Makeup and skincare have been a big part of my life – and take up a decent amount of my budget. I’ve been into fitness since 2008 and over the last couple of years I’ve taken time to discover what makes me happy and gives me peace. I thought I’d share some of my self-care goals I’ll be focusing on this year. Feel free to incorporate these into your own routine if you like! 🙂 I think they’re beneficial for everyone. A lot of these are things I’ve already been doing and some are newer things I want to do more of.

1. Be more deliberate with my skin care routine

I’ve always cleansed and moisturized my skin, but I’d like to add a couple of things, such as Vitamin C, masks, and rollers. I’ve ordered a little vanity with drawers to help organize my makeup and skin care products. Having a nice place designated for your beauty routine helps separate it from others parts of the house – and the minimalist in me can’t wait to have everything neatly organized in drawers. I look forward to giving myself a little spa experience everyday. 🙂

2. More stretching

I’ve been stretching somewhat often, but not enough. I’d like to incorporate a relaxing 10 minute stretch session every night before bed. It not only loosens up tight muscles, but it also helps wind you down before sleep. If you’re ever having trouble falling asleep at night, try a stretch. It signals to the body that it’s time to rest.

3. Up my workout game

I’ve been exercising 4-6 days/week for the past 12 months, but I admit I’ve been slacking a little some days. One reason is because I walk a lot, which does factor into the fitness regime, but I don’t go on long walks everyday. I often do 10 minute workouts, which is better than nothing by a long shot, but I feel that at my energy level, it’s not enough. I will ensure that all my workouts will be at least 20 minutes – you can cheat a little with this by doing a 15 minute workout and adding a warmup and cooldown into the mix to round it up to 20 minutes. You don’t need to have intense 45 minute sessions, but most health experts say a workout should be at least 20 minutes to be effective. 30 minutes is ideal. I’ll work my way up to that.

4. Make sure I’m getting at least 7,500 steps per day

I’d like to make sure I’m doing enough walking most days. I have a sitting job, so I believe it’s super important to get my steps in, even on the days that I workout. Walking helps reduce many health conditions and it’s great for your mental and physical health. While the famed 10,000 steps per day is pretty high for me (Unless I’m going on a hike or a long walk that day), the 7,500 step goal is very doable. I’m also not looking to lose weight or body fat – I want to maintain my weight. If you work a more physical job, you’re probably doing 10,000 steps per day easily without even thinking about it. People with desk jobs need to be more deliberate in keeping up their steps.

Here’s a breakdown from healthline.com about recommended daily steps:

“A 2011 studyTrusted Source found that healthy adults can take anywhere between approximately 4,000 and 18,000 steps/day, and that 10,000 steps/day is a reasonable target for healthy adults.

If you’re looking for a way to compare your daily steps to an activity level, consider the following categories:

• Inactive: less than 5,000 steps per day
• Average (somewhat active): ranges from 7,500 to 9,999 steps per day
• Very active: more than 12,500 steps per day”

So as it turns out, 10,000 steps per day isn’t all that hard to do as it’s just slightly above the average number of steps most people take in a day. My own goal is actually in the average range, so once I can regularly achieve the 7,5000 step mark, I’ll aim for 10,000 steps per day. Luckily I live in a very scenic, walkable area!

5. Hip opening stretches

Since I’ve been working out regularly for the last 14 years, there’s been more tension in my hip/hamstring area and I haven’t been that committed to stretching. So this year, in addition to stretching more, I’ll be doing some focused hip opening exercises. They help relieve lower back tension from sitting so much at work and they’ll also improve my range of motion for my workouts so I can build a little more muscle.

6. Go on one hike per week (at least)

Hikes are my lifeblood. I’d say I’ve been pretty good with going on at least one hike per week and I strive to continue this trend. A 1 hour hike will get me in at 10,000 steps easily – and the views/fresh air are priceless.

7. Eat balanced meals

This one’s a no-brainer, I’m sure. In general, I eat pretty healthy and I treat myself often, as well. I want to continue to eat healthy. There’s some foods that trigger bloating/make the tum tum sore, such as dairy and too much sugar or bread, so being more mindful of those triggers will help this year stay happy and comfy.

8. Have 3 friends in my life I can regularly talk to

I once heard a psychologist mention that everyone should have around 3 friends in their life whom they can talk to regularly. The reason for this is so you’re not putting all your energy into one person – and you’re not overwhelming them with everything that’s been going on in your life. It’s good to have balance where you have a few people you can chat with or grab a coffee with when you want to socialize – sometimes people get busy or they’re not able to talk when you need it, so if you have a couple of people in your life, you can go to them when you need some company. I thought this was so helpful and insightful so it’s been ingrained in my mind.

Granted, it takes time to build connections. It’s an ongoing process since sometimes people need to leave our life for whatever reason or they get busy. I currently have two people I speak to regularly – my sister and another friend I’ve known for 12 years. I’d like to round that out by making another friend or two this year. It’s important to have a few platonic, non-family people in our life who we can bounce ideas off, share laughs with, go out with, etc.

9. Get back to my natural hair colour

I’ve been dying my hair since 2009! There’s been a few times that I briefly went back to brown. I lasted 5 months one time before I had to go back to blonde. It’s weird, but I feel happiest with a lighter hair colour. With that being said, I think it’s actually time to give my hair a break from all the bleaching, processing, and dying and let it go back to brown again – at least for 8 months (preferably for a full year). It’ll grow out healthier, longer, and stronger. It’ll save me loads of money since I spend around $200 per bleaching session at a salon – and that’s on the cheaper side. Other places charge closer to $400. I don’t want to start my year spending all that money on hair. From the moment that I dye my hair back to brown (using an affordable box dye), I’m challenging myself to leave it alone for at least 8 months. It’ll be cool to see it back in its natural state after so long!

10. Start Journaling

I was given a pretty new journal for Christmas and it got me thinking about journaling. I haven’t been much of a journaler as an adult, but I’d like to start making bullet lists to help organize my thoughts, goals, schedule, etc. A lot of people say how much journaling has helped simplify their life – not that I have a crazy busy life to begin with, but I think physically writing down my weekly goals/to-do lists will be helpful. I feel refreshed just thinking about it!

Well, these are the things that stand out most to me. I’m sure others will come up as the year goes on. I hope this post inspired you today. Until next time, have a lovely day/evening. Happy blogging!

Do you have any self-care goals for the new year?

(Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels)