Happy New Year! These days it really does feel like a true celebratory moment of which collectively 'we made it.' In years past, I think I thought of New Years as an inevitable. I suppose that's a wonderfully youthful and naïve way to look at it. There's something really special about thinking that way, but now in my 4th decade I think about the New Year a bit differently. I definitely don't think of it as an inevitable and instead I look at it as a privilege to continue on. An honor to be able to renew my hopes, dreams and goals.
I've never been big on resolutions, but I am a big believer in resetting my intentions for the year and for my life. I don't think it's a healthy or sustainable practice to make really big changes at beginning of the year and then just hope that they stick. I guess after 13 years of being a personal trainer/pilates instructor and yoga instructor I realized that people's January dreams are hardly every still kicking in December.
What I do like however, is to ease into a new year, set-up and prepared for success. I like to create space and organization so that doors can open effortlessly. This way friction, chaos and disorder can be dissolved and welcomed new energy can more easily flow.
With that being said, here are my first few weeks of the New Year To Do's: (both for my home space and for myself). I'm hoping one or more of these may resonate with you.
Living Space:
Clean my living space from top to bottom - This includes my house and car. Clean off my desk, organize my drawers and closet (big job), and my gosh - wash all of my bedding. All of it - comforter, duvet, mattress cover, pillow protectors - every single bit. You'll have the best night sleep after this.
Purge - Donate, throw away, shred (you will feel so light after this exercise). This year I'm not kidding, Guapo helped me shred for about 4 hours straight. Good bye old, dusty papers.
Clean off my old computer and phone files - Yep, I clean off my desktop and delete old files. I remove old apps and even clean out my phone contacts. It even feels good to write this.
Buy a few new items to refresh my space. This year I threw away all my old bathroom mats and entry way mats and replaced them. I bought my new ones at Home Goods to keep the cost reasonable. If you don't want to buy anything, another nice practice is to give your space a refresh by rearranging your furniture/decor.
Put some fresh flowers or a new plant in my home. Without question, my favorite flowers to put in my home are the hydrangeas from Trader Joes. They can last up to 2 weeks are are super easy to take care of.
Myself:
Drybrush and Exfoliate - I literally brush off the old...the old dead skin cells from top to bottom. Yes, this is a good practice physically, but honestly it just feels like such a perfect way to symbolically start over as well.
The Drybrush I like using is from Higher Dose . Yes, there are less expensive drybrushes out there such as this one from Goop or this one from Amazon which also get the job done. The reason I like the one from Higher Dose is simply because it has a feature that the others don't have and that's the copper bristles which in their words: takes dry-brushing to new heights with ion-charged bristles that wake up the body, accelerate lymphatic drainage, exfoliate skin, reduce cellulite, restore your body's natural vibration, and counteract the modern stressors of an always-online lifestyle. (I'm not 100% sure I see or feel a difference, but hey, it can't hurt so why not break out the big guns for the New Year, am I right?)
This full body exfoliation also includes dermaplaning my face. Um, what?! Yep - I remove all the peach fuzz and simultaneously exfoliate my face. Would you like to see what that looks like? This video is about 40 seconds and it's...shocking.
I use the Dermaflash because I bought it years ago at QVC after I tried it and sold it. True story - the creator of Dermaflash actually dermaplaned my face for the first time in my life live on-air on Beauty iQ. When I saw what came off of my face I believe there were a few jokes comparing it to cats coughing up hair balls and such.
Truth be told, I don't have the updated version, I just use my old version with the updated blades. (not a perfect fit) It is an investment piece and you do have to repurchase blades because you can only use them one time, but for me this is a New Year non-negotiable. In fact, I try to dermaplane monthly.
Heads up: There are much less expensive tools on the market but I can't personally vouch for them. Obviously, if you choose to dermablade at home know that you're using a blade and be careful and do your research first. (no medical advice coming from this gal) :)
Lastly, I exfoliate my feet. I use the Spa-Rific etched glass exfoliator. It's actually the only exfoliator I will use on my feet currently. I can't seem to find it in stock anywhere, but
After this head to toe exfoliation, I feel so refreshed!
2. Then I do 2 nice things for myself. A. I honor myself with a workout of my choice to set the tone for a healthy year. It could be anything from a yoga class to a long walk, a jog or a pickleball game with friends. Whatever it is, I do this with the intention that this is setting the tone for my year and that this is a way of thanking my body for being able to carry me through this life.
Since I mentioned pickleball, I will now give a shameless plug for the brand my brother and I started. Last year we created ROKNE Pickleball and it's been an exhilarating journey. You can find us on our website , in pro shops all over, Saks Fifth Avenue, Amazon, and a bunch of other online retailers! If you have any pickleball questions just shoot me an email. I'm happy to answer them! It's an awesome way to socialize and exercise at the same time.
B. I add something beautiful into my life. A treat. Maybe it's a new makeup palette, a new tool or device. Perhaps it's something you've been eyeing at Sephora or Bloomies?
This year - I've decided to add in liquid collagen! I'm excited to try this. I committed to a 60 day trial and did a ton of research before choosing which brand to try. So here's the winner: Isagenix Collagen Elixir (2 month supply)
Why you might ask? Well, there's a lot of research on collagen loss and age, and I figured why not start now? Many of my pickleball friends are older than me and they all tell me that if they could go back and start taking collagen supplements ten years ago they would. I'm excited to see what changes occur - stay tuned. I'm hoping for a softening of lines/wrinkles and a noticeable tightening of the skin. Fingers crossed!
If you're not ready to commit to 60 days but you want to try for 1 month here's a link for a 30 day supply.
If you're not ready to commit to a full month, but still curious, here's a link for a 10 day supply .
Remember I complete these tasks during the first few weeks of the year, not all on the first day!
Let me know in the comments below - do you set New Year's Resolutions/Intentions? If so, are you willing to share them...lmk! I'd love to support you staying accountable to your 2023 goals.
Cheers to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023!
xo,
e