6 Lifestyle Changes I Made in January to Better Myself

Lifestyle | February 1

At the beginning of the year in my post, 2018 #Goals, Career, Health, Relationships & Getting Personal, I talked about getting more personal on my blog, so here we are! Below are 6 lifestyles changes I made this month to better myself.

1. Drink More Water

This one is so cliche, I know. But drinking more water has made a large impact on my skin, it’s way more clear and hydrated. I also feel amazing, seriously my body is loving it. At work, I drink a full 32oz size Nalgene bottle of water, and on top of that, I’ll drink a bunch while working out and at night. I recently picked up Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydrator recommended by my coworker, which is a powder you put in your water to replenish lost electrolytes. Personally, I love the taste of the stuff so it makes drinking water even easier. At work we use Slack, so I set a reminder in Slackbot for every day at noon telling me to drink more which has helped me stay consistent.

2. Gym Before Work

First off, I am NOT, I repeat NOT a morning person. I tried so many tactics to wake up early such as changing my alarm sound, going to bed really early and having my boyfriend Jon turn the lights on in the bedroom, which I slept through. Finally, I came to a genius idea. Having Jon, whisper in my ear “Paige, go to the gym,”. The first morning we tried this, it worked! I think hearing the word “gym”, motivated me to get my ass up and get to work. It’s only been two weeks but I’ve managed to get up around 5 times at 6:30 am which is a huge accomplishment for me. I now have my evenings to work on my passions, run errands and relax.

3. Healthier Eating & Fewer Carbs

Like mentioned in my first post of 2018, I switched to a vegetarian diet last August and it’s been almost six months now. I plan on doing a detailed post about the switch and why I did it soon, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. Prior to switching my healthy diet mostly consisted of chicken and vegetables, because I don’t enjoy cooking and it was quick and easy.

After switching, I started eating a lot more bread and carbs. Eating out, many vegetarian options involved bread or pasta so it was hard to avoid. I ended up gaining a bit of weight, not much, but it bothered me so in January I switched to eating a high protein diet (eggs, soy, chickpea, etc) and lots of veggies while limiting the bread and white starch. This change has made a big difference, I’ve shed some pounds, and I feel a lot more energetic!

4. Challenge Myself

This is more of a career related change, but working is a big part of my lifestyle so it counts. I recently started a new role as a Marketing Specialist at a tech startup in November. Tech and the B2B space is fairly newer to me, so there are still a lot of marketing tactics and terms that I need to learn. I have gained so much knowledge and taught myself so many new things over the past few months. Not only has challenging myself made me smarter, but I’m that much closer to my career goals. Being a marketing team of one is not easy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything because I am able to continue to grow my skills in multiple areas and take ownership.

5. Cuddle My Dog (Even More)

At the begging of the year, a Facebook post by Holly Butcher went viral. Holly Butcher, 26, not much younger than myself, sadly passed away from Cancer and left for the world to read, a thoughtful and inspiring post that impacted thousands. This post was full of wise words and tidbits to take away and apply to life, but one line in particular really affected me. “Cuddle your dog. Far out, I will miss that.” Seriously, I’m tearing up just typing this. Although I give my dog a ton of attention, ever since reading that post I have spent at least 15 extra minutes per day making sure Dexter gets all the love. Not only does this bring me tons of joy and it’s a good de-stressor, but he loves it.

6. Reigniting My Passions

I am arguably too passionate about too many things, at least my boyfriend likes to say so. I want to do it all… and I currently kind of am. I work full time, I run an eCommerce business LOUD makeup, my YouTube Channel and this blog.

At the end of last year, I neglected some of these passions due to poor time management and a loss of interest. I have shifted my focus back on my goals, they are #1 in my life (apart from my family) and if that means I have to sacrifice things like nights out, I’m willing to do that. Each week, I plan out what I’m going to work on and I try my hardest to complete each task! Focusing on the things I love has made me happier and feel more accomplished week to week.

Well, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed hearing about my changes and I would love to hear about any you’ve made, comment below!