These Easy Yoga Poses Will Help You Naturally Detox From the Holidays

These Easy Yoga Poses Will Help You Naturally Detox From the Holidays

by | Jan 7, 2018 | Wellness, Yoga

You don’t have to go on a juice cleanse or crazy fast to detoxify your body. Wanna know a secret? Your body is detoxifying itself all the time. The liver, kidneys, skin, and other major organs already do that. If you feel like you need to cleanse after the holidays from too many Christmas cookies or glasses of wine, then the best thing you can do is to take actions to support your body so that it can perform its jobs at optimal levels. You are the supporting role in this detox movie, your body and organs play the staring role. Your job is to help your body  so that it can carry out the detoxification process.

The best way naturally detoxify are to…

  1. Feed yourself foods that will strengthen and nourish your body.
  2. Drink enough water.
  3. Sweat and move on a regular basis.
  4. Make relaxation and rest a regular part of your routine.
  5. Yoga!!!!

So I want to share with you some of my favorite yoga poses to aid your body in detoxification. You will notice that most of these poses involve a twist. That is intentional! Twists are known to stimulate the digestive system and bring a fresh blood supply to the internal organs so that it can detoxify naturally. No pills or fasting bullshit here.

 

Wide Leg Forward Bend with a Twist

This pose stimulates the abdominal organs, improves digestion and helps to detoxify the body because of the forward bending and twisting action. It also lengthens the spine, helping decompress the vertebrae, opens the shoulders, strengthens the core and stretches the hamstrings, calves, hips and lower back.

Step your feet wide along your mat (a good judge of how far your feet should be is to stretch out arms out to the side and try to get your feet directly under your hands).  Place your hands on your hips and hinge forward from your waist and place your hands on the floor or blocks. Let your head and neck hang loose. You may stay here or take a twist. You can do this two ways: one way is to keep your hand directly under your face and take the other hand directly up toward the sky, letting your torso turn to the side, OR (a slightly more advanced modification) is to take one hand to the opposite ankle (left hand to right ankle) and then extend the other arm up to the sky, turning your torso open. Stay here for 5-10 breaths.

Revolved Chair Pose

A powerful way to detoxify from food, alcohol, toxic thoughts…toxic men even? It also stretches the lower back and increases the flexibility of the spine and back. To come in to chair stand tall with your feet together. As you sweep your arms up along side your ears, sit your hips back and down. Make sure that your knees don’t come too far out over the toes. Once you are in chair take hands to heart center in prayer and hook one elbow over the opposite knee (right elbow hooks ofer left knee) and turn your torso open to the side. Press your palms together and use that as leverage to twist deeper. Keep pressing that elbow into the knee. With each exhale twist a little deeper and with each inhale elongate your spine, creating space between the vertebrae.

Triangle with Revolved Triangle

Because of the emphasis on the bend at the waist, triangle pose helps stimulate the abdominal organs and can aid in digestion, as well as strengthening your feet, ankles, and legs. Beginning at the top of your mat, step your left foot back and turn it out to the side of your mat (right foot stays pointed to the front of your mat). Turning your body to face the left side of the mat making sure your hips are facing that way too. Extend your arms out in opposing directions, one toward the front of your mat, and one toward the back. Slowly slide your torso toward the front of your mat and hinge from the waist bend over that front leg, keeping the arms straight. This is a more gentle twist, but if you want to take it a step further you take take revolved triangle by keeping your feet the same but turning your torso to the opposite side.

Shoulder Stand Into Plow

Shoulder stand is great for this time of the year because it aids in digestion. If you’ve been hard on the digestive system over the holidays then this is for you. It also helps relieve swollen legs by allowing gravity to pull excess fluids out of your legs and feet. I find that it helps with headaches too because reversing the effects of gravity on the body can alter blood pressure (just be careful if you have blood pressure issues before going this pose). Any posture that has your head moving toward your chest will help you cultivate an inward-focused energy, and will help soothe a racing mind,  which is helpful if you are overwhelmed and stressed. Lastly, it helps improve circulation to the upper body and brain which will deliver more oxygen and nutrients to those parts via the bloodstream.

This one is best left to be done with an instructor if you are totally new, but the things to remember if you are familiar with this pose are to lift your chin so your cervical spine is not flat against the floor. It’s important to put your weight in your shoulders and the back of your arms so that the pressure is not on your spine. Place your hands on your lower back and keep lifting your hips.

