As we come upon another year, we all think of the goals we accomplished this year and the ones we want to set for next year. Instead of simply diving into a long list on January 1st, why not start now with a Plan Of Action, taking this last month of 2012 to ease your way into the new year with thoughtful goals and deadlines.
By the end of December, needless to say, most of of us are pretty low on exhausted after running around for the last several months doing holiday shopping, preparing family feasts, taking care of the kids, and the other members of the family, reorganizing the house after the holiday season, and getting the kids back into their post-winter break school routine, the daily “to do” list kinda seems longer then Sant’s naughty/nice list. After all of this, how are we expected to kick off the New Year with energy and enthusiasm?
Here are a few of my top tips for recharging yourself and creating a Plan of Action to take on the New Year.
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- Sleep: Without sleep, it is impossible to function. If you can give yourself 7-8 hrs of sleep daily for the month of Jan, you will give yourself enough energy to stick to everything else you need to do. Stay on top of your sleep habits each month and you will feel energized enough to get through the day without the mid-day desire for a nap (and without feeling dead tired at night). Start by knowing what time you need to be up in the morning and set your time to sleep by working backwards. Do the same for the kids.
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- Exercise: Don’t set yourself up to fail with commiting to do some kind of miltary programme. If you feel not quite up for it just yet, start off with 30-45 mins a day of fast walking, swimming, or a low-impact fitness DVD. Get out with the kids, do more physical activities with them together. Doing a form of physical fitness every day for 30 mins then one a week for an hour, is a manageable and healthy routine to get into.
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- Nutrition: We all know the foods we eat too much of, so cut back on those in January. You probably only crave them now because you’re tired. Replace one thing with something more healthy for you and the family. Try cutting out soda or fizzy drinks and substituting it with sparkling water with lemon or a touch of fresh juice. Another big nutrition zapper is white pasta/bread/flour. When you can, swap that out for whole wheat or grain bread.
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- Schedule wisely: Don’t overdo the playdates and sport events. Running around exhausts everybody and the idea is to manage the family plate, not bite off more than you can chew! Have enough time in the week to breathe. You and the kids need to putter around your own home and feel cozy. It’s ok to say no every now and then.
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- Family Time: We all need this time when we can just be as a family. Whether it’s a plan to do a staycation for a week or an outing of interest for a day or a simple Saturday of getting the doll’s house out or setting up the train tracks, chilling as a family is important. We all need that time for love and laughter, it make us feel good and is good for our soul.
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- MOT yourself: Trim those dry ends of hair, give yourself a body scrub (I love the scrub from Bath & Body Works that’s orange and ginger), trim your nails and paint them. For men, grooming with a great herbal shaving cream from Art of Shaving is a real treat, or a cream foam from Boots. Also, for both men and women, Boots does a great geranium and lemon grass botanic range of oils — a few drops in the bath with a pinch of Epsom salts does the trick — trust me, it’s a fav of mine before I go help a family, as its uplifting!
All of these tips are about being realistic for next year, so we are all moving towards improving ourselves and our family with the proper rest, rejuvenation, and energy we will need to face 2013.
Happy New Year to you all and thank you, for all your love and continued support, it is truly appreciated!
Big Hugs,
xo Jo
Copywritten by Jo Frost
