So I have decided to make a few life changes. No I'm not moving across the world, or changing my religion. I've just decided to start making some simple changes in my life to give me a burst of energy for spring that I have been lacking lately.
1- BE SMART!
First of all I have decided to really concentrate on school. It's almost over so I figured I should go out with a bang! It makes me feel so good to get my home work questions right, or do well on a test. Now let me tell you I am in no way a "extremely-smart-intelligent-valedictorian" type. I am not calling myself stupid but I'm just not one of those people that understand school easily. I think as myself as more of a "creative smart" person compared to a "book smart". I really have to apply myself to do well in school. And I'll admit I have been slacking quite a bit lately, but with all good reason. (Personal things) But now I've been organizing my school life and I feel great! (Maybe I'll make a video with some school tips!)
2-SLEEP!!!!
I used to go to bed so early. (used to meaning quite a few years ago). I just loved going to bed! and don't get me wrong I still do love to sleep, but I think I just got so caught up in the world of being able to stay up late, and technology. I would lay in bed texting people or surfing the Internet on my i-touch or watching TV, when really I wasn't even doing much, I just got so used to staying up late and doing pointless things. I also have quite a hard time getting up in the morning. I just think I'm one of those people who needs a lot of rest, and unfortunately it took me until now to actually do something about it. I've been trying to go to bed between 9:30-10:00. If I have nothing left that I need to do and its 9:30 then I"ll just go to sleep then. It is taking me a bit to to actually feel tired at this time since I've trained myself to go to bed so late, but slowly its becoming more of a routine. And a lot of people say that if they go to bed early one night they're even more tired than if they just stayed up late like they usually do. Which was true for the first few days for me too, but after a few days you start to see that your more awake, alert, and energized. I can even feel my skin glowing from my "beauty sleep" ! (BTW: make sure your cell phone is off and away and any thing else that may disturb you!)
3-TAKE YOUR TIME TO START YOUR DAY
Don't you just hate when you wake up with only 15 minutes to get ready for school? Or when your alarm goes off and you tell yourself 5 more minutes, and drift back to sleep, only to wake up 20 minutes later and then have to scramble to get yourself ready? Not only is it frustrating but it's just a bad way to start your day. Therefor I have made a new little morning "wake up" routine. I set 3 alarms. The first alarm goes off at 6:00 (This is an hour and 45 minutes before I have to leave) and is soft music, (but still loud enough to wake me up). I wake up, and turn the alarm off and get up for a second to do something. (during the winter I turned my heater on so my room would be warm when I woke up, now I get up and check my texts messages that I got while I was sleeping-only for a minute or two) After that I go back to "sleep". Then at 6:15 my next alarm goes off which isn't a crazy upbeat song but it isn't a soft lullaby either. (I used to get up to turn my hair straightener on so that it would be ready when I got up and save me time. Now that I'm not using heat products I get up and pull my curtains open so that there is more light in my room) Then at 6:30 this very happy song (Kind of reminds me of the Simpson's theme song) goes off and that is when I get up. This then gives me a little over an hour to get ready for the day. Now some of you may be asking yourselves "why in the world she would have a ridiculous routine like that just to wake up?" Well simply because it makes me less tired when I wake up. Waking up two times before I actually have to mean I never fully go back into a deep sleep that I have to quickly get out of when my alarm goes off. No one likes to be so rudely awoken from a peaceful sleep. And when I wake up at 6:o0 I don't actually have to get up! I then know that i get another full half hour to sleep! How great is that?! waking up and getting to sleep more? Then by the time 6:30 rolls around I'm basically awake and ready to get up peacefully and start my day. I used to just sleep in until about seven, and even though I got a full extra half hour of sleep i still felt even more tired and groggy, AND then I also had to rush to get ready. Now I know that I have a sufficient amount of time to get ready and start my day off on a good note.
4-FIND YOUR CENTER
I started to try some yoga. I've attended a class or two in the past but recently I found this amazing relaxing routine on exercise TV. I was looking for more of something to help me relax rather than a workout. However it does help to tone. I've been doing this half hour routine before bed that revolves mostly around breathing. (I wish I did it every night, but of course we don't always have the time) I'm planning on going to some classes at my gym soon because it really does help clear my head.
