HEALTHY HABITS FOR YOUR NEW YEAR!
One of the things I like to do most as I embark on any new year is evaluate what God's brought me through the past 365 days. Each of us have a journey and a story we are walking out for God- and each of us is being sanctified through our experience. We go through highs and lows, victories and failures, hills and valleys. Each experience is meant to point you back to Him - as you also point others to Him along your way.
This last year I worked really hard to exit that hustle culture lifestyle. Instead of pursuing the rush and competition in the marketplace, the Lord took my eyes and centered them toward bigger things. He didn't ignore my passion for coaching Christian women in business, but He did put my affections and attention back into my home in a way that would allow me to keep my first ministry, first, where ultimately every woman's main affections should be. And through my obedience, He allowed my business to blossom into what it now is too.
As you read this post, you may be thinking you already have your home in order, and your affections are exactly where they need to be. Or, you may be feeling the tinge of conviction that comes from knowing you may need to make a change. Whatever that looks like for you, I commend you for your honesty in evaluating your situation. It's not an easy thing to do, especially when you feel stretched in so many other ways already.
Responsibilities have their proper place and I don't mean to diminish them by writing this. Many are good, honest, and honorable- especially when managed well. When the Lord worked in my life last year, He did it in such a gentle and generous way- always showing grace and making me feel loved. Gently correcting and pointing me back to truth. Here's the thing-I had a heart of full surrender and a spirit that wanted to be led and molded. As you pray and enter into this new year, I would love to encourage you to guide your heart to do the same.
As you think toward healthy habits for your new year, I want to spotlight an area that Satan LOVES to attack: the home. He does so in sneaky ways, preying on individual weaknesses. Knowing this, you can adopt ways to counter attack his plan, while enriching your life AND the life of your family as you go. It's a win-win situation, honestly and I'm so excited for your journey through it!
Here are some healthy habits that you can put a focus on to help you through this new year:
CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE THAT WORKS FOR YOU:
Your morning sets the tone of each and every day and managing how it goes can either hinder or help you. Each day I try and wake up before the kids and get some quiet time with my Creator. I sip my coffee, eat my breakfast, pray, and read His Word. Then I "clock in" with the Lord and invite Him into the plans I have for my business. To help you do the same, I created a "Clock In With Your Creator Guide, which can be found in this helpful bundle.
It can be hard to determine what to read in God's Word each morning so instead of wasting time randomly hopping from scripture to scripture, I looked for an alternative that would give me a helpful reading plan. What I found was a Bible designed to help me read through God's Word in an entire year, in a fun, manageable way. This One Year Chronological Bible has been a joy to keep me accountable and help guide me through my studies.
Lastly, because I homeschool both my kids I needed to create a schedule that would allow time for me to work, while also focusing on specific times to help each of my kids. Because my two children are 12 and 15, much of what they are learning is self-led or online, making this an easier season for our homeschool days. Whatever this season looks like for you, sit down and ask yourself (and your children) what an ideal day would look like. Then, block out time in your day with focused time for those specific things. Need help? I created a FREE Rev Up Your Routine e-Book with tips and tricks on managing your time, time blocking, and working around your cycle to help you do just that!
MOVE YOUR BODY, DAILY:
Did you know that even just 20 minutes of walking can improve your health each day? Here's how:
- Walking helps protect your heart. Just like the rest of the muscles in our bodies, our heart needs to be strengthened through regular activity to remain healthy and strong.
- Walking helps you to slim down. Regular brisk walking, when combined with healthy eating, is hugely effective for weight loss, helping you burn off extra calories. It also helps to reduce visceral fat, also known as belly or abdominal fat which is especially dangerous to our health.
- Walking keeps your memory sharp. A study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the hippocampus—the part of the brain that is key to memory—can be expanded through regular walking.
- Walking improves your mood. We all know that exercise helps release endorphins that instantly improve your mood and trigger a positive feeling in the body. When performed regularly, exercise eases stress, anxiety and has even been shown to be as effective as psychotherapy at relieving moderate depression.
