One of my 2018 New Years Resolutions was to improve my health especially as in 2019 I am turning 40 and I have been largely ignoring it. In some areas I did make good strides but the one area: loosing weight I had really hoped to do well in, but I stayed pretty much stagnant. So yes, you can be sure that 2019 will have this as New Years Resolution too; but I am going to be thinking of new ways to actually make it happen this year.

Here are some things that I did do successfully and not so successfully, and I hope it inspires you to prioritise your health and well-being too:

2018 HEALTH, BEAUTY & WELL-BEING RESULTS

  1. I had my eyes routinely checked and thankfully I did as I had a small tear on my retina, which now after eye laser treatment will result in no problems, but if I didn’t it could have got worse and resulted in loss of eyesight!
  2. After too many years of not having a Gyni check up, I went, and I am glad I did as I had some minor internal issues that were all resolved quickly.
  3. I scheduled and went to my dentist every 6 months and have already scheduled my 2019 appointments.
  4. I continued to do Pilates twice a week.
  5. I took up tennis lessons, and am loving it!
  6. I made a point of visiting the hairdresser and whilst I didn’t go as regularly as I should, there were definitely some days in 2018 that were such “Good Hair Days”.
  7. Spoiled myself and had my makeup and nails professionally done one afternoon, and it felt great!
  8. In October, I visited a dietician, committed to a weight loss programme and so far took two steps forward and one step back. So hoping I can make a little progress over the holiday season and huge strides in the New Year.
  9. Started taking daily vitamins specifically designed for me.
  10. I went for a massage thinking this would be the best thing I ever did, instead I was sore and miserable for two days after. So definitely not planning this again.
  11. I bought a fancy outfit for Liam’s party next year, and it looks awful. So back to square one.
  12. I was hoping to put together a good morning and evening routine. I wake up earlier but often stay up too late. So need to make the times more set and structured.

2019 12 HEALTH, BEAUTY & WELL-BEING GOALS

    1. Continue with my Pilates twice a week. Add HIPP or TRX to the schedule.
    2. Continue with my weekly Tennis lessons. Take up skiing again. See where you can fit in some walking, even just 30 minutes on the days you don’t do anything else.
    3. Make Good Hair days a thing.
    4. Establish an Invigorating Skin-Care Routine. Plan for more “makeup days”; and get into the habit of wearing makeup daily.
    5. Be religious about taking my vitamins daily. And drink ALL the water!
    6. Loose the Weight. Cut back on sugar and cook healthy meals at home.
    7. For Lent 2019 be a Pescatarian. Take Meatless Mondays seriously. And add more greens on my plate at every meal.
    8. Put together a fancy wardrobe from head to toe for Liam’s Birthday Weekend in February 2019.
    9. Find a “Work Week” uniform that doesn’t have me looking like I just rolled out of bed.
    10. Start building a full proof one week travel bag of clothes, accessories, toiletries, everything that makes it easy for you to travel anywhere.
    11. Wake up 15 minutes early to have a better morning routine, wake up the same time everyday and and go to sleep the same time every day.
    12. Carve out some time to jot down your thoughts, things to do etc. Start a formal prayer and gratitude journal. Look into the practices of Hygge and Bullet Journalling. And revisit your Ikigai book for some of the ideas you liked from there: aka the mini garden.

P.S. When doing this blog post I battled to find a photo of myself to include with the writing and so I opted for an illustration I had done this year for my For Good Times website. So, another goal will be to have at least 12 photos of myself in 2019 that I am happy to be in and share. Afterall, I better have some shots of myself in my 40th year!