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This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx
Hows your 2022 so far? Do you have any goals or things you're working to achieve this year? Do you do New Years resolutions? The past two years I stopped making resolutions and instead I have a word that I use to guide me. Last year my word was freedom, and this year its flow - as in "going with the flow". This year is going to be a big one for multiple reasons and I want to make sure I stay grounded and remember to just go with the flow, wherever life takes me. The reason I stopped doing resolutions was that they made me feel really defeated when I missed all my HUGE goals. I've learned that big resolutions dont work as well for me as smaller commitments. As one of my favorite books, Atomic Habits by James Clear, states: Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.
If you've followed me on IG these past few weeks you know that I've been a little stressed out over everything happening (will announce all the big news soon!) but I'm really trying to still prioritize self-care and being kind to myself - and of course; going with the flow. Over the holidays I received a box from Babbleboxx with a number of fun products to try - I truly felt like the box was made for me! Tons of healthy self-care goodies that are PERFECT for my lifestyle. So I figured this is the time to make a list of my favorite self care tips! Here we go:
SELF CARE TIP #1: FEED YOUR BODY NUTRITIOUS FOOD
Nutrition is a big one and it can be quite triggering for some people. When I say nutrition I dont mean going on a diet but rather eating as much nutritious food as possible. Ditch the guilt and find something that works for you. I love veggies but I also have a huge sweet tooth and I LOVE candy. So I aim for 80/20, I eat healthy 80% of the time and whatever I want 20% of the time. I keep my mindset focused on how I'm "supporting my body" with the food I eat vs trying to lose weight, make my body look a certain way, etc. I'm not much for restrictive diets as they dont work long term and I also feel much better mentally if I come from a place of self love vs trying to "fix" my body. In addition, we all know how much better we feel when we eat healthy food instead of junk, so thats another thing to consider when making food choices.
I started juicing last year and I love my morning celery juice! I tried to switch it up and make beet juice one time but it was a bit of a disaster, it tasted way too strong and it made a red mess all over the kitchen. So when I found Beetology in my Babbleboxx I was beyond excited! They did all the work for me, un-beet-able! These cute little bottles contain 100% ORGANIC (!) cold pressed beet juice (not from concentrate), no preservatives, no additives, no artificial colors or flavors, and they come in 5 yummy flavors.
I also love protein shakes and have been drinking them for over 10 years, as they give me that extra protein when lifting weights - and even more so after I went plant based last year. Shaklee is a leading natural nutrition company founded by Dr Shaklee, who actually invented the first multivitamin in the US over 100 years ago! Pretty cool! Shaklee offers a wide variety of products ranging from multivitamins to skin care, and I got to try their Life Shake Soy Protein in French Vanilla. In addition, I also got to try their Collagen-9 - collagen has also been part of my daily routine for years. The Life Shake is a vegan protein powder thats super yummy and my favorite way to make it is with unsweetened almond milk, half a banana and one tablespoon almond butter. I also like it with frozen berries if you want to mix it up! It contains 20 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber and 24 essential vitamins & minerals. Its of course also vegan!
The collagen I always add into my shakes (it doesn't taste anything) and the Shaklee Collagen-9 is pretty impressive with ALL 9 essential amino acids (essential amino acids means the body cant produce them by itself, you have to get it through your diet). It also contains Biotin which you know I always recommend for growing your hair. Collagen and Biotin are key to healthy hair!
Fun fact: did you know Shaklee is pronounced Shack-lee, not Shake-lee?
