7 Things from Amazon that will help you create new, healthy habits.
You might be surprised.
At first glance, this might look like a very basic list of products- but I promise you these products all helped me change my life in some way or another back in October just a few months ago. Here is a bit more in depth review about how these ‘basic’ products influenced my life and this is also the first I have openly discussed my sober curious journey. Going on 11 weeks now, I think I have a decent handle on the start of some healthy habit forming tips to share as you prep for Jan. 1.
ATOMIC HABITS:
I had read the book, Atomic Habits, sometime a few years ago or so, but with a new focus on trying to establish a new healthier routine, I dusted it back off, settled in and re-read it with purpose. I was determined to build a new healthy lifestyle and create a habit that didn’t include drinking. Now, let me say, I liked drinking. It just was no longer benefiting me to be the kind of person I wanted. My goal was to learn how to STOP using booze as a clutch for anything - not for fun, sadness, celebration, awkwardness - nothing. I didn’t want it to be tied to my emotions anymore and creating a new habit for this was my goal. Now, your goal creation might not have anything with do with alcohol - maybe you want to climb Mount Everest, I don’t know - but what I do know is this book is for anyone who wants to start a habit and has a goal - whatever that may be.
There is a part in this book that I still think about every single day. It goes something like - just because you can’t see the progress, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Just 1% positive gains over time will change your life - as will 1% losses as well. Think about that - if you just stop moving 1% more each day, you’ll get worse over time. But if you start moving 1% more, your gains will likely accelerate. Now, that isn’t the exact wording of the book, but you get the idea. All the work happens below the surface for months and moths, until one day your work just shows up. This book can help you establish any new habit you want to form.
Being organized is the key to being ready for whatever comes your way. Another thing I have started doing is each morning, is review my weekly calendar. On Mondays, everything gets written down. I go over school emails, tests, sports, appointments, whatever - and I write down what we need to do this week. Let me repeat that - everything is HANDWRITTEN on one weekly sheet. It’s a visual reference that is always out on my desk - everyone references it - kids, husband, me.
Now, here is the real kicker - I schedule MY TIME, too! Yoga? Gets a slot. Working? Gets a spot. Cleaning? Meal prep? Errands? Whatever it is I need to do this week, it gets scheduled. If sports can’t be missed, why should your hour-class be pushed aside? If you have an hour to watch a show, you have an hour do something that benefits you - read, cook a healthy meal, move - whatever that looks like for you. If it’s scheduled, maybe you too will stop making excuses. I have found one week at a time is much more manageable than a whole month view, but do what works for you.
And the pretty pens might help you enjoy having a nice organized calendar.
3. YOGA:
I have NEVER liked yoga. Never ever in my life. About once a year I would try it and say to myself, ‘well that sucked’ and I’d wait for another year to come where I’d read something about the benefits and I’d try it. and I’d just hate it again. Rinse & Repeat.
In the past, I never liked yoga because it felt like a waste of time. If I had 30 mins or an hour to spare, I wanted to BURN, BABY BURN those calories. Every peice of quit lit I read told me to do yoga, so, reluctantly, as a part of this new journey, I decided I would go for a month (I averaged ~3 days/week) and see what happened. Before I started this month of yoga, I made one big change: I decided to set more of a mental goal as a way to rest my mind vs. a big calorie burner.
And OMG it worked! This practice is life-changing if you’ll let it.
My first 10 days sober*, I brought myself to all the yoga classes and I just cried during each class. I have no idea why. Maybe emotions leveling out, maybe I just allowed my mind to rest. I have no idea why I cried. I was not sad, but I did. I cried for nearly 2 weeks of class during savasana. And now, I look forward to it as a way to reset my body and my mind. I’ll be candid that over the holidays, I haven’t been - but you better believe it will be top of my list once school is back in. And I, thankfully, no longer cry.
So this New Year’s if you want to be different, try something different. I’d challenge you to stretch more, relax your mind more, give it a chance to just BE when our world is so go, go, go. (PS this lulu mat is on sale right now).
Other things on my quest to healthy habits list:
4. You need to drink more water (A cup with a straw helps me do that).
5. Comfy jogger pants will make you feel like you have it all together, when you’re really just running around in jogger pants. I bought these and they are sooo comfy.
6. .Bala Bands - I like walking with these light weights on my ankles or wrists sometimes. Also you can use them for pilates/yoga floor work as well.
7. Probiotics have also changed my life from the inside out - I get mine from Amazon, too. My skin has noticed the biggest change and I’ve read probiotics help skin, too. And, fun fact I used to do the marketing for this brand when I worked in advertising. And back then a young 20 something, I wondered why anyone needed this. ha.
Anyways - so many other products have changed my routine from face wash to silk pajamas. I’ll be sharing so much more about habits and products that work for me. But that’s another list for another time. Start with these and you’re on the way.
In the meantime, send me a message or comment with any questions and remember, sometimes something that looks basic - might mean just the opposite to someone else!
*PS. When I say things like ‘10 days sober’ I am not counting my days, and I do not feel deprived. If I wanted to drink again, I would- I am not drinking for any reason other than I, personally, just don’t want to now that I like my productivity and mindfulness without booze. But when I started, my whole life - every event, every weekend, every single thing - revolved around booze and 10 days sober is really just a few bookend weekends not drinking - maybe you are “10 Days Sober” a lot. I, on the other hand, was not.
xo,
Jackie Dean
