A three months into 2020 and this year is not what I had imagined it to be. AT ALL and I am sure some of you reading this are already nodding along with me. I love the beginning of new things, I love Mondays and I love new years – it is an opportunity to start fresh, a second chance of doing things differently, I guess you could call it a do-over. Opportunities to do new things, old things differently, form healthier habits and finally do things you have wanted to do for years now.

But here’s the thing, nobody talks about the pressure that comes with this “motivation” for a new opportunity to create healthier habits, or how to self develop and work on the parts of you that need to grow. The assumption that because we have been given this opportunity to spend quality time with ourselves and our family, it is almost mandatory to get on this health train both mentally and physically. I am here to tell you that if you feel no different to what you did before this outbreak occurred, if you still have no energy to wake up early or still struggle to drink water and get 8 hours of sleep – that is okay. It is okay and don’t allow society to make you believe differently.

You don’t have to be or feel ready nor do you have to pretend you are doing these things to make a big change. If you are struggling to find motivation to live up to society’s norm of a new and improved version of you, then that’s okay. You just have to keep going, it will come and when it does, it will feel great. In the meantime, just be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to feel these things and make small changes each day that you know will make you feel better. Even if it is just making your bed or doing that face mask you’ve been meaning to do for the past four weeks. You don’t need to worry about anyone else.

I created this post with the purpose of helping lift some of the weight off your shoulders that you have been carrying around so heavily since the beginning of this pandemic. I want you to know that your self-isolation routine does not have to match your favourite influencers or that you don’t have to always do jump squats in order to keep fit. There are many other ways to be productive, find what works for YOU. Things will soon fall into place, just remember you aren’t alone. We are all in this together, quite literally. Lets lean on one another during these difficult times and encourage improvement from all sides of the spectrums.

Here are 4 small steps on how to get out of a self-quarantine slump;

1.Read a book

There are a lot of negative things in the media at the moment and I want to try and encourage you to not get sucked into the worm-hole of politics, conspiracy theories and COVID-19 updates – yes its real, yes it is important to know what is going on but don’t let it consume you. Reading is one of the most therapeutic ways to switch off from the world a little. Whether it be self-help, self-development, fiction, non-fiction or an autobiography, anything that helps you escape from the realities and go into your own world of creation – read that. 

I recently read “The girl on the Cliff” by Lucinda Riley and it was amazing, it took me a week to finish and now I am reading David Attenborough’s “Adventures of a young naturalist” and I am loving it. It is so cute and witty! If you are looking for a bomb self-development book, I recently purchased Jen Sincero’s book, “You are a badass” and I bloody love it! 10/10 recommend and I haven’t even finished it yet! 

2. Find a hobby

I read something the other day that mentioned how this generation doesn’t know how to have hobbies anymore and I couldn’t agree more. Everything is done so that some sort of benefit can come from it, rather than just doing it for the pure enjoyment of the activity. I deeply encourage you to find something you enjoy doing and try and do it at least once a week. It could be journaling, going for walks in the forest or along the beach or taking up rock climbing.

A good opportunity that has come from self-isolation is that we have been given a lot of time to figure out what we like and what we don’t like, in our OWN time at our own pace. So hopefully by the end of this period you would have found a new love for something!

There is no right or wrong, these points are all about giving you ideas in order to help make you feel happier both mentally and physically during this difficult time. 

3. Eat whole foods

This one may seem a bit strange but feeding yourself artificial sugars, preservatives and constantly having take out will in no way make you feel better. Maybe in the moment it’ll taste good but afterwards you won’t feel nearly as good as what it tasted and chances are you’ll make yourself feel guilty for eating badly again and the whole cycle will repeat itself. 

I am a true believer in prevention is better than cure, so instead of trying to talk yourself out of feeling guilty for having take out the third day in a row, rather be proactive and prepare your meals on a Sunday. That way they are ready for you when you are starving (and once you have prepared your meals, it is easier to get than ordering fast food) and plus, it is also cheaper and healthier which both sound like a win to me! It is also one of the more natural ways of ensuring you are getting all the necessary nutrients and vitamins your body needs to help yourself and your immune system healthy!

4. Make self-attainable goals with no expiry date

Firstly, you don’t have to create goals if you feel like you don’t want to. But, if it is something you do want to pursue during this very confusing and strange time then make sure they are for the right reasons. Set yourself goals that are easily attainable for you and your lifestyle, not anyone else’s. It is also important to remember that you don’t have to share your resolutions with strangers on the internet if you don’t want to. This time round, do things for you. 

I find it a lot easier to stick to my goals when I have a friend who has similar one’s to me, we keep each other in check and accountable when it gets a bit difficult to always follow through. So if you don’t want to share your goals, find a friend you can trust and share it with them. Maybe they are wanting to achieve similar things to you.

Always remember that you don’t have to prove anything to anyone else but yourself. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself regarding the norms society has so quickly created and just go at your own pace. You’re doing a good job!

“Every day you re-invent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: Forwards or backwards?”

