Happy New Year! Happy 2018! I hope your NYE was filled with the best people, ridiculous noise makers, and champagne. I rung in the New Year in the city with my favorite man and some great friends… And a lot of that champagne.
The last week of the year is a big one for me. Christmas followed by my birthday followed by celebrating a new year. This particular birthday I turned 27. My golden birthday. One year closer to another decade older. And the year I am expecting to be the best one yet. If anything, I know it’s going to be better than this one. Mom is healthy and looking to start some new adventures of her own, Hubs and I are selling our tiny condo and (hopefully!) buying a house, and overall I just think I am going in to the next 365 days with a better outlook than I ever have going in to a new year. If you’re wondering if this post is going to be the obligatory ‘resolutions’ post, you’re only a little bit right. I had no intention of writing anything related to resolutions until a couple of days ago when I zoned out during my morning workout and began thinking of what I wanted to get out of this year. I’m not really sure I’ve ever had any intentions, resolutions, or whatever you call its, going in to a new year. In some ways, I think it’s a good thing because I’ve never tried to completely change myself or my habits within first two months of the year and eight weeks later forget the ‘rules’ I promised myself I’d adhere to. I’d rather improve myself than change myself.
With that said, I am beginning 2018, my 27th year, my lucky number 27.. with a set of goals, not resolutions, that I am confident I can achieve. I wanted to set goals for myself that were realistic and ones I would enjoy working towards. Sharing them and putting them down in writing…er…typing is the best way to hold myself accountable to taking care of my mind, body, and spirit in 2018.
‘Self Care’
This term has been thrown around A LOT in social media and blogging world. The word itself may be a fad, but it’s one I actually believe in and one that I hope sticks around, especially for women. The latter half of 2017 brought on stress that at times because borderline paralyzing and I began to notice the stress take it’s toll on me physically. One wouldn’t believe the world of good a simple 50 minute massage one random weekend and face mask bar session at Scratchgoods with my best girlfriends did for me during some of the most difficult weeks. This is my promise to treat myself to something special like this, just for me, once a month, for the remainder of the year.
Wear my FitBit Every Day
This might be an easier one because this is something I try my best to do as it is. I’ve realized how much this little device helps me because I’m pretty glued to my seat on the days I don’t wear it. I park further, get up more times to grab water at work, take a few extra stairs, etc. when I am wearing it. In turn, I have more energy and find my that my body feels overall a little better at the end of the work day.
CycleBar..CycleBar…and more CycleBar
I didn’t think it would be easy to find something I love as much as running when it came to my workouts. More so, I didn’t think I would find something I loved as much AND was easy on my poor indefinitely injured runner’s knees. I found this in CycleBar. I’m not someone that needs a lot of ‘extra’ in my workout, but the neon lights alternating with complete darkness, incredible music and instructors, and 45 minutes of pure sweat, is amazing. The classes are a bit pricey but it’s 100% worth it. I leave each session feeling rejuvenated and like I left all of my stress behind in the studio. Here’s to leaving my stress in the studio as much as I can in 2018.
Take the Time to Stretch
This is necessary for an abundance of reasons. I can’t simply rely on the fact that I am young, flexible, and bounce back from an injury quickly anymore. Stretching is incredibly important for injury prevention and healing. And not to mention it feels pretty damn good. I’ve noticed that each time I finish a run, spin class, weight session, etc. I am in such a hurry to get home, shower, and continue on with my jam packed day that I don’t take the time my body needs to stretch and recover. It’s no surprise that I am stiff and sore the next day. I’d go so far as to put stretching in the ‘Self Care’ category because something as simple as a five minute stretch post-workout leaves not only my body feeling good, but slows down the cooling process so the endorphins keep me feeling energized a lot longer.
Host a Coffee Brunch
I’m quickly becoming my mother when it comes to coffee (and most other things). She’s a certified coffee snob and I am following in her footsteps. I’m really loving the ‘art’ of coffee and espresso lately and you’ll find I’m rarely without a cup. I figure I could be addicted to worse things right? I enjoy seeking out local coffee shops to try because I find they put so much love in to their brew and baked treats.
I’m excited to announce that I joined the ranks of espresso machine owners this season as my mom (naturally) bought me one for my birthday! I’m absurdly excited to try out various drinks with interesting flavoring pairings and find some new favorites. Once I develop a couple of go-tos with my beloved machine, I want to host a coffee brunch (is that a thing? I’m making it a thing) for friends with a couple of choice drinks, homemade baked goods, and the good ol’ simple cup of coffee choice with various mix ins and toppings. Coffee and entertaining are two of my favorite things and I think this would be a good year to pair the two!
Practice ‘Creative Lettering’
I’ve always had a thing for fonts and have a real admiration for people who can flawlessly address an envelope or gift tag and make it look professionally done. I think it’s important to learn something new all the time and this year I want to dip my toes in the art of creative lettering (sometimes referred to as faux-calligraphy). I received a gift certificate from my cousin for Christmas from Brit + Co, one of my favorite websites, for an online calligraphy class and couldn’t be more pumped to sit down and begin. I also purchased ‘Hand Lettering 101’ from ChalkFullofLove, another favorite blogger and small business owner to help me practice. I’ll be sending a lot more snail mail this year if I actually get the hang of it 😉
Putting the Phone Down
I’ve been told once or 1,645,134 times by my husband that I’m glued to my phone. I can’t disagree, I am. I participate in conversations with people that poke fun at my generation for not being able to do anything without Googling it, Snapping it, Instagramming it, etc. but I am one of those people. On a very serious note, I am also guilty (as I am sure most of us are) of checking my phone now and then while I am driving. This is not okay. Finding a new playlist or seeing what my girlfriends texted me back can wait. I think I realized how attached I was to my phone when even I started getting annoyed at myself glancing at it in the car. I’m not sure how I will measure this goal other than just ‘putting it down’. I am promising myself to be more present whether this be date night with the husband, movie nights with my girlfriends, or my eyes on the road.
I really hope you will join me in setting goals, not resolutions, for yourself this year. Your goals don’t always have to be weight loss or money saving related. What is a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but never had the time to? Is there a workout class, book club, or spa you’ve wanted to join/try out but couldn’t justify the time to yourself? Do you want to be more present at home and need to shut your laptop or phone an extra hour a day? Whatever your goals are, write them down, throw them on a note pad or post it and stick it to the fridge. Go the little extra mile to keep your promises to yourself this year.
27 has always been my lucky number and this year is going to be no different.