New Year, Improved You...
I don't even know where to begin... it's 2016, can you believe it??!! (of course you can, to be even reading this you must be equipped with some sort of internet enabled device that I'm sure has a built in time and date feature right... but seriously!!! it's 2016!!!) I'm not a huge fan of the whole 'its a new year therefore a chance to completely remodel myself' outlook on January in general, however I do believe that any time is a brilliant time to be the best you you can be, so why not start now when your motivation and energy is surely running an all time high?
So how do we prepare ourselves for a brand new year...a blank canvas of 366 days stretching out in front of us just waiting to be filled with unforgettable moments??? We don't. It's truly that simple...this year I have promised myself that preparing for every moment of my life is simply not the way to approach things, for all the time we spend on preparing we could be using to live!!! What are you going on about now Sophie, you may ask, well I have realised within the past few months that the best moments are almost always unplanned and therefore whilst I will be sharing some great additions to your new year lifestyle within this post, I want you to really take away this one piece of advice for 2016 : BE SPONTANEOUS & ADVENTURE. That's it, you can all go home now, that's all I have to say on 2016... (just kidding of course, I now present a whole blog post dedicated to the new year - which you should totally continue reading).
- DRINK MORE WATER - I know this has been on everyones new year's resolutions for as long as you can remember BUT it's honestly so important! Aim to drink 2L-3L a day depending on your height / weight and expect to see drastic improvements in your skin, mental clarity, concentration and ability to not fall asleep throughout the day (I'm sure there is a proper word for that). Drinking 1 glass of ice cold water as soon as you wake up really gets your metabolism going and will set you up for the rest of the day! Especially as you will be so awake you won't even get around to hitting that snooze button, productivity at it's finest.
- WAKE UP EARLIER - Now I love snuggling up in bed until midday as much as the next person but this year I really want to challenge myself in getting up a few hours earlier than I did last year to really maximize my productivity. Plus, the hours before sunrise are honestly the most beautiful hours of the day and who doesn't want time to relax and treat themselves without feeling guilty that they're wasting the day away? For the next few weeks, try setting your alarm just half an hour earlier each day until it becomes part of your routine! You never know what it could inspire you to do!! From sunrise beach jogs to having the little extra time to make pancakes before school / work, a few more minutes to enjoy the day never hurt anyone!
- MOVE MORE - It's only within the past few years that I have really got into being more active in my life, and I must say I am absolutely loving it! There's just something about getting up in the morning and doing mindful yoga that you can't beat. Not only will morning workouts set you up for the day, it will get your motivation at an all time high and reduce that sluggish feeling you get when you stay in bed for too long! Some of my other favourite workouts are swimming, jogging at the beach and pilates. I'm currently doing Blogilates 30 Day January workout calendar and its INSANELY HARD but incredible (you can find the calendar here) and YogaWithAdriene's 30 Day Yoga Camp which is so refreshing in the morning! (you can find this here).
- EAT HEALTHIER - Now Christmas is over and I can get back into not being a junk food vegan, I have seriously noticed an increase in my energy levels, motivation and concentration! Not to mention the improvements in my skin and fitness levels since ditching the junk! This doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional sweet treat, but making sure you are eating as much wholesome fresh fruit, veggies & other food as possible really will set you up for a great year (and life!) If you haven't already ditched the animal products from your diet it really is something I recommend, I mean who doesn't want to carb up on fruit, veggies and other wholesome foods whilst also saving the lives of thousands of animals AND helping save our planet!!! (A blog post on the ultimate guide to being vegan will be up shortly!!)
- MEDITATE - Okay so we are venturing into a more unfamiliar topic for some people now but bear with me as meditation really can help many people with stress or anxiety within their everyday lives! Now I'm sure the thought of attending a meditation class full of strangers and sitting in silence for half an hour - an hour with your thoughts is quite daunting to many people new to the practice, so thats when the app Headspace comes in! Headspace is a daily meditation app (totally free on the app store for the starter version - though there is no need to upgrade as you can listen to the 10 free practices over and over) that incorporates just 10 minutes of meditation into your day and is aimed at complete beginners! You can even download the sessions to listen when you are offline or out and about, all you need is 10 minutes free time and somewhere to sit down where you will be undisturbed.
