Another New Year's Resolution Goal List? No! 

You are probably thinking "Here we go again"! Another new year's resolution list. A list of goals that seems overwhelming is hard to tackle for everyone. You are not alone. There is nothing wrong with you and you are not lazy.

Often people don't stick with their goals past January because the list is too long and too hard to achieve. You are setting yourself up for failure if you suddenly decide to go from being completely sedentary to saying you're going to exercise every. single. day.

There is no dress rehearsal for life. 

There could probably be a list of over a thousand ways to be more healthy in 2021.  We all need to feel that we have some control over how this next year is going to go for us. The reality is that 2020 has shown us that we cannot control the outcomes in life. There is no dress rehearsal. There is no plan that goes as planned 100% of the time. The sooner you are able to come to terms with the fact that we must live in the present and not try to control the future, the sooner you will feel more content and happier. 

Set Baby Goals!

Those lists make me feel like I have an awful lot to accomplish in just 365 days. Instead I have chosen my top 3 that I will focus on to bring me health, joy and happiness in 2021. Feel free to use the same three goals for yourself, or come up with your own short list.  I think coming up with long lists only bring more stress to our lives, so try to keep it simple!

1. Practice more mindfulness.

Yes I know this is a huge buzzword now for just about everything we do. But here is how I intend to use it.

Mindful with my kids, family, and friends.

I am a multi-tasker through and through. This isn't always a good thing. Sometimes I am too scattered and trying to take on too much, never letting my mind slow down. So I will make a better effort to listen to verbal and non-verbal cues by putting my phone down, shutting off my "to do" list temporarily and being more present to conversations. Really listening to what is being said or not said as it sometimes happens.

Mindful with my body.

I push myself really hard and end up paying the price for it either through very sore muscle aches from working out too hard, exhaustion at the end of my busy days, feeling really stressed and overwhelmed, or by getting very sick with a cold or flu (like I usually do over the holidays from going too hard!). 

I love yoga for this very reason since it encourages you to honour your body, to slow down and to listen to what it needs. If I feel my body needs a rest, I intend to skip my workout.  If a yoga pose hurts too much, sometimes you need to push through the discomfort or to ease up a little. Only you can gauge what you need, but you need to listen.

With my nutrition.

I am recovering from an eating disorder called Orthorexia, an obsession with clean and healthy eating. This obsession has caused me to feel guilt and shame when I "overeat" or when I indulge in something pleasurable like eating dessert. As a result it caused me a lot of mental anguish and anxiety. I would then overexercise, beat myself up in my head for being "weak" and worry about my long-term health and my body.

The truth is that you deserve to eat fulfilling, pleasurable foods. Period. 

2020 was my year to stop dieting and to follow my own intuitive eating voice. A helpful tool I used for inspiration was the book Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison. To be mindful when I ate and to listen to what my body is craving. To ask myself why I am craving chocolate right now, or ice cream or salty snacks.

Become Aware of Your Emotions. 

Is my mind trying to tell me that I am making up for an emotion that I am suppressing instead? If you can pinpoint your emotions that are driving you to eat, that awareness is the first step towards your recovery. 

The road to eating disorder recovery is a long and challenging one, but every day I have gotten stronger and more aware.  A few years back I read Deepak Chopra's book "What are you hungry for".  If you struggle with this too, I highly recommend you read this book.

Curious to try a quick meditation practice to help you be more mindful? Here is a 5-minute Chakra Balancing Meditation I created. 

 2. Choosing sustainable, healthy swaps at home. 

As a natural skin care product formulator of Clean Kiss products, of course I only uses the healthiest products and ingredients on my body and in my home. But I also focus on the sustainability and environmental impacts of the products I choose to use too. 

With the health concerns we have all had in 2020, the demand for high quality, natural and organic face, body and hair products is growing by the day with many women switching to products that they know they can trust and feel good about.

Take natural deodorant for example, this is usually the "gateway" product that people switch to first when they are choosing to clean up their bathroom personal care product selection to choose more natural skin care and personal care products that are toxin-free, aluminum-free, and against animal cruelty. Now people are also looking for sustainable products that don't contribute to the growing plastics filling up our oceans! 

3. Keep my relationships real and fulfilling.

Too often we feel pressured into saying yes when we really want to say NO!  We keep friends and people in our lives that don't fulfill us or bring us happiness. Do you ever feel drained after speaking to a certain friend or family member? They are reducing your energy, lowering your vibration. It is your job to protect your vibration at all times. To be aware of it. To push back if you feel it is being compromised and do it unapologetically.

If we don't protect ourselves, we get upset at ourselves for not having more backbone to speak openly and ensure we get what we need from others. This causes an awful lot of unnecessary stress.  My goal in 2021, as in past years, continues to be to just say "No" and to focus my love and energy on the people and activities that bring me true happiness. 

Looking for a community of like-minded women you can connect with? Learn with? Laugh with? Look no further! Join us here to sign up and meet up on Facebook! 

My Top 3 Goals for 2021

So really my top 3 tips for how I plan to achieve better health in 2021 boils down to "how, what, and who", like the 3 legs on a stool. It makes a whole lot of sense when you are talking about health and happiness.

What are yours?

Whatever your 2021 goals look like, I wish you all success in achieving it. Be patient and kind to yourself. You have 365 days to accomplish what you wish for. It doesn't all have to done in January! 

Get to know Clean Kiss...natural skin care 

At Clean Kiss we are passionate about creating Clean at First Sight Skincare that you can feel good about using yourself, and for your whole family. 

From health-conscious, active mamas to women entrepreneurs, our customers love the experience of using our natural skin care products that have up to three times fewer ingredients than our competitors and give you optimal nourishment for your skin.  

Clean Kiss was founded by Family Natural Health Expert, Jodie Pappas, out of her own personal quest to find natural products for herself and her family that ACTUALLY worked. After first creating her signature natural deodorant, she went on to become a Certified Organic Skincare Formulator to produce a full line of skincare, body and curly hair products. Jodie is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and currently undertaking to become a Certified Nutritional Aesthetics Practitioner (CNAP).  

Our mission is to help women in their 40's to #findyour40 by igniting your senses and helping you live a simpler and cleaner yet more passionate life. 

Visit us at cleankisslifestyle.com. 

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Live healthy, live clean. Simple. Clean. Passion.