Jillian uses affiliate links in this post, meaning she may get a commission for any purchases made using these links. Commissions go towards keeping this site active. For more information, please see her Privacy and Disclosure Policies page. Keep reading below for some of her suggestions for a new year, new healthy you!

New Year, New Healthy You!

Happy New Year!

Here we are in 2019! I have been anxiously planning and slowly announcing a few new goals and changes for this year. Some are related to my businesses, my hobbies, and some just life at home. I felt like I was waiting forever to announce my newest massage business offering: Aromatherapy! Why did I not complete an aromatherapy massage course much sooner considering I have used essential oils since I was a child!? I even already published a few blog posts about them including How to use them in your home, and where you can find accessories for them! It only made sense!

I HIGHLY approve of Essential Oils for all kinds of uses including self-care, home cleaning, and more!
I have used Young Living Essential Oils since a child, which I believe are pure and the only brand I trust to be ingestible. Now that I have experience using a few other brands in the different places I have worked as a Massage Therapist, I have found some others I also like. A more affordable one that offers a great selection of oils and accessories is Plant Therapy. This little kit makes a good started kit for anyone looking to try essential oils.

Lemon Lavender and Peppermint Set

Our Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint set is one of our most popular sets! These three oil… [More]

 

Here are just a few examples of how I use each of these oils:

Peppermint – Eases tummy aches and nausea almost instantly for me. One small drop under my nose or on the tummy.

Lavender – Great for calming, and makes my mosquito bites stop itching and most of the time disappear overnight! I have been using this since a teen!

Lemon – Energizing scent and great for cleaning! Add to DIY cleaning products or rub onto feet or wrists for an uplifting scent.

New Year, New Healthier Me?

I am usually pretty healthy, so I have never planned any wellness related new years resolutions. However, some just kind of happened throughout 2018. I guess it would be appropriate to have a wellness goal of consistently keeping up all these new healthy habits! So here are my top 2019 wellness goals:

Keep up the low sugar lifestyle

Last year, I cut sugar as much as I could from my diet to try and curb facial acne and blemishes. IT WORKED. Let me tell you though, you do not realize how much sugar is in our food until you really start trying to cut it out. I was appalled at how even so many “organic” labels included loads of sugar! After figuring out which were truly low-sugar or sugar-free products, I tried to switch out my pantry little by little. This saved money since I was also trying to switch it all to as organic as possible too. By the end of the summer I had switched out a lot of my usual snacks and entrees for healthier versions. Result: My acne nearly disappeared, and I no longer felt fatigued randomly during the day. I had energy and a positive mood almost constantly.

Run a timed race every year, and always a different one!

I decided near the end of 2018 to break out of my comfort zone with running. I did not get around to signing up for any runs during the nicer months, so I signed up for a virtual race for the first time. With a virtual race you register like you would a regular road race. You time yourself either running outside or indoors; anywhere you want! You then have the option of entering your results online where you can see how other participants did. You usually get a medal mailed to you, just like live races!

 

I ran 5ks every year for several years now with no problem. I decided since I was only running indoors on my own treadmill it would be easy enough to run something longer. The next distance up you could register for was a 10k. Not as easy as I thought it would be, but I did manage to work up to it little by little. When the day came I decided I wanted to officially time it, I managed to run it in my goal time of under an hour and a half! In my training process for this longer distance I did manage to run a 5k well enough I also timed and entered it into another race. I will try some more virtual races in the future since they work better with my usual life schedule.

Keep going to acupuncture appointments on a consistent basis

Something totally new to me last year was acupuncture. In October I began weekly appointments to relieve myself of some minor sleep, stress, and monthly cycle issues. Acupuncture seems to have a similar effect as massage does on me in the way it leaves me feeling relaxed and less sore. My sleeping is definitely improved for about a week after every appointment. I am wondering if it is also responsible for my higher energy and great moods over these past few months. By the end of November my acupuncturist said we only needed to do once a month appointments. She and I felt my hormones and organs were more balanced out. As long as I kept taking my herbs she gave me I should be good. I was impressed with how fast she was able to balance everything out, and how great I felt after each appointment. I would love to elaborate more on acupuncture, as I believe it truly helps with many things. Anybody interested in a separate post about acupuncture and what to expect?

Get back into Yoga

I LOVE yoga for it’s many physical as well as mental benefits! Regularly doing yoga stretches helps my body get back into proper alignment so I do not suffer much pain from workouts and my job. I mostly practice on my own at home, but have enjoyed joining others in outdoor classes around my local area. Since I was very busy the last few months of 2018, this is one thing I had a hard time making time for. I hope to get back into a regular yoga routine over these next few weeks. I often suggest yoga stretches to my massage clients, and I believe it is important to practice what I preach! There WILL be a post about Yoga this month…..watch for it!

Enough about me, here is to a new healthy you!

 

New Year, new month, new theme!

January’s theme of “new year, new healthy you” will feature posts relating to healthy living. Some posts will be brand new, and some will feature information from older posts you might have seen. They are meant to inform about how to live healthier, and suggest what products (especially natural ones) might help you achieve your wellness goals.

Tell me, what are your wellness goals for a new healthy you?

Thank you for reading!

Jillian

 

 

 

Tags: 10k, acupuncture, essential oils, essential oils for self-care, happy new year, healthy living, low sugar diet, new year, new year 2019, new year new me, new year new you, no sugar diet, organic diet, plant therapy, running, wellness, yoga