As the summer comes to an end and the New Year is approaching, I wanted to write a post that could help you develop some healthy habits to close out 2023. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Wake UP Early and Take Care Of Yourself First
Waking up with the sun or before can be tough, but I am here to tell you it’s a game-changer! I always said I could never get up at 5 a.m. to exercise, but after getting ping after ping to make the shift, I decided to try it. I set my alarm every day for 5 a.m. This gives me enough time to move my body, meditate or do my TBM (To Be Magnetic) work, do some work on my blog with my morning matcha and get ready before my kids are up. How awesome is that?! It allows me to start my day and focus on myself before I do anything else. I encourage you to give it a try! The early bird catches the worm :).
Eat More Plants and Focus on quality foods with few ingredients
When I walk through the grocery store, I see processed food after processed food, full of ingredients I can’t pronounce and have no idea what they are. They do not belong in our food! Last spring, I did a 21-day plant-based detox program called Yummi yogis. It was unlike any detox program I had ever come across. Your meals, snacks and drinks are prepared and delivered to your house twice a week. It broke my daily sugar, gluten and processed food habits and I’ve never looked back. I felt transformed and people in my life noticed. I had an increase in energy and mental clarity. The hormonal acne I suffered with my entire adult life cleared, my mood was more balanced, and I was inspired to change and grow in other ways in my life. It’s been well over a year and while I’m definitely not as strict as the detox was, I keep to its main principles as much as I can. Nourishing my body with whole organic foods. It’s not a punishment either, I actually enjoy eating a clean diet now. I have changed the way I look at food forever. I pick up a package and if the ingredients are food then I put it in my cart. Most of my groceries are fresh produce and we always start our day with fresh fruit. I hope this inspires you to ditch the garbage and eat fresh.
Spend Time In Nature
Spending time outside in nature is a wonderful way to relax and reset your day. When I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed a walk in nature will always calm me down and give me the reset I need. If my kids are grumpy or are fighting with each other, getting them outdoors always helps. Time in nature is proven to reduce stress and anxiety, improve memory, and enhance sleep. Grounding/earthing has become very popular in the wellness world. Getting outside barefoot connects you to the energy of the earth. David Avocado Wolfe says, “When we reconnect to the earth’s energy in a direct skin-to-skin contact we experience the beneficial anti-inflammatory and energizing effects of Earth’s electrons. People who practice grounding or earthing on a regular basis like me, say it helps them sleep better, feel better, and have more energy during the day. It definitely helps me eliminate jet lag as well.” We truly are nurtured by nature. Take some time daily to benefit from nature’s gifts.
Connect With Friends And Family
Human connections are one of the most important components of our overall well-being. We need genuine connections to others to feel whole and complete. Spending time with family and friends can make our day go from bad to rad :). My favourite days are the ones when I meet up with my friends or my mom and talk about our life. It makes me feel alive and balanced. We need to communicate and let out our feelings and emotions. If we hold things inside it can cause us to feel alone and it is a huge burden on our bodies. We need to feel it to heal it and what we hold in can cause serious health issues. Take the time to schedule a weekly meet-up, trust me you will not regret it.
Drink and Bathe In clean water
Water is the essence of life and our bodies are made up of a huge amount of water. The ways water helps our body function are endless. We need water to stay alive and healthy. So the quality of water we put in our body and clean our body with should matter. I love anything health and wellness so when I started learning about water, a water filter for our house became a priority. Our skin is our largest organ, so when we bathe in water full of harmful chemicals they are not only being absorbed into our skin, but we are also inhaling them into our lungs. Pretty gross and scary right?! I suggest finding water springs close to home and installing a good filtration system on your house. There are many affordable options. We chose Northern Water Cleaners for its affordability and what they filtered out of our local water. If you decide to use this company please mention my name Alayna Gaskin, your support directly helps me and my family thrive.
Find Things that give you Purpose and Happiness
It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks that we forget we are here on this planet for a reason and it’s not to fold laundry lol. Find things you can do regularly that light you up and make you feel alive. I love anything health and wellness related, spirituality, nutrition, herbalism, fitness, and self-help and discovery. I try to do something inspiring or learn something daily. One thing that has been a game changer is listening to podcasts while I am doing daily tasks. I get to learn while making school lunches, getting ready, putting away laundry or cleaning. I love it and look forward to it. Carve out some time to light up your soul.
Protect Your Peace And Move into The New Year with Love
Take some time before the end of the year to sit down and reflect on your life. How are you showing up? What’s working in your life? What isn’t working in your life? How can you make changes that will bring more peace and love into your life? Evaluate and make changes accordingly. Sending you many blessings and I hope this inspires you to move into the new year happy, healthy and thriving.
xo Alayna