- Walking helps you sleep better. And who doesn't want that?? Exercise such as walking boosts the effect of natural sleep hormones such as melatonin, helping you doze off faster and sleep more soundly. Research shows that those who engage in 20 to 30 minutes of moderate exercise every other day fell asleep 50 percent faster and stayed asleep up to one hour longer.
Other fitness alternatives? Yoga, Stretching, Cardio, Weight Training, or even a kitchen Dance Party!!
TAKE SUPPLEMENTS THAT FUEL YOU:
It's so easy to put your health to the back burner- that is, until it stops working for you and begins to work against you. It's amazing how quickly sickness will slow you down and bring your life to a complete halt. Believe me, I experienced this myself the past 3 months, and it's made me reposition my health journey and reprioritize it in a focused way.
I've always been health minded, but we're living in a day and age where our food just isn't as nutrient rich as it used to be. Our body's are lacking what they need, and companies are pretending to have healthy options, while ingredients lists deceive.
So here are two things I recommend. First, don't get trapped into feeling the need to take a bajillion and one supplements. There are so many amazing things out there that are genuinely good for you, but it's easy to fill your cupboard and empty your bank account thinking that to live well you need ALL the things.
Here's what I've found: Cover a couple staples.
Since research has found that SO much is controlled and regulated by the gut, it's important to know that supporting that system in turn supports SO many other things. Not only is our gut in charge of regulating digestion, it's also responsible for housing 80% of your immune system and producing a ton of different "happy" hormones. Particularly, serotonin (a neurotransmitter that makes you happy or sad), dopamine (your motivating hormone -70% of this is made in the gut), and gaba (the body's primary relaxing neurotransmitter, regulating sleep)!
If you're feeling run down, tired, emotionally drained, lacking energy and focus, supporting the gut can tackle so many things. It helps regulate sleep, and keeps you healthy and well since it's the primary source of strength for your immune system.
Here's a quick quiz for you: 10 signs of an unhealthy gut. Do you meet any of those qualifications? If so, you may want to consider this incredible supplement I've been taking. I was skeptical at first but after watching for 3 months as it healed my daughter, I was ready to reap the benefits of it too!
If you like videos, this is a short, 1 minute video on the science. And another quick one by the doctor who formulated it! This one supplement has given me back my life again. I spent 3 full months with constant sickness, extreme mental and physical fatigue (and more), I'd tried everything and this was my missing link. Within just three days began to feel like my vibrant self again! If your body is ready for revival and you want to give this a try too, click this link for $10 off your order! And if you have questions and want to chat with me, please reach out. Simply send me a message here!!
Second, since our soil and food is lacking some of the most important things our body needs, it's important to supplement with Minerals. Minerals are the building blocks that fuel us. I've tried so many brands on the market but if you're looking for one that doesn't taste like dirt (literally!), you're going to want to try this fruit-punch flavored powder (Revitalize) that's full of Shilajit and Fulvic Acid, plus tons of other minerals and superfoods. Revitalize tastes amazing and my body craves it. Plus, it helps me drink a ton more water!
CREATE A MINI-HOMESTEAD AND LIVE MORE SELF-SUSTAINABLY:
We recently moved from NY to SC and had to completely start over building our mini-homestead. Back in NY we took less than an acre of land and created the most abundant fruit and veggie filled oasis. Starting over seemed intimidating but I told myself it's better to start small and build as you go- and that's exactly what we did! We saved up and bought these gorgeous garden beds- which look cute and were so easy to assemble I did it all myself! I filled the bottoms with branches, leaves, and yard waste and topped that with organic soil and mushroom compost from our local nursery. Since we don't have a great source of water for our garden, we followed the "Back to Eden" Garden Method that we used when we started back in NY too. It makes for the juiciest fruit and veggies planted in otherwise dry, clay-based soil. Then I started prepping the ground for things we'd plant that we wouldn't put in garden beds. Things like raspberry and blueberry bushes and even grapevines too!
