Unlock New Habits in the New year for a New you

Hello and welcome back to my blog. Today I wanted to remind you…about YOU! Let’s unlock some new daily habits together that we can bring forth into the new year. As a mum/parent it's easy to lose track and remember to care for yourself while caring for your children, maintaining the house, the never ending washing, your social life, work life, activities, commitments, and all that might be in between for you. By the time the end of the year comes with all the extras on the family calendar, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of a balance for yourself.

Personally, after having lots on my plate and getting burnt out, I have found just that. Something had to ‘give’ and that was caring for myself. Upon stopping to reflect, I've come up with some new daily habits to try and rebalance myself and I wanted to share these with you below. I will be incorporating these into my day to day life as well as a few extra tlc ideas and you can too.

DAILY HABITS for the new year & new you.

First up is something I usually do, however I have noticed over some busy months I’ve slacked off. That is to drink more water, and aim for around 2-3L a day. This is a rough daily intake guide for an adult. Our bodies are made up of 50-60% water and we need this to function properly. If you're highly active or breastfeeding this is even more important.

Eat healthy. This is vital. Nourish your body with foods to fuel you and keep you thriving and functioning optimally and avoid foods that you know add nothing and will just slow you down or potentially harm you. As health is wealth, if you have health you have everything.

Get enough sleep/rest. Make sure you get plenty of sleep/rest when you can. If you're lucky enough to get a full night of sleep, then take advantage of that. 7-9 hrs is the recommended minimum (my goodness… this sounds amazing to me!) If you're like me and currently waking every 2-3 hrs with baby, try to have a nap when your little one/s nap to make up for broken sleep. *I have to admit, this will be my most challenging one, as I love being productive and getting things done during nap time.

Move your body. Don't over complicate this one by trying to add a complex workout everyday, especially if you're struggling to get adequate sleep. Start by keeping it simple, just move. Anything from a brisk walk, bike ride with the kids, stretches, yoga and at home pilates or a bodyweight workout. Post workout you might be surprised, releasing endorphins will energize and make you feel great.

Look after your skin with a good natural skincare routine. Nourish the skin you're in. Starting now rather than later is the key to keeping your skin beautiful and youthful. Prevention is better than a cure and trying to reverse years of slack self care. Take your time and slowly massage serums and oils with your hands or a beauty tool such as a roller or gua sha to really make it a daily ritual.

If you're in the market for new skincare a few of my favorite brands I love and use daily are Kylie’s Professional, Wildcrafted Organics, Edible Beauty and Organic Spa. All of these brands have in common; they’re natural, clean, organic, toxic free, cruelty free, mostly vegan, Australian Made and Owned. *This habit will be my easiest to achieve because it’s already in place and I look forward to it morning and night. I highly recommend getting on board this one.

Set aside ‘You’ time. At least 30 minutes to do something for you. That may look like; moving your body or just simply relaxing, stretching, meditating, sitting in some sun, listening to a podcast, reading a book, writing a journal or something you desire or crave to do each day. Tag team the kids with your partner or if you're a single parent/carer utilize some educational TV here or during nap time.

Compliment yourself. Say something nice to yourself in the mirror everyday. Show yourself that you care about yourself too. Be kind and talk to yourself the way you do to everyone else. We can be our own worst critic sometimes and this can really take a toll on your health. I think it's important to practice kindness, praise yourself for what a good job you are doing. Because being a parent is the toughest 24/7 job there is.

EXTRA TLC IDEAS IN 2023

1. Give yourself a weekly or fortnightly at home face mask! I’m so excited for this, I’ll be stocking up on some masks from my fav brands and alternating ones I do to treat myself.

2. Get your hair done at the salon at least once a season, even if it’s just a trim on the ends. To freshen up for Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. You’ll feel lighter, relaxed and pampered.

3. Do your nails on occasion! I have not painted mine since before I was pregnant with my first Sunny ( I’m talking 3 years ago ). To make some time for this, I'll most likely have a go of an evening and I’m excited for this new self care ritual to become more regular in 2023.

4. Take up a hobby. Do something you have always wanted to do/try/start. You can so easily get caught up with the kids activities and hobbies but this is your sign, your time is now! You can do something you enjoy too. * For me, I’ll be continuing my writing and filming. I began writing more consistently at the start of 2022 with my monthly blog and YouTube. I’ve seen my growth over the past year and want to make an active effort to keep it up because this is what I enjoy.

5. Take a bath. We are forever bathing the kids right? And we’re usually left with a quick shower by the end of the day. I encourage getting some magnesium bath salts, have a tea and perhaps paint our nails here too to relax and unwind. Especially during winter I’ll focus on this one here.

So, to take away from today: eat healthy, drink water, get plenty of rest, move your body, take care of your skin and compliment yourself daily. Staying consistent in all of these daily habits will be great for our overall health.Then adding a few extra self care options into your year, fortnightly at home facial, take up a hobby, have bathes, get your hair done and do your nails. You can keep up with me and follow my instgram and tiktok here and we can stay accountable together.

Add yourself to the priority list but remember to stop to enjoy all the little things in 2023 too; your baby's firsts, lasts, the sunshine, your family and to smell the flowers. Let’s just not forget about ourselves and our mental health this year. When I'm on track all these help me feel replenished and fill my cup so I'm ready to go! When you're recharged and healthy it's easier to turn up, show up and be the best carer/parent you can be. Let’s do this together! Happy New Year and let's welcome ourselves to 2023 as a priority too.