There are only 75 days left this year. Let’s make ’em count …
Yesterday, I realized that there were only 76 days left in 2024. And while that’s not a short time, it surprised me. I feel like the “end of the year” has snuck up on me and there’s so much more I wanted to accomplish this year that just didn’t get done. I also feel like perhaps some of my habits have shifted, and I’m not exactly where I want to be there either — and hey, that’s life. So today, we’re going to get a little bit real and raw and look at five things I’m going to focus during the remainder of the year …
Here we go …
1. Slowing down and doing preventative measures to take care of my body.
For the first time in basically my whole life (outside of getting a stress fracture from too much running many years ago), I’ve developed a few aches and pains and injuries this year. And I’m really not a fan of them at all, because I try so hard to do things properly and safely in my fitness/wellness routine.
While some people will say that the reason I’m starting to get little pains is because I turned 40, I don’t think that’s it. Here’s what I think: I’ve gradually increased my physical load over time, by adding more programs and group fitness classes that I teach each week, along with playing slightly more strenuous tennis a couple times a week (that happens as you get better), and little by little, I’ve started to do too much, without adequate rest and recovery (even though, yes, it’s something I talk about all the time).
While I can pull back on some things I do physically, it’s also important to note that I make a portion of my income by being active, so there’s only so much modifying I can do. Lately, I’ve been doing better about foam rolling regularly and sitting on the massage chair at the gym, and I even made myself an upcoming chiropractic sports assessment to see if that’s something I would benefit from. And I’ll certainly report back on that.
While I don’t have all the answers as to what I need to do to stay physically in better shape while maintaining my fitness job, I do know that I need to address things, and I will be doing that throughout the last 75 days of the year. Because it’s very clear to me I need to be more proactive about caring for my body (even though I thought I had been before), and I need to make some adjustments to my routine too.
Here’s the tip for you: Don’t wait out your problems. If you see an issue arising with your fitness and health, you should probably take action now to get yourself on the right track.
2. Only using my phone or scrolling social media when I really need to or want to. And not scrolling mindlessly out of habit.
I used to have such great boundaries with my phone and with social media, and for some reason, I don’t any longer. I often find myself, strictly out of habit, picking up my phone to do a little scrolling all the time now … like when I arrive at my destination and don’t need to go in yet, or right before I have to head out from my house because I’m delaying my departure.
These mindless scrolling sessions never provide any benefit to me. But the thing is, this probably isn’t something I should even share with you on this site, because part of my income is being a content creator, and I should love to consume content and love you to consume content. But honestly, I don’t need it quite so much. I need it in small doses. How about you?
Here’s the tip for you: If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I’d love it if you could give me a high-five or a like when you enjoy what I post, because that helps me. But otherwise, I encourage you to address your social media habits and whether they’re serving you or doing you a disservice. I’ll be over here doing the same and enjoying mostly real-life connections with some online connections too.
3. Not worrying about doing it all. But trying to do a few important things really well.
A couple of holiday seasons ago, I booked so many festive activities and had so many end-of-year work projects at the same time, that the last few months flew by, and I hardly enjoyed any of it — it was a rushed blur. I remember thinking it was the fastest final quarter of the year I’d ever experienced. I don’t want to do that again.
While I like to be busy, and while I look forward to fun events and work projects, I know I need a better limit. I’m probably not going to get family photos taken, nor send out Christmas cards this year (but I’ve said that before and changed my mind), I’m not pre-scheduling a ton of holiday activities, and I’m also not going to try to fit in a ton of extra work stuff either, just to make more money and feel more accomplished.
(Here’s my top, here’s my skirt and here are my shoes.)
I just want to do a good job at what I’m already doing, you know? I want to be a good group fitness instructor with the classes I have, I want to be a good mom/wife/friend and spend quality time with my people, and I want to create some valuable content for my internet friends like you. Hopefully I can handle all that, without overloading my plate with a ton of additional responsibilities.
Here’s the tip for you: There’s no reason to try to do everything all the time. In fact, it’s not possible to do everything perfectly ever. Pick a few things you care about and need to do, then do them really well and don’t worry about the rest, especially as you get busy the final 75 days of the year.
4. Sleeping better and sleeping more.
I had been a sound sleeper for a really long time, but my sleep hasn’t been as great the past couple of months. I find I wake up more, or I have trouble going to sleep, and I’m totally not used to this situation. A couple boundaries I have in place? No caffeine after 3 p.m. and no more technology after 10 p.m. — that’s when I try to get in bed and read a real-life book. I also recently ordered a new sleep-mask that stays in place better and provides a total black-out experience. This is the mask, and it looks totally ridiculous on, but it’s soft, comfortable and seems to be working well for me so far.
It may seem like every single wellness post you read mentions sleep and you’re so over it. But sleep matters. When you get a quality night of sleep, pretty much everything seems better in life. I’m craving more regular quality nights of sleep, and I want to have them most nights instead of some nights.
Here’s the tip for you: Assess your sleep. If you’re getting less than seven hours a night, or if you’re waking up tired every morning, you may need to work on your sleep hygiene and night-time routine. It’s a worthy endeavor. Try going to bed at the same time every night, keeping your room cold and dark and staying away from caffeine in the late afternoon too.
5. More quality, less quantity. In just about everything.
This is something I’ve been thinking of for a while … more quality, less quantity. And while this can apply to material things, and friends and trips and work and content and everything else, it’s an idea I’m very interested in across the board. At times, maybe I’ve been more into quantity? At times, maybe I’ve been somewhere in the middle. But right now, the last 75 days of the year, I want it to be all about quality.
How does that look in real-life examples? I don’t need 10 new sweaters for the final three months of the year, I need a couple really good ones I want to wear a lot. I don’t need 15 best friends, I need just a few honest and trustworthy ones who value me as much as I value them. I don’t need to post 8 blog posts a week, I just need to post one that truly reaches someone. I don’t need to do 100 fun activities a week, just one or two solid ones. Quality, not quantity. And that’s the vibe I want to take with me through 2024.
Here’s the tip for you: Rather than focusing on more, focus on better. Better quality material things, better quality work, better quality workouts and even better quality relationships.
And there you have it! That’s what I’m focusing on during the last 75 days of the year, as an imperfect human, just learning and growing and sharing as I go. Thank you so much for being here to read this post. I hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful rest of the year. xoxo
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Question of the day for you
What’s one thing you want to focus on during the last 75 days of the year?