This year we also invested in raising chickens to get nutrient-rich eggs from our very own hens. It's been such a blessing, especially since it's hard to find eggs stocked on supermarket shelves these days!! Raising chickens doesn't have to be intimidating, nor is it limited to rural homes. Many suburban families have begun raising chickens since you don't need a ton of space and with a little creativity, you can do it inexpensively.
Here's how:
Use materials you have to build your own coop.
Shop FB Marketplace for chicken coops & supplies from locals in your area.
Implement the Deep Litter Method.
Make Your Own Chicken Food in Bulk. *I'd swap out the corn since it would cost too much to source that organic and you don't want your chickens eating GMO Corn.
Feed your chickens food scraps (and other ideas to feed them on a budget)
Here's my amazon list with some beginner supplies for raising chickens!
DO A 10 MINUTE PICK UP OF THE MAIN ROOMS OF YOUR HOME BEFORE BED:
This one habit will start your morning off in the very best way - less stressed and overwhelmed, eliminating unnecessary anxiety! With this one, I either do it on my own or it's all hands on deck, whatever works best for us based on what's going on that evening.
Here's what I make sure to tackle:
- All dishes washed/put in dishwasher. (I choose to delay running the dishwasher til we've gone to sleep-this tip helps save you on your water bill).
- Clear off and clean countertops.
- Pick up unnecessary clutter from kitchen table, kitchen floors, and from the living room.
- Pick up living room, fold blankets, fluff pillows.
These simple, nightly activities create an atmosphere of peace and order in my home and allow me to start my morning refreshed and less distracted from my morning routine. I mean, think about it. With no dishes to do or things to pick up, I can make my breakfast and hop right into my quiet time with the Lord with nothing visually distracting me from the most important part of my day...and it can do the same for YOU! Make a list of what you need for a peaceful, clutter-free home and choose to tackle that at night to set you up for a successful day!
SCHEDULE IN JOY:
I hate to say it, but if you don't schedule it in, you can't count on it to happen!! Life gets SO BUSY and come on- we all know how often others come first and we tend to put our own needs last. So ask yourself this.... what do you need to fill your cup with JOY?
For me, I've decided that family vacations are an actual necessity. So whether it's scheduling time together to get out in nature, enjoy a local attraction OR actually booking a trip where we physically get away, that's one thing we NEED to plan throughout each new year.
I also know that time to myself and with my friends FUELS me and lights me up! Some weeks that may look like something as simple as getting to run to the grocery store or shop at Target ALL ALONE. Others, that means a day date with my daughter or grabbing coffee with a sweet friend.
Whatever this looks like for you, PLAN that into your days!!
TAKE TIME TO REST:
Looking back this year, as much as I worked to exit hustle, I didn't fully understand how to include actual REST. Recently, the Lord showed me just how much the enemy doesn't want the Christian to receive and enjoy rest and how that actually ROBS us of the BLESSINGS God created for us. Rest will look different to everyone based on your life and circumstances, but the one thing that unites us as Christians, is the guaranteed rest we can find IN HIM.
To learn all about exactly what I mean and what this could look like for you, check out this most recent blog post where I shared all about rest, as well as my podcast that highlights this important topic too!!
I hope these tips are helpful for you and set you up for success throughout your year. If you have any helpful tips or suggestions, I'd love to hear. Drop them in the comments down below!!
xx Krista
Krista Juliana
Author, Biblical Business
Mentor, Podcast Host
Hey girl-I'm so glad you're here! My name is Krista Juliana and I'm your biblical business mentor! I love helping women just like you incorporate your faith into how you run your business. Stick around and I'll also teach you how to exit hustle culture and simply all the things! I hope you're blessed by all I share. If you ever need anything, please reach out-I'm only a click away!
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