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Well hello March! I feel like it's been an odd start to the year. We went away last month to Sri Lanka which was GRAND (watch the vlog here), but it's meant that there's been a lot of stopping and starting. You know when you just feel like you're not really in the swing of things and are constantly googling whether Mercury is in retrograde? Yeah, *that*. Despite feeling a bit out of sorts productivity-wise, I've actually managed to do an alright job of keeping my New Year's resolutions at the forefront of my mind and I'm feeling all the better for it. I kept the list short this year and focused on wellbeing and fitness goals and over the past two months I've kept a few techniques up my sleeve to make sure that they've become things that have slotted into my daily routine. Want the secret? Have a read...
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Lesson #28
How I've Kept Up With My New Year's Resolutions
I love the New Year and I have to say that I'm sucker for a New Year's resolution, despite the bad rap they get. The idea of setting a goal and spending 12 months working at it just gets me going. The feeling of accomplishment at the end?! CAN YOU IMAGINE! I say can you imagine, because quite often I get to the end of the year and haven't seen things through completely, but I have a good feeling in my belly about 2020.
This year I decided to try and keep things simple. I often plot various different goals in all aspects of my life and although there are a few business-based targets that I'd like to hit, my main focus for the year is just feeling good. I'd like to keep up with a fairly consistent workout routine, eat less meat, consume less alcohol and read everyday. That's doable right? Well, it is (!!) because two months in and I'm doing it. And you know what? I feel GOOD. Here's how I've done it...
The Habit App. GUYS THIS APP. The free version is all you need and the premise is simple. Just add in a habit that you'd like to track and then tick it off at the end of the day as you complete it. The app keeps check of your progress and gives you a percentage for how many days in a month you've ticked it off. I track five different things on there.
- Whether I've completed my Apple Watch ring for the day (see below for more on that)
- If I've not had alcohol
- If I've not had meat
- Whether I've read that day
- If I've completed a workout
Sometimes I might have a five out of five day, other days I might just be able to tick off the one habit. But either way I find it ridiculously motivating and it makes me think twice about whether I *really* need a glass of wine if I'm out for dinner, or to have the veggie option instead. It seems simple, but it really works for me.
Goodreads. I know I'm always bleating on about Goodreads, but if one of your aims for the year is to read more then download the app and set yourself up with a profile immediately. It's great for connecting with friends and getting recommendations from what they are reading, but it's also brilliant for setting yourself yearly reading goals. I'm pushing the boat out with a goal of reading 50 books this year and I'm 20% of the way there already, thanks to recommendations from this and daily tick boxes on my Habit App.
My Apple Watch. I first rolled my eyes when I saw the Apple Watch. Much like exclaiming to Mark that I thought podcasts were the lamest thing ever approximately two weeks before I went to bed listening to the first series of Serial because I was so addicted, it was something that I dismissed before doing a complete 180 on. I've had it for almost two months now, so it's still relatively early days but I'm a convert. It's basically an activity tracker that tracks your workouts and your daily movement (I have the Series 5 40mm Grey Space Aluminium Face*, with the 40mm Milanese Gold Loop*). I've worn it most days since I've got it and as someone who is data driven and enjoys a visual representation of that data, I find that it drives me to work harder during workouts and close my rings. It's a huge part of what gets me out of bed and to a spin class.
The Home Screen. With all this talk of apps, I'm forgetting to share my main tip here. ADD THEM ALL TO YOUR HOME SCREEN! Otherwise they fall into the abyss of forgotten apps and if you're anything like me, they'll sit there never again opened until you start running out of space on your phone and do a mass app cull. When they are on my home screen it means that I see them multiple times a day and when I do spot them it jogs my memory on what I need to do to be able to give myself a little tick next time I check in.
Workouts I Enjoy. I feel like I've got my workout routine down. As I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle mostly at my desk I try to work out every weekday; it gets me out of the house and gets me moving. I like doing spin three-four times a week and Reformer Pilates once or twice a week. I've got my local studios that I love and I have no excuse not to go because they are both so easy to get to. The key to getting myself there EVERY time I book it? Going to the instructors whose classes I enjoy and at times when I feel my most energetic, which for me is always in the evening. A 7am class with an instructor who just isn't playing the TUNES?! I can *always* think of an excuse.
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A Point In The Right Direction
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There aren't too many article picks this month as I've been filling my head with the T.V junk that is Love Is Blind. It was perfect trash T.V and I loved every second of it. I'm here for Rory spilling the tea on how even more couples got engaged than what they showed! HERE. FOR. IT.
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This past weekend I went on a hen do where I was tasked with helping out cooking brunch for 19 people (breakfast burritos are such a good way to mass cater breakfast FYI). So I made these and they went down a treat. I had people asking for the recipe and they are just *so* easy.
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In case you missed it
 One Week of Food in 2 Hours Want to know how to prep a week's worth of veggie lunches and dinners in just two hours? Have a watch of this.
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 My Annual Beauty EmptiesI'm making this an annual video on my channel; everything that I used up beauty-wise in the past 12 months.
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 30 Minute Morning Routine A real-time morning routine where I get my post-spin sweaty self to a slightly less red faced version of me.
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 Pack With Me: 10kg Luggage I never planned for my Sri Lanka packing to be so light, but I set a personal record with this one. I'm very proud.
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Four THINGS I’VE BEEN LOVING THIS MONTH
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