I am both shocked and appalled by how quickly these last six months have gone! I feel as though January was just the other day and now I am writing my first blog post for December! Holiday Season is just about in full swing for almost everyone (and if it’s not for you, let’s pretend it is cause lets be real, you deserve the break too!) and what a better way to start it then by kicking it off with some healthy habits!? 

I’m a firm believer that you determine how your day is going to be from the minute you wake up, the thoughts in your mind and how you allow yourself to feel about the day ahead. Let’s be honest, we all know of someone that wakes up 10 minutes before they have to leave the house causing them to be rushed, late and a little damn frazzled – I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to start the day and sometimes we just need to be exposed to new ways on how to do something. Here are 3 things I do to start my day off;

Wake up early

Now, I know what you are thinking “I am on holiday, the last thing I feel like doing is waking up early” and thats completely fair. Allow yourself a week to recharge, sleep in, mosey around the house and do things that will give your body the break it deserves and when you feel it is right – you can implement this step into your routine. I have never been the type of person to wake up late, even if I tried! So if you are like me, this step may be a bit easier but if you love your sleep and you aren’t so much a morning person then inevitably it will be a little more difficult. However, once you get into the habit of it – it is a game changer! Waking up early allows you to have time to wake up, breathe and think about what you want to achieve for the day and the things you need to do – if you know that you often rush and don’t have time to have breakfast because you wake up late and just jump out of bed, chuck on some clothes so you can get to your next destination on time – maybe it’s time to re-evaluate and try something new! 

I always find that your morning determines how the rest of your day is going to be. I’ve gotten into the habit of waking up earlier then I need to and I find that it really helps set up a productive day for myself. We all love to sleep, but we also love not feeling rushed. Sometimes compromises have to be made, even if that means waking up 15 minutes earlier then what your alarm is set – it’ll make a world of difference. 

Drink warm lemon water

Whenever my body is feeling a bit run down and in need of a good boost, I often turn to warm lemon water. I usually make it 20 minutes before I eat which will help kick start your metabolism and digestive system. Lemon water also has so many other health benefits such as keeping your immune system strong, ridding the body of toxins and luckily for us, it doesn’t taste half bad either! 

Read and take time for yourself

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is get up, make myself some herbal tea and breakfast and sit down and read my book – I enjoy reading self development books, especially before the day has started. I find that it is a motivational and encouraging way to start the day. You don’t even have to read a book, I know many people don’t enjoy reading but luckily we live in an age where we can easily have access to audio books or even podcasts, you find what works for you and do that. Another thing is that you could go out onto the balcony or garden and have a cup of tea or coffee. Just something to give time to yourself, focus on you and be mindful of the present, away from your phone and chaos of the day ahead.

As you can see, it is the small changes in your routine that will make the biggest difference. Often people thing that you have to make the most drastic changed in order to be productive but in fact, it is quite the opposite actually. Do one small thing each day and it will lead to big results!

You may be wondering, ‘Jeanna, why are you making a post about how to be active on a rest day, isn’t that contradicting the purpose of a rest day?’ – no, it’s not. 

A rest day does not mean sitting on the couch, binge watching your favourite series with unlimited amounts of treats scattered around you, a rest day means giving yourself a break from your usual workout routines and allowing your body to recover accordingly. It is essential in giving your body the break it needs, inability to do so will increase the chance and eventually lead to injuries, fatigued muscles and can hinder your progress. 

Walking

Walking is a great way to release some endorphins and get the body going on an ‘off’ day. Grab you mum, pup and a cup of coffee and take a stroll along the beachfront. It’s also a great way to get the blood flowing and helps get rid of built up lactic acid from the hardcore week in the gym. 

Hiking

OBVIOUSLY I would put hiking in this blog post. Who doesn’t love a good old hike along the mountain? Name one person! It’s a great way to get the heart rate up, look at the views of your city and spend some quality time with family and friends. I definitely don’t do enough hikes but when I get the chance, I absolutely adore it and what’s so great about this is that hiking has other benefits besides just physical one’s, if you go with a small crowd out of peak time, it is a really great way to be mindful and take in your surroundings, reflect on the week just passed and what’s to come for the week ahead. 

Doing new and exciting activities

Planning and organizing activities that  you wouldn’t normally such as going SUPing, Kayaking, heck even paragliding! It’s a great way to get up and out the door and something a little different from the normal everyday routine – even if it’s to get out and play a game of tennis and catch up with an old friend.

Markets

I’m a sucker for a good Saturday or Sunday morning market. The local music, authentic food, homemade projects – there are so many things to look at that by the end of the market you’ve probably been walking around and browsing for a good few hours, much deserving of a good glass of wine to end off the day!

Two things; first of all, how is it basically the second month of the year?? Not sure how that happened, I know for many it feels like the 74th day of January, but for me definitely not! Second of all, it’s almost the month of love! What a time, am I right!?

I think this is my first ever recipe that i’ve posted to the blog, 2019 is making things happen!