SELF CARE TIP #2: FEED YOUR MIND NUTRITIOUS MATERIAL
People ask me all the time how I'm always so happy and the answer is: I'm very mindful of what I feed my mind! I dont watch the news and I listen to positive books and podcasts daily. This makes a HUGE difference for me. Whenever I watch the news I start feeling anxious, depressed and helpless - so I cut that out. Same thing with any Instagram accounts that make me feel insufficient or unhappy - I simply unfollow them. I also dont watch horror movies or dark documentaries, as they affect my mind negatively. I choose productive, positive things to feed my mind, e.g. I watch tutorials on YouTube (its how I learned Photoshop), I listen to podcast that teach me something or makes me happy, and I consume tons of audio books! I love plugging one in while cleaning for example! Some of my favorite audio books include:
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Super Attractor by Gabby Bernstein
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
SELF CARE TIP #3: MINIMIZE ALCOHOL
Apart from causing those awful hangovers, alcohol can damage your internal organs, cause cancer, and also weaken your immune system. Taking a break from alcohol can be super beneficial for your body, even if its just for a short time. Perhaps try Dry January or decrease the amount of alcohol you consume on a regular basis, e.g. instead of drinking Friday and Saturday, keep it to one day (or if you drink everyday, try every other day). I've basically stopped drinking alcohol altogether because I cant stand being hungover anymore and I also dont like how alcohol makes me feel - dizzy, nauseous, etc. I used to be quite the party princess but its just not my thing anymore and hasn't been for many years. The only time I drink these days is when we're on vacation but even then I only day drink because I cant stand feeling bad in the morning! One of the things that are challenging when you dont drink is the social aspect of it. It can be quite tough to be the only one not drinking and people often get on to you and try to push you to drink. I never thought of alcohol-free "alcohol", and I was so thrilled to find a bottle of alcohol-free gin in my box! Its a bold, aromatic blend of juniper, natural botanicals, citrus and spices that tastes amazing in classic cocktails but without the hangover! How brilliant! I can even showcase this bottle at home and no one would know its alcohol-free. I absolutely love it! Whether you're like me and have given up drinking, or you're doing a dry January for health reasons, or you have other reasons for not wanting to partake, Monday allows you to still stay in your social circle and feel part of the crew!
Check out this amazing California-based company and their products here, and you can use discount code ELINA15 to save!
SELF CARE TIP #4: STAY ORGANIZED & WRITE THINGS DOWN
This is one that I've been incorporating a lot lately and it has helped so much with my mental clutter, which is always a struggle for me. My squirrel brain has a really hard time staying organized. I write EVERYTHING down, or I'll forget it. I even keep a pen and paper by my bed so I can write down those things that pop up in the middle of the night - this is a great way to get it out of your head so you can let it go and go back to sleep! I'm really big on using pen and paper and I still write all my to-do lists in my notebook. I've tried the whole iPad thing but its not the same. I also love taking notes in different colors, it makes me feel more organized somehow. I have been wanting to try bullet journaling too! There are some really pretty ideas on Pinterest that I've been eyeing, and I was so excited to get the Journaling Set from Zebra Pen as part of my Babbleboxx! The set contains the Sarasa Clip Gel Retractable Pens and the Mildliner Highlighters in complementary colors. The Sarasa Clips are perfect if you're looking for quick drying, water resistant, and smudge-free gel pens! The Mildliner Highlighters come in super cute colors that dont bleed, AND they're dual ended with a chisel tip and a fine point tip.
You get 15% off* with code RESOLUTION15 - you can check them out here:
*Promo code will provide 15% off the following items:
The Zebra Pen Journaling Set: Mildliner Highlighter & Sarasa Clip Assorted 14pk
ALL Mildliner Highlighter packs (Assorted 15pk, Assorted 10pk, Fluorescent 5pk, Mild 5pk, Warm 5pk, Refresh 5pk, and Friendly 5pk)
ALL Mildliner Brush packs (Assorted 10pk, Cool & Refined 5pk, Fluorescent 5pk, Warm 5pk)
ALL Sarasa Clip packs (Milk Assorted 8pk, Shiny Assorted 9pk, Assorted 20pk)
Expires: 3/6/22
SELF CARE TIP #5: TREAT YOUR BODY
If I feel down, one thing that always helps is to give myself a little spa day: I take a bath or a long shower, wash my hair, do a hair mask, exfoliate my skin, use a yummy body butter, do my nails, give myself a pedicure, put on a face mask and to top it all off I apply self tanner. Its like giving myself a little mini-makeover and it always makes me feel like a million bucks. I especially love body butters - my skin goes crazy in the winter and I have slather on moisturizer like my life depended on it! Actually its like that year round but ESPECIALLY in the winter. I found a new favorite in this box, the Tree Hut Vitamin C Whipped Body Butter! Its the perfect skin-treat with glow-boosting Vitamin C and natural Shea Butter. Its also vegan, paraben-free, alcohol-free, AND sulfate-free.
You can check out this whipped deliciousness below, and it would pair amazing with one of their sugar scrubs for ultimate skin softness:
A huge thank you to Babbleboxx for this superfun box! I had so much fun trying all the products from these amazing brands, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
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