Another year, and another moment to pause and reflect. Do you do this at the end of December or in January too? January always feels like a fresh start to me, as it probably does to most of you as well. Even if I never (rarely) make New Years Resolutions, something about January 1st feels like a do over. [Wait just a tiny second though, I did once make a Resolution and it’s literally the ONLY one I have ever kept. It was to bake a new pie a month in honor of my Grandma. I’m still very shocked I achieved that goal, and it’s one that I love to reflect on as well.)
Okay back to it. Honestly, there is nothing particularly special about the first day of a New Year, but culturally we are wired to think about how to improve ourselves, and to set goals that start on this day.
This year we want to try something different. We recognized that we are fairly healthy people: emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. But fairly healthy isn’t really the best version of us. Being “fairly” ok, is kind of blah. Why not live my best life, the best version of me everyday? (Thanks, Rachel Hollis for the continual inspiration here to become and actually desire being better US!!) As husband and wife, we have brainstormed 12 things we wanted to tackle this year to become the best versions of ourselves. This includes mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually because frankly, fairly okay us just isn’t good enough anymore.
Some ground rules: we aren’t delusional enough to think we can make 12 changes all at once and actually stick to them. Our goal is to take these on one per month, and add one in each subsequent month. Secondly, life is constantly about self discovery for all of us. And while these 12 things are important reflections of growth we want to make, they might change as the year goes on. This isn’t so much a “resolution” as it is OUR plan to be better.
12 Changes to be The Best Me:
1. Drink More Water
2. Wake Up Feeling Refreshed
3. Exercise Regularly
4. Read Actual Books
5. Schedule and Commit to ACTUAL Date Nights
6. Less Screen Time
7. Eat Fruits, Vegetables and Vitamins Daily
8. Do Something for Someone Else
9. Lessen VICES
10. Tries Some WHERE or THING new
11. Feed My Soul
12. Save and Budget Money Wisely
Each month we will elaborate on our plan and our goals to tackle these 12 things. The hope is that by next December that we will have these 12 “new” practices in place. That they will be routine, second nature, and that we will FEEL better. For now, we’re going to start with change #1: Drink More Water
We know that water is essential in all bodily functions, kidney health, skin health, it cushions joints, protects the brain, and helps deliver oxygen. Since we are made of MOSTLY water, replenishing the water we lose daily is essential to our health. 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration. We are so thirsty our brain will tell us its HUNGRY just to get moisture from any source. We need more water. But don’t just drink some arbitrary one size fits all amount. We want you to drink water proportioned to your weight. How much do you weigh in pounds? Honestly, no cheating. We want you to cut that number in half and drink at least that many ounces of water every single day. If you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 oz.
As this challenge goes on, ask yourself how you feel. Besides peeing a lot more…do you feel healthier? Less hungry? How often are you getting sick? Does your skin look better? We think that you’ll find that seriously, intentionally drinking water will help you in more ways than you can imagine. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and here on the blog for the rest of this years plan!
