Oh, 2017. You brought us an [impending] American princess, the best word of the year ever, the incredibly inspiring Silence Breakers, two new Beyoncé mini-mes, and well-made, fairly-priced bras. But, enough with looking in the rearview mirror; we’re ready to jump into 2018 head first to make it our best year yet. And what better way to set ourselves up for success than jotting down a few resolutions for the new year?
But before you go on a crash diet or Marie Kondo your entire life, slow down for a second. We’re not talking about the kind of resolutions you make and then break within two weeks. We’re talking about realistic, achievable resolutions that will be sustainable throughout the year and for years to come. Take a peek below to see what we mean with four tweaks that you can make in the coming year, including expert tips on how to sustain them. 2018 is gonna be great, ya’ll. We can feel it.
DRINK MORE WATER
You can’t deny the facts: Drinking more water has a plethora of benefits. It strengthens your immune system, supports healthy skin and hair, increases energy, and helps maintain a healthy diet. But no matter how many times your doctor, mom, or BFF reminds you about this, on most days you’re still completely parched by 3:00 p.m. This year, invest in a luxurious, liter-sized water bottle. (We love bkr!) Keep it permanently on your desk and plan to drink a full bottle by the time you’ve finished lunch (set a timer for 1PM to remind you, if needed). Drink one more bottle by the time you leave your desk and you’ll be in great shape. Added tip: Keep some lemon juice in your office fridge to spruce up your H2O and add extra nutrients.
EXERCISE MORE FREQUENTLY
Balancing a career, an active social calendar, and a workout routine can be very tricky. (And the first thing to get cut from the schedule is typically the exercise.) But instead of trying to plan out a full week of workouts and then having to cancel due to other plans, why not commit to always exercising on Monday? Most social events happen later in the week, anyway, so there won’t be much temptation to cancel. And statistics show that people who exercise on Mondays are much more likely to exercise again throughout the week. Cut yourself a break every once in a while if you don’t make it to the gym past Monday, but we’ll bet that most weeks you will.
READ MORE BOOKS
In the era of the Netflix binge, the nightly habit of reading before bed has definitely taken a hit. We get it — it’s hard to reach for Dostoyevsky when there’s unlimited access to Rachel, Monica, Chandler, and Joey. The answer? Books on tape. Being read to still qualifies as reading, and this way you can ‘read’ in the shower, on your commute to work, while walking the dog, etc. And you’ll be surprised how quickly it is to get through The Odyssey when Cousin Matthew is reading it to you.
WAKE UP EARLIER
Is it just us, or is getting into work by 9:00 a.m. getting harder and harder by the day? One snooze leads to a second and a third, followed by 15 minutes of scrolling through Instagram before actually getting out of bed. The [harsh but effective] solution? Relocating your alarm, whether that be an actual clock or where you plug in your phone for the night. Keeping it across the room will force you to get out of bed to shut it off, making it that much harder for you to keep snoozing after you do so. Before you know it, you’ll actually be one of those people who eats breakfast during the week. Obviously, the next step will be conquering the world.
Oh, and one more thing! Make sure to head on over the Harper Wilde to start your year off with an extra lift. (Priorities, people!)