Author: Nicole

Lifestyle

Winter Day at Home

Nicole

Hello Beautiful People!

December 21st is the first day of Winter. For many of us that means colder temperatures and shorter days. This may lead to staying in the house more and socializing less, which can cause us to feel a little down. Some people experience what’s known as the “Winter Blues” due to the cold weather and darker days. 

If you can, it’s good to get out and enjoy the sunshine, and maybe catch up with some family and friends. But, if it’s too cold out or you just don’t feel like going anywhere, below are 5 inexpensive things you can do at home. 

  1. Enjoy a warm drink. The winter is the perfect time to savor a warm beverage. Some of the drinks can even be low in sugar, low fat, or low in carbs. There is something for everyone. Some ideals are: 
  • Hot chocolate. 
  • Warm apple cider. 
  • Coffee.  
  • Hot tea. 
  • Warm milk.
  • Espresso or latte. 

2. Read a book. There are so many different ways to get books nowadays. You can go to a store and buy a new book, or you can purchase a book online.

Amazon has tons of options that are very inexpensive. https://amzn.to/479iq6T

You could also check out a book from your local library for free, or you could borrow a book from a friend. 

3. Make homemade soup. A nice bowl of soup can be the perfect thing to warm you up. You can find hundreds of recipes online or you can create your own special recipe. There are several different kinds of soups. You can find vegetarian recipes, vegan recipes, keto recipes, low sodium recipes, and heart healthy recipes. Below are a few examples: 

  • French onion soup
  • Cream of mushroom soup
  • Broccoli cheddar soup
  • Chicken noodle soup
  • Tomato soup
  • Lentil soup

4. Take a comforting bath or shower. Sometimes when we’re on our way to work or school or anywhere else, we may have to rush our shower or bath. But, if we’re planning to be in the house, we can take our time and enjoy a longer shower or bath. We can take the time to soak, exfoliate or moisturize, or both if we want to. Here are some products to help elevate our bathing experience:  

  • Bubble baths.
  • Body scrubs and polishers.
  • Moisturizing body washes.
  • Bath/shower oils. 
  • Bath/shower bombs.

5. Watch a good movie. Snuggle up with your warm drink or hot bowl of soup and enjoy a good movie. 

These are just a few inexpensive and easy things you can do on a day in, of course there are many other things as well. Also, if you are feeling really down or depressed, you may need to speak with a counselor or therapist.

Talk to you later!

Health & Wellness

Level-Up: Quick, Easy and For Free

Nicole

When we think of starting over in life or rebranding ourselves, we sometimes think of ideals like getting a makeover or getting a new wardrobe. Or, maybe starting a new diet. Depending on what we have in mind, these things can sometimes be costly. And, if our goals are too pricey, we may put them off because we feel we can’t afford them. So, I want to talk about 3 quick, easy and free ways we can start leveling up immediately. 

Drink More Water. Try to drink about 8 to 10 cups of water a day. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, you can add fruit to it. If you don’t want to spend money on bottled water, you can boil it and then chill it. Or, you can purchase a water filter like this one.https://amzn.to/45pTU0G

Benefits of Drinking Water

  • Promotes Hydration
  • Aids in Digestion
  • Flushes Toxins From the Body
  • Supports Skin Health
  • Boosts Energy
  • Helps to Maintain Vital Bodily Functions 

Move More. Do some type of physical activity every day. Doing physical activity does not mean we have to purchase a gym membership. There are several different free or low cost options. 

  • Purchase Low-Cost At Home Equipment
  • Do a Workout on YouTube. 
  • Go For a Walk. 

Physical activity is not just about losing weight, it strengthens our muscles and bones. It can also help to reduce stress and help us sleep better, which leads me to my next point. 

Get More Sleep. Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Getting a good night’s sleep enhances our cognitive function, mood and immune system. It also aids in physical and mental recovery and it can help reduce stress. 

Drinking more water, moving more, and getting more sleep can be our first steps. All 3 are things we can start immediately and for free. 

Let’s Get This “Level-Up” Ball Rolling!

Talk to you later!

Lifestyle

Becoming a Brand New You

Nicole

Hello Beautiful People

This is the first post on my brand new blog! As someone who is on a personal journey to become a brand new person, I have so many thoughts, ideas, and experiences I want to share that can hopefully be beneficial to you. 

So for this first post, I want to talk about why I chose to create this blog. 

If you go on any social media platform, there are tons of posts and videos about reinventing or rebranding ourselves. It may seem as though these ideas are the latest trends or catch phrases. However, this theme of becoming a new person has been around for a long time. Some other terms frequently used are “New Beginnings” or “Personal Growth”. 

I decided to use “Brand New You” because that is the journey I am on, and I’m sure there are others that are on the same or similar journey. There are so many aspects of my life that I want and need to change. That’s not to say that I am not grateful for the person I am today, but I know there is so much more for me. Also, all of the changes I am trying to make are beneficial and necessary for my future. 

Sometimes in life, we find that we’ve picked up some bad habits. Maybe it’s overeating, drug abuse, drinking too much, making poor financial decisions, gossiping, or one of the many other habits that are bad for us. There are too many to list. I have quite a few that I need to change. Or, maybe we realize that we haven’t been living to our fullest potential. I know for me personally, there are so many things that I know I should be doing. When there are several areas in our lives that we want to improve, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Or, we may not even know how to start or what we should work on first. This blog will be about how to start and maintain our new lifestyles.  

So, here are just a few of the topics I will be discussing on this blog. 

  • Eating healthier and exercising
  • Looking presentable (neat, clean, and put together)
  • Improving our finances

As I stated earlier, I have so many ideas and I can’t wait to share them. I genuinely hope this blog can be helpful in your journey to become a Brand New You. 

Talk to you later!