New Year, New You

Drawing By Stephanie Smelyansky

Happy New Year, kiddies!

It’s 2015! With that, both 2014 and the holiday season have officially come to a close. The end of the holiday season also means the end of my excessive food consumption (though my waistline hasn’t stretched that much). In general, the end of 2014 for me means the end of my unhealthy habits.

I have a New Years Resolution, something I rarely do, so 2015 must be really special because I’m actually setting a year long goal. This year, I solemnly swear to take care of my body. While 2014 was an awesome year, it was also a really stressful one, full of college applications, AP classes, and drama. Amidst all the chaos, I often neglected my body by not working out, eating like a teenage boy, and sleeping at the oddest times for the shortest periods. Any muscle tone I previously had converted itself to mush and I constantly felt tired. I basically felt like a grandma, and I’m eighteen. Something’s gotta change.

2015 is going to be a big year of change for me. I’m graduating high school and going to college, which is pretty epic and scary. I know college will be a whirlwind of excitement and stress, but to manage the stress, I want to get into a routine of taking care of myself early. As in now. I’ve split this goal into four sections: working out, eating clean, hygiene, and me-time.

The most obvious way to take care of myself is to work out. Duh. For second semester, I’m enrolled in a super intense aerobics class at school for fifty minutes every day. On top of that, I plan on getting a gym membership and going to the gym at least twice a week. I know that I need to work out at a gym because watching other people work out motivates me (also because when I work out at home I end up lying down on the couch with a bag of chips). To diversify my workouts, I’ve come up with this adorable Ryan Gosling jar full of short thirty minute workouts that target various parts of the body. And shirtless Ryan Gosling is wonderful motivation.

The second most obvious way I’m taking care of myself is to eat clean. I have a bit of an unhealthy chocolate addiction that leaves me reaching for a Snickers bar. To combat that, I’ve bought an obscene amount of cacao nibs, which satisfy the chocolate craving without all the preservatives and sugars. In general, I plan on eating more fruits and veggies and less carbs (ahem, pasta). I also want to cook more for myself, partially because I love cooking but also because I get control over what goes into my food. Food should energize me, not just sustain me until my next meal.

Now hygiene...I promise I’m already a hygienic person! I floss, I shower regularly, the works. By hygiene, I mean that I want to take better care of myself from the outside as well as the inside. This means taking an extra few minutes at night to massage some lavender oil or body lotion into my skin or blow drying my hair rather than going to bed with wet hair. I want to spend more time on the little things that make me feel good on the outside as well as the inside.

Finally, I want to spend more time on myself. Between schoolwork and hanging out with friends I forget to take a quiet moment to myself. This year, I promise myself to find time to light a scented candle, make a cup of chai, and curl up with a good Jane Austen book. If I want to do something, like see a movie or go to a museum, I won’t wait for others to come with me. I’ll take myself on a date and I’ll get some good sushi for dinner while I’m at it!

There you go. That’s my New Year’s resolution. I doubt I’m the only girl out there that just wants to better care of herself. With that, I want to know what your resolutions are and how you’re achieving them! Post a picture on twitter or instagram and tag it with #theyouthemisms so I can see all your resolutions!