If you want to take plow you may want to use a block if your feet don’t reach the floor. This one is a deep back stretch so move into it slowly. It is great for calming your mind, stimulating the abdominal organs and the thyroid gland, stretching the shoulders and spine, and relieving stress and fatigue.

Reclined Spinal Twist

A soothing restorative pose, reclined spinal twist can be held for longer periods of time. This twist encourages the flow of fresh blood to your digestive organs, increasing the health and function of your entire digestive system. It also stretches out the back and gluteus muscles and lengthens and realigns the spine.

Lay down on your mat with your legs extended out in front of you. Bring your knees into your chest to a tabletop position and gently let your knees fall to one side. The hip on the opposite side will come up and stack on top of the other hip. Your shoulders remain on the mat. There are many variations to take in this one such as only bending the top leg and straightening the bottom leg if the stretch is too deep. You can also turn your head to look to the opposite side so you get a full twist of the spine from bottom to top.

Lunge Twist

This pose improves digestion, and detoxifies the internal organs. This an be done two ways, in a high lunge or a low lunge. The only difference is in a ow lunge the back knee is resting on the mat. Come to either your high or low lunge with the front leg bent, and the back leg straight with the heel off the ground. Bring your hands into prayer pose. Hook your opposite elbow over the front leg (meaning if your right leg is in front then hook the left elbow over it and vice versa) and turn your torso open to the side. Use the press of your palms and your elbow pressing into the knee to help you twist deeper. *If you want to go further open up the arms extending one up to the ceiling, and placing the other on the ground on the inside of the front foot.

Breath of Fire

Breath of fire is a simple breathing exercise known to purify the energetic pathways in the body. It helps release toxins from the lungs, balance your nervous system, and revitalize you during an energy slump. It’s also great for sinus congestion…you may want a few tissues handy. Begin in a comfortable seated position with your hands in your lap, sitting up tall. With your mouth closed begin to make strong and short exhales out the nose. Don’t worry about the inhales here, they will happen automatically. Keep your attention to strong sharp exhales. They should be quick, about one every second or so. The driving force behind this action is in the diaphragm. Feel your abdominal muscles tighten on each exhale, like a pumping action. Keep this breath going for 30 seconds for beginners up to 3 minutes for advanced yogis.

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Disclaimer: If you have never done and yoga before the best place to start is with a private instructor or in a live class. There are many anatomical intricacies and you don’t want to injure yourself. Only take my suggestions if you have a yoga practice and know your body’s abilities. Seriously, I’d really rather not have you sue me if you try these and throw out your back!

Mini Digital Detox: 3 Simple Ways to Loosen the Grip of Social Media

Mini Digital Detox: 3 Simple Ways to Loosen the Grip of Social Media

by | Jan 7, 2018 | Self Care | 4 comments

We all love our social media, but for so many of us it can take over our lives, time, and mental space. I am writing this because I personally need help in this area, and these are all things that I have done to lessen the digital noise in my life. A digital detox doesn’t have to mean giving up all electronics forever. We can ease into the less is more mindset, and do a mini digital detox. “A what now?” A mini digital detox means cutting back on the things that don’t serve us, and increasing the things that serve us in positive ways. Kinda like eating clean but for social media. So yes, you can still keep your beloved Snapchat!

If you want to continue to engage in your life but feel like the social media is taking over then a mini digital detox might be the best thing.

I’m sharing three really simple ways to slim down on the digital overload so that you can still see what your friends are up to without being consumed by it, and even -dare I say- ENJOY social media once again! Try taking these three action steps today and see if it helps you focus on the more important things in life.

Do an Unfollow Cleanse- Go through the people and brands that you follow and ask yourself “Does this account and their content inspire, teach, motivate, or serve me in any constructive way?”  You may also want to ask yourself “Do I even know this person?” We come across a lot of people that we’re not even really friends with, yet we see what their kid had for breakfast (like, why?).  Over the years we accumulate followers and friends like we accumulate stuff around our house. That guy from your bio 101 class in college ten years ago…unfollow. The girl down the hall from you at your first job that would show up to work hungover half of the time…unfollow.  News outlets that remind you of the political black hole we are in….getdafuckouttahere! Curate your feed so that all you see are your closest family and friends, and public figures/brands that resonate with you and lift you up.