If meditation classes are your thing however, search online and find one close to you! Even if its just once a week for half an hour, being in a room full of people searching for some relaxation in their life provides some truly great vibes! I love meditating in the morning as it sets the whole tone of my day, download the app and tomorrow when you wake up try meditating for just 10 minutes rather than aimlessly scrolling through social media! You'll be surprised at just how much better your day goes when it starts with a little positive thinking!
- KEEP A JOURNAL - The term 'journal' is a very broad one in this sense, as it could mean anything from a daily thought diary, to a space dedicated to a form of art or literature, to somewhere where you just write pages and pages about nothing at all! The key is to just not think too hard about it. I have dabbled in and out of 'daily' diaries for years, but have found they all seem to lack substance, so when I first started a journal (a beautiful yellow moleskin) I was adamant that it would be all that I wanted it to be. Of course this failed, because all the best things happen unplanned (as I mentioned earlier) so it was a constant battle of me wanting to fill it with beautiful things that just didn't translate properly onto paper, leading to me becoming frustrated and then unmotivated! It was only when I was solo traveling a few months ago that I really appreciated what a journal could do for ME, rather than what I could display inside it.
My best advice when it comes to journalling is to not set yourself any expectations or strict guidelines on what you are going to create, as this will only restrict you more! Just write from the heart, when and wherever you feel like it! I constantly had my journal in hand when I was traveling and whenever I had a few quiet moments either on a plane, the subway, a cafe or just sat somewhere like Sydney Botanic Gardens I would write down everything I was thinking or feeling, I found this especially useful as I was traveling solo as it gave me the opportunity to express myself even when I was alone. However you don't have to just use a journal to write down your thoughts concerning your day-to-day life, I also found it particularly useful to process more complex subjects such as philosophical theories, and I love visiting galleries or museums and really letting the art write for me! If you want a more detailed post on journalling & my experiences with it then please let me know and I can do another blog post or video on it!
MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS?
I feel that New Years Resolutions are either always incredibly specific, unachievable or just obvious and therefore pointless! I haven't classified any of the advice above as 'resolutions' as they are not things that I want to try and achieve this year they are simply parts of my current life I wish to accentuate during 2016. I was once told that you should only have 3 New Years Resolutions that are achievable yet challenging as you are then much more likely to stick to them, as opposed to having a list of 20 with one of those being 'Meet Taylor Lautner' (13 year old Sophie was on a COMPLETE other wavelength - though Taylor if you somehow read this one day I still wholeheartedly hold that wish).
Can I really expect myself to change or grow within certain parts of my life just because its a New Year?? OF COURSE !!! I want to be ever-changing and ever moving, always reaching and striving for the next thing in life! As I said earlier, January is a month of motivation right?? So why not start becoming the best version of you today??!! Today is the first day of the rest of your life is it not?? So without further ado, here are my New Years Resolutions for 2016;
1. WRITE - write / blog / journal / create at every chance I have to, never stop creating memories and expressing myself through the art of literature and words
2. TRAVEL - as much as possible, to new places, old places and all places! To be impulsive and reckless during travel and to not be afraid to just get up, leave and adventure
3. MAKE MORE EFFORT - with myself, with my goals, with others, with my blog & youtube platforms and with my aspirations. To not hold grudges, to be kind and present in the moment always
So now you have read through all my advice on starting 2016 in the best way possible, I want to hear your New Years Resolutions and your plans for this year!! Leave them in the comments, let me know on instagram or email me at positivesoph@gmail.com !!
ANNOUNCEMENT : I HAVE JUST STARTED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND WILL BE UPLOADING ON MONDAYS & FRIDAYS WITH A MIXTURE OF GAP YEAR TRAVEL VIDEOS, FOOD VIDEOS AND GENERAL LIFESTYLE VIDEOS!! YOU CAN VIEW MY CHANNEL HERE, AND MY FIRST VIDEO HERE. PLEASE LIKE, SUBSCRIBE AND COMMENT VIDEO IDEAS FOR ME, ENJOY!!
Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)
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