Another year just flew by (marked by my latest birthday) and I although those candles keep multiplying each year, I feel like I’m in a better place than ever when it comes to taking care of myself.
There is always room for improvement (and I tend to slip up here and there) but I’ve made a point of setting goals after each birthday to make sure taking care of myself is right where it should be. Being a mom to a toddler and a dog, a wife, and running my own business means that sometimes I come third or fourth when it comes to priorities, but I’ve always had the belief that self-care is so important when you are responsible for others. You can’t take care of the ones you love unless you take care of yourself first!
The thought of aging always seems to be more prevalent once the birthday candles are blown out, and I think more and more about what I’m doing to keep aging at bay. I have made a few lifestyle choices that I think have been key to looking and feeling my best, and I thought I would share a few with you! I often get questions on my workouts, what I eat, and what products I’m using lately, and those answers (although varied sometimes) tend to have some basic answers based on personal lifestyle choices I’m trying to adhere to!
My Exercise Routine
Here’s the thing – I hate to exercise, so I need to trick myself into doing it. I don’t love running. I don’t love lifting weights. I don’t love anything about working out until after it’s over and I can relax, so in order to keep myself motivated I have a few techniques to keep myself in shape.
I play soccer once a week in the winter and twice a week in the summer, and although I usually have a hard time walking the next day because of all of the cardio, it doesn’t FEEL like I’m being tortured by with a workout. The competitiveness of the sport paired with hanging out with some of my favourite people (many of us have played together since elementary school) means that I’m getting an amazing workout, and it’s something I’m excited to do.
The particular gym I have joined has helped with my motivation to work out as well. My gym is one that has classes running all the time – everything from Yoga, Pilates, spin and all kinds of creative workouts in between. Signing up for classes is a great way of not quitting a workout early. Who wants to walk out on a class and have everyone see that you are tapping out early? I’ve found that working out in a group motivates me to complete a workout.
I love picking up a Yoga class at any time of the day, so being at a gym that will take me for a class morning, noon and night has been great for having no excuses for missing a workout!
I recently started working out weekly with a personal trainer which has pushed me to work harder – for me having someone encouraging me to not give up and try to go harder has been an amazing motivation!
When I don’t workout I feel sluggish, and when I take long breaks from my workouts they seem to hit me harder. Being consistent with working out has been a great way to keep my body healthy as I get older.
Healthy Eating
This one is a struggle for me. Both exercise and healthy living contribute to beautiful skin, so I’ve had to focus on this one a bit more than I used to. What I’ve learned is to create time in my schedule to not only work out regularly, but to prep my meals. It’s so easy to run through a drive-thru, but it’s much harder to put together a healthy meal. I’ve learned to sit down and write out my family dinners for the week, along with my lunches Monday to Friday.
The weekends are when I start to treat myself a bit more for all of those workouts, but I do try to keep things healthier during the week.
My weekend meal prep includes cutting up and washing my fruits and vegetables up for the week so they are easy to grab and go, and on the weekends I spend more time at breakfast creating smoothies and smoothie bowls. On a Monday I don’t have time for a smoothie bowl, but I do have time to put a smoothie into a travel cup on my way out the door. There is always time for healthy eating if you make it, and although I love to indulge in Macarons and tacos, I do try to balance it with healthier weekday options.
Making Time for a Skincare Routine
This is one thing that it took me a while to take seriously. I breezed through my teenage years and early 20’s lucky if I remembered to wipe off my makeup before bed. I really couldn’t firmly say I had a skincare routine until a few years ago. I’ve learned that a good skincare routine is key to fighting wrinkles and looking younger. It’s all about prevention, so I’ve made a point over the last few years to work time into my schedule in the morning and at night to give my skin the time it deserves.
A new cream I have decided to add to my morning and evening routine is L’Oréal CicaCream. This is the 1st anti-aging cream recognized by the Canadian Dermatology Association. Think about that – out of all the creams on the market this is the 1st with that recommendation! I really wish I spent more time when I was younger thinking about using products such as this one that had so many preventative properties.
Think about it this way – I go to Yoga class and my personal training sessions to keep my body in shape, and to prevent my body from aging in a less graceful way then I would prefer. Using L’Oreal’s Revitalift Cicacream is similar to my exercise routine – I’m using it as a preventative measure for fighting wrinkles, and resisting the future signs of ageing. Why WOULDN’T I make sure I had time in my busy day to take care of my face the same way I am taking care of my body?
When I start a new cream the first thing that can turn me off is one that is heavily fragranced. They tend to be harsh on my skin because there are so many chemicals that don’t react well with my skin type. My first impressions of this product have been so positive – no hash smell, it’s been gentle on my skin, and lucky for me (a girl with sensitive skin) it’s Paraben-free, fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin like mine. My first impressions of this product have been so positive, it’s been gentle on my skin, and lucky for me (a girl with sensitive skin) it’s paraben-free, fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin like mine.
The key ingredient is in L’Oreal’s Revitalift Cicacream is Centella Asiatica (aka Tiger Grass) which is a plant from ancient Chinese Medicine and has been used for centuries as one the world’s natural remedies for wrinkles. I’ve been letting all of my friends know I’ve been giving this cream a try to see if I can combat future signs of aging, and so far I’ve been really happy with this product!
Downtime
Do you ever schedule in time to do absolutely nothing? I know it seems silly to talk about, but I’ve found it to be a really positive experience to actually schedule downtime in my calendar. I chose a half hour out of every day when I am not allowed to work, run errands, cook, clean – really anything that can be moved around to a different time and is not about me is not allowed in this space. It’s so important to have a bit of downtime, and this is something I’ve had a harder time adjusting to than healthy eating or working out!
I’ve made a deal with myself that I will always have a book on the go this year, and so I make sure to spend more of those downtime periods just reading. Even if my son is watching a loud cartoon in the next room while smashing monster trucks into each other, I am spending my moment reading, painting my nails – anything that is just for me.
I’ve found this has been huge to reducing my stress levels. My husband calls it “Mommy Time” which I hate – really, it’s “Me Time”, and everyone needs it.
What do you do to make time for yourself? Do you focus on healthy eating or exercise, or does it fall by the wayside? Do you make time for your own skincare routine to keep on top of preventative measures like I do with L’Oreal’s Revitalift Cicacream, or is that a 2018 goal for you?
Let me know in the comments if any of my personal lifestyle choices resound with you!
Disclaimer – this post was sponsored by L’Oreal, but all thoughts and opinions in this post are my own.
Items in this post may have been provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own. This post contains affiliate links.