Mute Instagram Stories: I LOOOOOVE instagram stories, but ever since they began I find myself watching them for too long. It’s a big productivity time suck if you’re not careful. It’s the modern day equivalent to flipping through the channels, spending 2 seconds on each one before switching to the next. All you have to do is go to the top of your insta feed and hold down the circle icon of someones story, it will give you the option to view their profile or mute. Go-ahead and have a muting party but save the good ones! I have muted a lot of instastories, and watch only ones that I find entertaining, helpful, or inspiring, so I’m not wasting my time looking at the same picture of the snow outside from everyone who lives on the east coast (yes I know it snowed, I live here too).

Keep Only ONE Social Media App on Your Phone– I use Facebook and Instagram as my main platforms, but I found that the Facebook app was becoming a mindless waste of time. I would catch myself reaching for my phone only minutes after checking it, not even intending to look at Facebook, but I’d end up there like a reflex. Do you ever have those moments of “how did I get here?”  So I deleted the Facebook app on my phone because I can always post from my laptop. It makes the time I spend on Facebook more intentional and specific. I will set aside 10-15 minutes when I get home from work to check in with my friends and make a post or two, but it’s a designated pocket of time and when it’s over it’s over. With Instagram and Snapchat on the other hand you kinda need it on your phone since you cannot post from anywhere else. So maybe leave one of those on your phone and hide it in the back of your apps or in a folder so it’s not right on the home screen.

These tips are simple and can be implemented right now. I hope you can try some out and see how it works for you.

 

Now I wanna hear from you!

Do you feel like you are in need of a mini digital detox? If so, what are you going to do today to clear out the digital clutter from your life? Post in the comments!

mini-digital-detox

 

5 Must Haves For Your Meditation Space

5 Must Haves For Your Meditation Space

by | Dec 31, 2017 | Mindful Home, Self Care

So this year maybe you’ve thought about establishing a meditation practice. You know the benefits, you have all the apps, perhaps you’ve even tried it a few times. But for some reason it just isn’t sticking. Do you find this true for you? It certainly was (and sometimes still is) true for me. By creating a sacred and relaxing meditation space for yourself the habit may just take hold, as long as your desire is there; I’m not going to promise that your practice will immediately take off- you have to be committed to it. So I wanted to share with you my 5 must haves for your meditation space. I like to break it down by the five senses.

Sight– You’ll want to incorporate images or objects that bring you into a high state of joy, focus, and love. This can be anything you want such as personal items like pictures and heirlooms, or spiritual items such as crystals, statues, and mala beads. Create a space that invites you to spend time there, and bring your personality to it. If you prefer a minimalistic style then keep it simple, if you like lots of color then decorate to your hearts content, and if plants make your heart sing then get some green in there!

 

Smell- It is said that the sense of smell evokes the strongest emotional and memory reactions in the brain. I find that using the same smells consistently in your meditation or yoga practice over time will have the power to bring you back to a state of peace by just smelling it. You can use essential oils, candles, incense, or burn sacred cleansing items such as sage or palo santo wood.

Taste– While it’s not necessary to incorporate taste in your meditation practice, I feel that engaging in all 5 senses creates a full body experience and brings you fully into the now. Get creative with this one. I usually have tea with me (because I always have tea with me) but if dark chocolate, peppermint, or a certain type of fruit brings you happiness then go for it. The use of food in mindful meditation is also a great way for non-meditators to get into the habit. You can do this by picking a food and spending a significant amount of time looking at it, touching it, smelling it, and tasting it. Fully being in the moment. We can use food as a tool to bring us in the present, but sadly most of the time we are devouring our food in a rush or while doing something else. I was lead through a mindful meditation one time with a slice of orange and it was unforgettable.

 

Feel– Giving your hands something to do is a great way to stay with your meditation. Holding onto something that has spiritual or energetic significance to you will help you stay in the vibration of your higher self. Holding a crystal in your hands or at your heart’s center is a powerful energetic tool for elevating your meditation. Mala beads are useful when chanting certain mantras and can help you from drifting off into thoughts of the past or future. You also want a comfortable cushion to sit on; if you are uncomfortable you are less likely to tune in to your practice. Overall, let the space be a refuse for your tactile sense, incorporate whatever feels good. If you like velvet find a velvet cushion to sit on, or if you love cashmere wrap a shawl or scarf around your shoulders.

Hear– Whether it’s a sound that you produce yourself or one that you listen to, not only is the auditory component of sound a great way to stay engaged in your meditation, but most importantly the vibratory component to sound will affect you on a cellular level. I always loved chanting in my yoga classes in preparation for meditation because I can physically feel the vibration in my chest and moving it’s way through my body. It’s more than just sound. When our cells are vibrating at a higher level we can significantly deepen our experience in meditation. I also love, Tibetan singing bowls or guided meditations because they occupy my mind, when it might other wise drift off into meaningless or worrisome thoughts.

