges out there. Here are a few others that were initially on my list:
Sober/no alcohol
Declutter
Learning a new skill
Drawing
Spending Freeze
Social media detox
Acts of kindness
Be sure to check back at the end of each month – I’ll let you know how each of these challenges went!