This recipe is my take on Niomi Smart’s “Healthier Ginger Bread Man Recipe“, I absolutely love her recipes and for those who are vegan – her recipe is the recipe for you! Now I know they’re not the healthiest but the base of the cookie actually isn’t too bad – it’s the icing that has all the naughty but nice stuff in it. If you are wanting a healthier icing alternative, head over to Niomi Smarts recipe and she had a vegan/healthier version of my icing! 

These delicious oven baked goods are the perfect sentiment to give to your friends, family, significant other – it’s so cheesy, I know but to be honest with you, I freaking love it! So here I am, taking full advantage of Valentine’s Day / Month of love to bring you a delicious recipe for healthy (kind of) ginger cookies, heart shaped at that. CUTE!

Ps. If you eat them all in one sitting, don’t be alarmed – I did too!

Some recipe hacks I’ve figured out whilst making these gems;

1. When you take the dough out of the fridge, be sure to roll it out on a flour-based wooden board and throw some flour over your rolling pin. I find that it sticks less when doing so and is easier to cut with the cookie cutter this way! 
2. I like to outline my cookies with icing before filling them, this way it dries a little and creates a sort of ‘barrier’ so the icing doesn’t leak out. 
3. To outline my cookies I used a medium sized zip lock bag, got a tall-ish glass, put the corner of the bag into the glass and folded the rest over – this makes it easier to pour the icing in. Then cut the tiniest little hole, when I say tiny I mean tiny then you have a DIY piping bag! 
4. You know when you go to fairs or sports day, they always have tomato sauce and mustard in those plastic bottles that you can squeeze out? I went to the plastic store and got two clear ones (only R8.00 each, bargain!) and used one for each colour then used it to fill the centre of my hearts. 

Without further adieu, here is the recipe:

If you try them out, please do tag me on instagram, my facebook page or twitter so I can see how they turned out!

Disclaimer: The ginger cookie recipe was not made up by me, it was created by Niomi Smart – I just took the base and changed a few things to my preference. I am not trying to take ownership of her recipe, I have used it many times and love it so much, I wanted to share it with you all! 

Rolling over into the new year has got to be one of my favourite feelings. There is so much hope and opportunity for what’s to come, for what you can create. If things didn’t pan out the previous year, you get another chance to achieve whatever you want!

I don’t know about you but I’m definitely guilty for writing out a whole long list of New Year resolutions and not getting past the first one. When writing out a full list of goals and resolutions, it can seem quite daunting and overwhelming and could quite possibly be why most of them don’t see the light of day. That’s why I want to help you create measurable New Year Resolutions for yourself (and myself, let’s be real!) We all know the aim of these resolutions is to carry them out throughout the year and in turn, hopefully start a new healthier lifestyle for ourselves, here are four simple steps you can follow to guide you into the right path for the New Year!

It starts with you.

No goal will begin or end if you aren’t in it 110%. When creating your resolutions you have to be inspired about it, when you are motivated and excited to start doing something it’s going to be a lot easier to continue them instead of it feeling like a chore. You can take a goal that has been lingering at the back of your mind for months if not years and use that to your advantage – if it has been there and it’s something you still think about then it’s something you need to go and grab (sounds like something I say to myself when I see a cute bag at the shop) and use that motivation. It’ll manifest itself into greater things!

Make sure your goals are realistic and measurable.

This is something I live by, whenever I create goals for myself throughout the year I try my utmost best to make sure they are realistically achievable within my specific timeframe. The goals you want to create can be as big or as small as you want them to be, just make sure that they aren’t so overwhelming that you don’t want to try at all! (I’ve been there all too many times). I like to create a main goal for myself and then break it up into smaller segments, I find this helps not only to make things seem less cluttered but also helps me stay accountable to my goals.

Find an accountability partner, whatever the goal.

There are going to be many moments throughout that you are going to feel uninspired and unmotivated, as though you’re getting nowhere so you may as well quit – don’t worry, that’s normal! That’s why on days where you’re finding it difficult to get yourself out of the house, knowing that someone on the other side is also counting on you to help achieve their goals makes it a lot easier! Plus; once you’re there you’ll be thanking yourself for it. With that said, it’s important to be kind to yourself and remember that slow progress is still progress. Although it sometimes seems easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, every small step counts towards your goals and still makes a difference. Keep going, you got this! You’re capable of great things, believe it.

Start small.

Success doesn’t happen overnight and neither does progress. It’s something you have to work on every day, little by little. Easing yourself into achieving your goals, doing one small change every day and practicing those changes will make the whole process a lot easier and a lot more maintainable for the rest of the year. Eventually it’ll become second nature, just persevere and have patience!

I know this isn’t me telling you exactly how to achieve your goals and make them realistic but if you take your inspirations, follow these steps and trust yourself – I promise you, you’ll reap the rewards you just need to be mindful and also remember that it is a lot easier to write 10 goals down on a piece of paper than go out and make them happen. You’re only human, don’t set yourself up with disappointment, it’s not fair on you!

With that said, I hope that you all have had a Merry Christmas and that you have the best start to the New Year!