 

 

Whatever you incorporate to your space let it be a reflection of you, and the things you love.  There really are no rules, and it doesn’t have to be big either. There are loads of ways to create a space with limited room. Get creative and share in the comments what you have in your sacred space? I would love to hear what some of your favorite items are!!!

xo,

 

 

 

 

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5 Must Haves For Your Meditation Space

The Best of 2017!

The Best of 2017!

by | Dec 30, 2017 | Lifestyle

This year has brought many blessings for myself, as well as many of you beautiful readers. I launched Bloom & Spark 3 years ago, with no idea what I was doing, only a desire to share my own health and wellness journey. My hope to inspire others while I learned, explored, and shared has grown slowly and steadily like the little engine that could. I have to remind myself every day that it took guts to put myself out there, share my story, and continue to show up as honestly as I can. Unfortunately, like so many others, I can get caught in the trap of comparison-itis. But in the spirit of seeing our lives as beautiful and perfect just as they are, I wanted to share with you some of my highlights from 2017.

Getting Engaged

My fiancé, Tim, and I have been together for 11 years!!! Say What!?!?! We met in college and had loads of things to do before throwing a really complicated and expensive wedding seemed like a good idea. I’m so glad we waited, and we are savoring every moment of being engaged before the big day in June 2018.  (Isn’t he cute!)

 

Finally Stepping into Coaching

I read a journal entry of mine in 2015 where I wrote about how I wanted to help people somehow but I didn’t know how to start or what to do. Fast forward a few years, and I finally stepped into my role as a health and wellness coach this year, despite many doubts, and fears. My first couple of private clients I had in 2017 felt like divine soulmates, brought to be by the universe herself to show me that I have what it takes to make an impact on their lives. I am madly in love with my clients and the work that we do to bring more meaning to their lives. Nothing has brought my the type of joy and enthusiasm than working with these amazing women to help them find greater balance in mind, body, and spirit….oh and I’m just getting started!

Being Named Lululemon’s Teacher of the Month

I sort of hesitate to put this up here because it’s definitely an outer source of happiness for sure. Meaning that it involves extrenal recognition. I’m always talking about not placing serious meaning on ego driven happiness but in this case it’s a little different. Partnering with Lululemon was a dream come true, not becasue of the name and fancy yoga pants, but because the sense of community they create. Not only am I friends with so many of the ladies that work there (the Hamptons are a pretty small community) but the outreach and generosity that Lululemon shows for our comminity, is unmatched. I got to teach classes to fellow yoga-loving Hamptons locals in the most beautiful yoga space/art gallery, meet more people in my community, and they honestly throw some pretty rad parties too! Being around nice people is just..well really nice!

Traveling to Stockholm

One of the best, and most random ideas we’ve ever had. It’s not that I didn’t want to go to Stockholm, it’s just that it never really occurred to me as a place to travel to. I had a long list of places that would have come before Stockholm. But thanks to some extremely cheap flights, we booked a trip without hesitation. With no expectations we were set up to be blown away by the culture, architectural beauty, lovely people, and the MOST INCREDIBLE FOOD! I will forever recommend Stockholm as a must-see destination, and hope to return there someday. (I’m actually toally obsessed with Scandinavian culture now btw.)

Investing in Myself

I’m certain that more people should be doing this. I always thought investing in myself meant getting a mani/pedi every few months. HA! What I’ve really come to learn is that investing in yourself involves going out on a limb, learning something you never knew, taking a course or a training in something you’re interested in, and exploring hidden depths and heights to who you are as a person. I have begun to invest in myself in ways that would have freaked me out in the past, but I see no other investment as sound as investing in yourself. My best investments in the past have included a 200 hour yoga teacher training, Spirit Junkie Masterclass Level 1 & 2 with Gabby Bernstein (best investment ever, btw), B-school with Marie Forleo (highly recommend it to all my fellow boss-babes out there), Amanda Frances Life Coach Course, and finally this year the biggest investment of all… I finally hired my own coach!

This is poignant because I always thought I could do everything myself. If I just got enough books, watched enough free webinars, sighed up for all the freebies out there, that I would know what to do. Well that may be true but knowledge without strategy for implementation is like a wet match. I just invested in my second high level coach and every time I work with a coach I am taken to new heights in my business and personal growth. Moral: if you’re thinking about hiring a coach just do it. You’ll wish you did it sooner!

