Get organized
Nothing stresses me out than not having a game plan. Set yourself up for success this month! A few tools that help me accomplish this? A desktop calendar so I can see the entire month in advance. I write down things like meetings, lunches and conference calls so I don’t overbook (or overwhelm) myself. I love the GSD Master List from Meg Biram - it allows me to categorize the most important projects I’m working on!
Plan a vacation
This is HUGE, you guys. Nothing helps cure the winter blues more than a long weekend in the sun. Around this time of year, flights to Florida can be crazy cheap too. Also getting away to a new destination enables a certain part of your brain to become more active (and THIS is why I’m not a scientist haha!) Plus, the anticipation of going somewhere warm gives us HOPE!! Our body needs that Vitamin D.
While we usually drop off our fur baby at my in-law’s home, I’ve heard awesome things about the Old Towne Pet Resort! Have any of you taken your pets there? You can even watch them on live video cams!! Rates start at $60/night for dogs and $30/night for cats. They even have a spa, grooming area and boot camp for your pets to pamper then while you’re away! (And I thought our pup was spoiled at Mimi’s and Grampy’s!)
Clean out your closet
I’ve mentioned this quite a few times, but I felt like a new person when I went through all my clothing and only kept the things I loved (per Marie Kondo’s advice in “The Life Changing Magic of Tiding Up.” I got rid of about 2/3 of my clothing, which unfortunately, did leave a few gaps that required me to do a little shopping (OOPS!) Of course, since I’ve given up on fast fashion (for the most part), the things I really love and want to invest in are far more expensive.
To try out something before I decide to invest, I love using Rent the Runway. It allows me to give certain trends a trial run before I decide if I should spend the money on a piece. Questions like, “will this edgy jacket become a staple or a one-time wear?” and “Is this designer bag big enough to store the things I need on a daily basis?” won’t be hard to answer when you’ve been given time to try it out! Trying new things on also helps refine your signature look (something I’ve been working on for years and finally feel like I’m figuring out!) Their PRO program is under $30/year and gives you free shipping and insurance on all orders. PLUS you get a free birthday dress! OH AND DID I MENTION that they're is having their clearance sale right now? Best get to it!
Exercise
Getting your endorphins going is going to help with the winter blues more than anything. I focus a couple days a week on strength training and then do cardio for the other few. Although I love running (read: slow jogging), it’s terrible on my knees. Lately, I’ve become OBSESSED with Soul Cycle. This is so embarrassing - but I was totally nervous before my first class. Was I going to pass out in class? Was I even ready for this endeavor? WAS I GOING TO SURVIVE?! All these questions melted away when the instructor starting talking about the experience being different for everyone - that we were there to ride OUR ride. I was surprised at how spiritual the experience was! I felt like not just my body, but also my mind was totally renewed after the class. Call your nearest studio for your first ride free until January 18!
Eat right
I’ve been totally slacking off in this department over the last couple months (totes blaming the holidays) and this week I’m getting back into the swing of clean eating. Most of the time, that means cooking veggies, eating brown rice and getting back in the green smoothie grind. However, I was recently introduced to Sweetgreen (yes, I know, late to the game as usual) and I’m in love!! It always leaves me feeling amazing afterwards and the food is AMAZE. I always get the Harvest Bowl - it has apples, chicken (but I get tofu instead), wild rice, sweet potato, kale and goat cheese. And I get the bread slice on top because calories smalories…worth every bite.
BONUS (YET MANDATORY) TIP
Treat Yo’Self
One thing that easily goes out the window when things get busy around this time of year is taking care of myself. I’m really making an effort to focus on my daily skincare routine and treating myself to little things here and there. Last week, I splurged on the new Olivia Palermo X Ciarte nail polish (you can find it here.) If you’re not great at doing your own nails (I AM LITERALLY THE WORST), I had an awesome experience at Varnish Lane, which is just a short walk from the Friendship Heights metro.
And next week, I’ll be trying out a new service called ZEEL that’s basically like an uber for massages. They come to your house (perfect for the busy girl in all of us) on-demand when you’re in need of a little pampering. You can choose whether you want a girl or guy and what type of massage as well. And the app is super easy to use too and you can get $25 off your first massage with code: BLDC25
Do you guys have any more tips on how to make it through these next few frigid months? Here are a few more ideas I shared last year about how to beat the winter blues.
Images via Jen Eun, myself, Soul Cycle, Sweetgreen