2018 was a wonderful year, but I'm looking forward to 2019 and making it an even better one!
I turned 22 on New Years Eve and spent it with three of my favorite people in the world! It was the best birthday ever and I am so thankful for the love they all have for me and to have such special people to celebrate with. I am ready for a brand new year! I have lots to be excited for in 2019. Relaxing on the beach over my spring break with my mom, graduating college, weddings this summer, celebrating another wedding anniversary in July, traveling, and sweet summertime! Also looking forward to everything else the Lord has in store for me that I'm patiently and unknowingly waiting for. :) I've never been one to write down an actual New Years Resolution. One thing that I've been working on for a really long time is my worrying tendencies and taking each day one day at a time. I tend to worry about things out of my control a lot or things in the future and that busy busy mind of mine is sometimes hard to tame. :) I am a big planner and have a hard time giving it all to God and forget that it's not my will when it comes to the things that happen in my life. So instead of having a "resolution" I decided to write a list of things each month that I want to work on or accomplish. I think having a couple of different goals, intentions, or things to work on each month allows for me to reflect on myself in general and I think is also a healthier way of setting goals for myself instead of having one big goal or resolution. My January intensions. . . . . . -Open up my Bible and read it every morning -Less sweets -More veggies -Limiting screentime -Exercise daily -Serve / volunteer at new places -Less spending $$$ -More reading -Less worrying -Happiness, Gratitude, Positivity, Generosity, Contentment For those of you who have resolutions, GO YOU! Seriously! I envy your commitment! For me, it's too much pressure to choose one goal or intention and to put all of my focus on that for the entire year. But honestly, most studies show that the majority of New Years resolutions fail by February and I already know that I'm in that group if I were to make a single resolution for the whole year. There's so much pressure at the start of a new year on social media and by others to become a "new you" and set your goals and resolutions as soon as the New Year is here. Instead of being pressured to change one huge aspect of your life, maybe try and think about setting monthly intensions and how that could impact you. Cheers to 2019!
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When we moved into our apartment, I had a really hard time getting our stove top cleaned. It had lots of stains and old marks on it from the previous tenants that I could not get clean! I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and they would not budge. It drove me crazy!!!! I decided to mix up my own concoction and it ended up working WONDERS! Three Ingredients: Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Hydrogen Peroxide..... Normally, I wouldn't use fancy vinegar like the one in the photo, but it's all I had on hand at the time. Normally I'd just use some cheap cleaning vinegar. There really is no "recipe" as to how much of each I use...I just take a small bowl and mix together the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and then do a splash of vinegar until I have a runny paste. Then I pour some of it over the tough spots and let it soak for a minute or two, depending on how bad the stain is. After it has soaked a bit, I take a paper-towel and scrub away! BeforeEvery single stain and mark came off! There were some spots I hardly had to scrub because the paste practically soaked it up on its own. Stove tops get dirty easily and this is a great hack to always keep it clean since it's so easy with few ingredients. Happy scrubbing! :)
Water water water!
I've always been a huge water drinker! I aim to drink between 80-90 ounces per day. Your weight/gender determines the amount you should be drinking, but it's important to be drinking it all day. I've heard many say "you should drink 8 glasses per day" and that's a pretty good goal and it's easy to remember. By drinking as much water as I do per day, I feel that it really energizes me, improves my complexion, and makes me feel great. Our bodies use water in all of our cells, organs, and tissues, and through the course of the day as our bodies lose that water, it is SO important to replenish it. Not getting too wrapped up in the whole "diet" idea.... I think sometimes, with all of the pressure to have that perfect body, it's really easy to stress yourself out about figuring out that "perfect diet". With all of the "tips and tricks" on the Internet and social media, it's especially easy to fall into the obsession of perfecting our figures as women. Diets work for many people and are great to get people back on track for what they should be eating. But for me, I know what I should be eating and what isn't great for me to eat. But guess what! I still eat ice cream, chocolate, and even fast food every now and then! IN MODERATION! It is all about self-control, being active, and the importance of eating the right foods and drinking water! . . . . ."You are beautiful for you are fearfully and wonderfully made" -Psalm 139:14 . . . . . "I'll restore your health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord" -Jeremiah 30:17 Getting that booty moving!!!! It doesn't have to be a 2 mile run, or working out at the gym for hours each day. It can be a fast-paced walk, a bike ride, yoga that's cardio-focused, workouts from home, dancing! My favorite ways to stay active are walking outdoors, bike rides, yoga, (I like Five Parks Yoga with Erin Sampson) and fitness videos (POPSUGAR Fitness Videos). They're both free to follow on YouTube! Eating those VEGGIES!!! It is SO important to incorporate vegetables into our diet. There are tons of ways to prepare them if you're not fond of the flavors. I personally love all vegetables and am always looking to try something new! Check out my Pinterest board of some wholesome meal ideas here! The nutrients in veggies are a MUST if you are aiming to feel, look, and live a healthy life. Also when talking about meals, I try to have lots of variation in my meals. I don't like having the same routine each day for meals, because that tends to bore me and is what tempts me to crave things that aren't great for my body! Getting enough sleep.... Having a set sleep schedule is really important for our overall health. I am a total morning person, so I usually fall asleep around 11 and am awake between 7 and 8. I feel SO refreshed when I wake up and have gotten my 8 hours of sleep! I don't have any issues sleeping thankfully, but every night I make sure to have been off of my phone/other screens about an hour before I go to bed and instead read the Bible or another book before bed to relax. I feel so much more relaxed after reading than looking at a screen. Keeping a positive attitude and trusting God's plan! Our minds have more control over us than we think. When I'm having a bad day or am stressed out, my body doesn't feel great! And it is okay to not feel "okay" or to have those bad days. Everyone is fighting battles inside that aren't visible to those around us. BUT! I really do try my best to not let the little things that may make me have a bad day, be more powerful than all of the amazing things I'm lucky to have in my life. I am alive, I have a Lord who loves me, I have a husband who cares for and loves me, I have an amazing family, and wonderful friends! And those are just a few things in my life that keep me going! I know that Jesus loves me and that he is doing great things in my life! And having trust in that, is what helps me stay positive. ....."God can restore what is broken and change it into something amazing. All you need is faith." - Joel 2:25 ....."When you go through deep waters, I will be with you." -Isaiah 43:2 Improving posture Something as little as improving your posture can really change the way your entire body feels. My lower back curves in more than most peoples'. (I think it's called Lumbar Lordosis, where your spine curves in a little bit more than most peoples'...it's a pretty common thing) That being the case, my posture is definitely not perfect so I like to do some core strengthening exercises and also some yoga poses that focus on improving posture. I have found that these really help me! Check the yoga poses out here and the exercises here! Making and setting goals!!! I have been a goal-setter since middle school when we first started talking about "real" goals, what they are and why they're good to set. I like to set lifetime goals, goals for my health, long term goals (5-10 years), money goals, etc. But for my health specifically, I really love to set goals for myself. Whether it be nutrition wise, exercise wise, or even beauty wise. In high school, I was sometimes lazy and would choose to just skip taking my makeup off and washing my face. Therefore, I would get acne and styes on my eyes and just never felt great about my complexion. Years ago, I set a goal to take my makeup off and wash my dang face every night, and now, I hardly get any acne and I feel so much better about my complexion in general! I do feel confident if I'm not wearing makeup because of the fact that I feel good about my skin. Something as simple as setting a goal like that changed my overall outlook on how I felt about myself when I looked in the mirror. It truly is the little things in life. |