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s to a fabulous 2018. When you look back on your year what stands out the most to you?

xo,

5 Keys to Achieving Your Goals

5 Keys to Achieving Your Goals

by | Dec 25, 2017 | Lifestyle

So let’s talk about goal setting. As a speech-language pathologist (betcha didn’t know I also do that), I am trained in assessing somebody’s needs and constructing clear, measurable, and attainable goals to plan their treatment and growth. I do this for people all day, everyday. As I’ve started growing my own business and personal wellness habits, I’ve learned the true power behind intentional goal setting with a few strategies. These are my 5 keys to achieving your goals.

CLARITY

This is all about getting clear on WHAT your goals are and WHY they are your goals. The WHY part is key here. I’ve gone after things that, when I really thought about it, I didn’t actually want. I may have liked the idea of it in theory, or maybe I wanted to see myself as a person who did that thing, but it never lit me up inside. Have you ever done that? Like deciding to train for a marathon because it sounds so badass and you want to say you ran a marathon…but you don’t actually like to run. Training will be torture, and it’s more likely that you will give up on it because it’s not motivating or rewarding.

I can’t stress enough the importance of having a clear reason for wanting to achieve your goals. 

Try this! Take out your journal and list out a few things that you would like to accomplish. Then next to each one write five (or more) reasons why you want it. Be selfish! Be specific! Nobody has to see this. It’s incredibly effective to attach deeper purpose for your goals. Knowing why you want something, keeps you motivated on those days when you just don’t feel like putting in the effort.

A deeper way to identify meaningful goals is to get at the heart of what it is you really want. Each time you write a “why” statement next to your goal ask why you want that. For example: “I want to lose weight…why? To feel better…why? To have more energy to take care of my family..why?…So I can be the best mom to my kids.” So by doing that you get to the heart of the goal. Here’s another example; “I want to start a business…why? I’m sick of the 9-5 grind. Why? I don’t like doing work I’m not passionate about and have to ask for permission when I need time off. Why? Because it doesn’t fulfill me and I have no freedom to do what I want?” So the original goal can be clarified to say “I want to create a fulfilling and freedom based business.”

I think you get the idea. GET REALLY FUCKING CLEAR ON WHAT YOU TRULY DESIRE.

IDENTITY

Identify who you have to to BE to achieve these goals. Have faith in yourself, and in the process. If you don’t believe you can transform your life and get what you want, then it’s not going to get done. We all have the power to turn our thoughts and ideas into reality. The thing that separates the people who make it happen from the people who don’t is absolute certainty that they are worthy of it.

A good way to grow your certainty if it’s not strong at first is through strategic visualization. Not just dreaming about what you want to happen. Imagine yourself doing the daily work needed to achieve the goal. See yourself getting up early, making those calls, pushing past the moments you want to give up. If you’re training for a marathon don’t just see yourself crossing the finish line; picture how you pushed through the cramp on mile 14 during training when it was cold and raining.

THEN get into the vibration of how it will feel when it’s achieved. This is the most important part of creating certainty. Get into the mindset of how you will feel. If your goal is to grow a coaching business you can run from your laptop these are some things you will want to feel; elation when you get a grateful email from a client who saw major transformation after working with you; abundance when you look at your growing bank account, knowing that money comes easily to you; freedom when you book that one way ticket to bali because you don’t have to sit in cubicle anymore; fulfillment knowing you are doing what you were born to do; and my favorite, that  “OMG I actually pulled this off” feeling of experiencing your true power when you realize you are exactly where you dreamed you would be.

STRUCTUE

Coming up with a plan of action is the most tangible step in achieving your goals. It gives you a clear path from beginning to end. It also takes the pressure off the big vision. Often we only come up with our main goal without creating a specific plan of action, and then a week later wonder why we haven’t achieved it. The main goal is too overwhelming all by itself. We’ve all told ourselves that we will “loose the weight” or “workout more” but without a plan it often doesn’t get accomplished.

So here is how we structure goals into actionable steps.

1.Make a Long Term Goal: The long term goal is your main goal. It’s something that you’d like to see accomplished in the next six months to a year. It doesn’t state how or when the goal will be achieved. This is purely the WHAT. These goals are usually what comes after “I want to…”

Examples of Long Term Goals:

  • Have a daily meditation practice
  • Write a book
  • Earn $100k in my business this year
  • Lose 20 pounds
  • Run a marathon
  • Open a bakery

2. Create Short Term Goals: Your short term goals are the outline and breakdown of everything you need to do in order to reach that end goal. It’s the HOW. Ask yourself what you need to do every day, week, and month to get to the end. Breaking it up into bite sized pieces does two things. 1) It tells you exactly what you need to do today and tomorrow so you are clear on your path and 2) It makes the end goal not seem so insurmountable, and takes the pressure off of you.