5-MAKE A BED TIME ROUTINE
As mentioned earlier I have a wake up routine, I've been trying yoga before bed, and have been going to bed earlier. But as well as that I've been trying to make a bed time routine. A way to help me wind down and get all my thoughts out of my head so I can sleep peacefully. I tend to stay awake thinking. So here is my routine: (it tends to vary, but I try to stick to this) Around 8 I'll usually start to get ready for bed, I'll take my shower and do whatever other hygiene thing I need to do before bed. Then between 8:30-9:00 I'll do my yoga routine which takes about half hour, and after that I'll get into bed and read or write in my diary. I think it's very important to have a way to wind down to help you sleep your best.
6-EXERCISE
this is a pretty obvious one. I'm sure you hear it ALL the time! But it is so true. I have been quit lacking in this department but I'm going to be walking in the NYC walk for breast cancer this year (which is 39 miles) so I'm going to get back on it! (and I'll blog about it to keep you guys posted) Even if your not trying to loose weight or anything, it good to do at least a half hour of some kind of activity every day. Something that also might inspire you to workout is getting new workout clothes! It helps a lot more than you would think-see video here on what I got. I'm going to try to do some kind of workout 5x a week, and going to the gym 3x. That's what I'm going to try! It's also important to make sure you have some kind of routine you can do at home if for some reason you cant get to the gym (which is very common if you cant drive-so this way you have no excuses not to workout!) But starting this week or next come back every Sunday to see a new post regarding exercise and eating healthy (see next)
7-EAT HEALTHY
This is also an obvious one, but one I have also been lacking in. I get so lazy with food, and I'll usually just grab whatever junk I can find. I have such bad food habits! including eating when I'm bored or upset! See video here on some tips on healthy eating But I'm determined to change them. (I'm also going to blog about this). Right now I'm trying to incorporate fruits, and veggies, and yogurt into my diet. I had said I was going to start getting in shape/eating healthy a few months a go-see video here& click here to see how my first week had went during that.
8-TAKE SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF
"Me time" is such an important thing. We get so caught in ever day lives. And although I'm not like a busy mom or anything I do get caught up in all the work I have to do for different things. When I say "me time" it could be anything from going to the gym or writing in your journal. (See "Make a Bed Time Routine" above) When I think of "Me time" I really think of it as something I LOVE to do, that is relaxing and entirely focusing one me. Sure going to the gym, having my own sleep routine and all of that is all about me but to me that isn't enough. I'm sure that sounds selfish, but sometimes you need to put yourself first. What I refer to as my specific "Me time" is what i also call my "spa day" or "spa night" or "spa time". I usually try to dedicate some point of my Sunday to this. (I'll blog about exactly what I do at some point) I just do a lot of different spa like things that concentrate on me and are relaxing and make me feel good!
9-SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS/CATCH UP WITH OLD FRIENDS
I'm sure most of us do this without really thinking about it, But it really is so important to never take your Friends for granted and to make sure you keep in contact with them and make sure you are always there for them. If you feel like your drifting from any one make every effort you can to keep them, one day your really going to need your friends, and maybe they really need you more than you know. Another thing that is also important is to catch up with old friends, or people you haven't really seen in a while. It really makes you feel a lot better than you would think to make new friends, or to re-kindle a friendship .Or even if you haven't really lost a friendship, but haven't talked to the person in a while its good to just see how people how. Just meet up with a friend for lunch, or for coffee, or to take your dog for a walk or whatever!
10-LEARN SOMETHING NEW
it really makes you feel so good to learn something that you didn't know how to do before! I recently learned to sew, which is something I've wanted to learn forever but i kept putting it off. When I finally learned how to do I felt so good about myself. There are so many things I have always wanted to learn such as calligraphy, belly dancing, and how to surf. And i plan on learning them some day! It can be as simple as learning a new recipe, or as hard as hiking a mountain you have always wanted to. Whatever it is no matter how random or weird, go for it! you'll never know if you like it until you try it.
11-HELP OTHERS
Nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than putting a smile on some one else's. I have always been active in this program at my church where homeless families come to stay for a while. I love playing games with the children and just bringing some joy to their lives for a little while. Last year I was lucky enough to be accepted to the Youth Crew for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. It was the BEST experience of my life. I got to help so many people and meet so many amazing people. It's really great to get involved with a cause that you firmly believe in. Both my grandmothers passed away from breast cancer, so it means lot to me to help. This year I will be walking the walk!! I need to get in shape for it and raise $1,800 (I'll post links soon where you guys can donate) But regardless of how you help, or what you help with, its just important to help in some way!!
Most importantly smile, laugh, and live your life to the fullest.
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