Perhaps you break down a yearly goal into quarterly benchmarks (where you want to be every 3 months), then monthly goals, weekly goals, and daily tasks. I’ve found that it helps to make small daily tasks that lead you to my weekly goals, that lead to monthly goals, all the way up to my long term goal. Some goals won’t need to be broken down in such specific ways. It will depend on the goal.

Examples of a goal broken down:

  • Long Term Goal: Write a Book in the next year
    • Quarter 1:Create Book Outline
      • Month 1: Research topics needed for the book
        • Daily Tasks: Spend 1-2 hours in the library 5 days a week, collecting information from relevant sources.
      • Month 2: Construct a detailed chapter outline
        • Daily Task: Spend 1 hour 5 days a week organizing outline of the book.
      • Month 3: Add more details to each chapter in the outline
        • Daily Task: Spend 1 hour 5 days a week adding details to each chapter outline.
    • Quarter 2:Write The book
      • Month 1: Write Chapters 1-3
        • Daily Task: Write 1,000 words towards creating chapters 1-3.
      • Month 2: Write Chapters 4-7
        • Daily Task: Write 1,000 words towards creating chapters 4-7.
      • Month 3: Write Chapters 8-10
        • Daily Task: Write 1,000 words towards creating chapters 8-10.
    • Quarter 3: Edit the book
      • Month 1:Hire an editor
      • Month 2: Make Corrections
      • Month 3:Finalize manuscript
    • Quarter 4:Send to Publishers
      • Month 1:
      • Month 2:
      • Month 3:

The more you boil these down from long term goals to daily tasks the more specific and measurable they can get. You always want to have a way to measure your goals. I love physical and visual ways to measure progress. Coloring in little boxes next to your tasks will show you how often you have done them. And if you’re a little OCD you won’t like seeing blank boxes. Include precise amounts, dates, and times so you can measure your degree of success.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Once you know what you want, why you want it, and how you are going to go about achieving it, you need a way to make sure you actually DO those things. It’s often not enough to hold yourself accountable. I know I tell myself things I want to do all the time and never follow through, because there’s no damage to my character or reputation if I don’t keep my word to myself. I’ve found that you can give me every gym membership or workout dvd, but if I don’t have a group to check into when it comes to my daily workouts, it’s very likely that I will find an excuse to not workout.

Partners: You can get a “running buddy” somebody that is working toward similar goals, so you can keep each other on track.

Coaches: Coaches are one step better than having a buddy because they will check in with you weekly and expect to see progress.You’re less likely to show up empty handed to a session with a coach if they are expecting to hear about what you’ve done that week…and if you are paying them to stay on your ass.

Groups: Join a group where everyone is working toward a similar goal. Fitness accountability groups, addiction recovery groups, and online masterminds are a great way to stay on track. You can get ideas and support from others, and you feel helpful by providing that same support to others.

Sharing your goal: Tell everyone in your life about what you are doing.  Share it on Facebook, and people will expect to see your progress.Telling yourself you will do it is one thing, telling others what you are doing creates external accountability.

CHECK-IN

Set aside one time every week where you will look over what you have accomplished that week that contributes to the long term goal. I enjoy doing this on Sunday night. Look back over your daily and weekly tasks and give yourself a review. Have you done everything you need to do this week? How well did you do them? What caused you to slack? What helped motivate you? Asking yourself these questions can help you learn what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Over time you will begin to fine tune your process and eliminate the things that hold you back.

Make a ritual out of this time; pour a cup of tea, light a candle, and put on your favorite music. By creating an enjoyable routine when checking in with your progress, it’s more likely that you will continue this behavior. This time to check in with yourself will keep your mind focused on the goal, and give you momentum. When you see all the things that you have done in a week, you will feel proud and motivated to continue on. Cultivating momentum is super important here!

In addition to checking in with your progress over the past week, take a look at the week ahead. Make a clear plan for what you need to get done that week so you can start the week off with intention and clarity. I use paper planners and write some of my daily tasks there, but I also love using online tools like Evernote, iCal, and Google docs.

I hope this helps you in the new year!

xo,

5 keys to achieving your goals