2020 Community Self-Care Check-in Challenge!

[BrendaBT]

As the New Year unfolds and we adjust back into our daily hectic routines it is important to remember to pause, take a break, and take care of ourselves as well. This year my biggest goal is to practice more self-care rituals. After all, beauty starts from within!

As a way to commit, hold each other accountable, and ultimately help each other take care of ourselves, we thought it would be fun to do a weekly self-care check-in, by choosing one ritual and reporting back weekly with our progress.

Now, I know most of us are busy people, but dedicating time for ourselves can be as simple and effective as:

1. A morning meditation, and/or nightly adaptogenic drink (may we suggest FOUR SIGMATIC - Golden Latte Mushroom Mix with Shiitake & Turmeric or FOUR SIGMATIC - Mushroom Hot Cacao Mix with Reishi )
2. Better sleep! Committing to getting a full night's sleep 1 night/week, and sticking to an earlier bedtime.
3. Waking up! Get up after that first alarm so you’re less rushed in the morning and have more time to mentally prepare for the day!
4. Be active - get to yoga 1/week or go for an early morning run before work.
5. Skincare - masking on a weekly basis, getting a facial, or remembering to remove your makeup every night!
6. “Me time!” Embrace the FOGO (fear of going out), read that book you've been wanting to pick up
7. Make healthier choices - adding more fruits and veggies to your meals.
8. YOU PICK! You know yourself better than we do, so if we missed something please share how *you* want to take care of yourself. Just don’t forget to check in with us! 😊

This thread will be a place to talk about your weekly self-care check-ins, share how you’re feeling about your progress, recommend/talk about products you’re using, and share your self-care tips and tricks.

Reply below to tell us which self-care ritual you’re committing to!

*EDIT 4/2:

Hello everyone, we hope you and your loved ones are staying safe! Given the times, we may just need this thread more than ever so we wanted to add in extra self-care goals now that many of us are spending more time at home or are going into the world helping others. Here are some additional ideas for taking care of yourself. We challenge you to try a few of these and share your wins on this thread!

1. Stick to your routine: Maybe it's putting on your favorite outfit instead of PJs or doing your makeup/hair in the morning! Snap an OOTD and share it here.
2. Staying active: This could be as easy as one 10-minute workout video each week or dusting off your yoga mat. Let’s see that at-home gym or virtual workout class!
3. Setting up your space: Are you reading, eating, sleeping, working out, and BIC-ing in the same spot? Try to establish devoted spaces for all of your activities.  
4. Stay social: Set up virtual face-time with your loved ones and maybe spend some extra time here in the BIC!
5. Spring Cleaning: Try reorganizing your home, bedroom, or simply going through your stuff to declutter your space. If you reorganize your beauty space we would love to see a before and after photo here!
6. Take on a new hobby or learn a new skill: Master that smokey eye you’ve always wanted to. Maybe even learn a new language or instrument!
7. Do your own nails - no nail salon? No problem. Let’s see that at-home mani once you’re done – no worries if it isn’t perfect.

What are you doing for self-care? We are open to all advice and want to congratulate you on your little wins!

[BrendaBT]

@CarolBT The glow is real! I love this, looks like such a fun experience 🙂 

[averylayne]

@CarolBT that is so awesome! I had no idea Sephora offered that.  Love your glow in the after photo 🤩

[itsfi]

@CarolBT, it was very good of you to spend the $75 so that the store could practice with the HydraFacial machine. 😉 I love the hydration and glow from the perk hydrafacial! 💗 Your skin looks flawless (in the before AND after pics). 

Yay for self care! 🙌🏼

[LexBT]

Weekly update - SLOW COOKER. Need I say more? I didn't have much time to meal prep outside of my weekly fritatta/egg bake, so I needed something I could throw together quickly. I made this chicken with dijon mustard, white wine, and shallots that made our house smell divine! 

I also did my weekly hair mask - this week was Olaplex No. 3 Hair Repair Perfector 3.3 oz / 100 mL. Wore it alllllll day. No shame.

And I checked out a new gym near my place. I have a free 3-day pass to check it out and see if I can make it work with my commuter schedule. 

[bakeamuffin]

@LexBT brilliant! My slow cooker is probably my favorite kitchen appliance, it makes cooking meals so simple. Glad you had it to utilize during your busy week! 

[JaneanBT]

Hi @LexBT ,

That sounds chicken sounds AMAZING! I love cooking chicken and really want to try some slow cooker recipes! I typically bake my chicken in the oven.

Best Wishes,

Janean

[itsfi]

The crock pot is one of the best inventions ever!!! 💗 Your chicken dish sounds delicious @LexBT! 😋 I can smell the yummy goodness! 

[averylayne]

Girls Night Out - these are rare for me (especially since I have 2 little ones now), but I went to dinner and saw Ali Wong with 5 of my best gals and we had a blast!

Me Time - getting back to the gym has made such a difference.  It's an hour, where I can just be in my own head without a toddler yelling the words "trucks", "dump trucks", and "oranges" into my ear 😂

Baby Weight - I'm back down to pre-pregnancy weight 🎉 Thank you Peloton! haha

[PrettyPaint]

@averylayne  Totally replying to an old post here, but do you recommend the Peloton? I’m curious about them. 

[averylayne]

@PrettyPaint yes! I totally do! It was really hard for me to get motivated again, but once I hopped back on the bike, I couldn't stop.  There are so many different classes, with so many different instructors, so it doesn't get boring.  You have a lot of choice in your workouts (ie: the length, the type, your instructor, the music, the difficulty, the goals, etc).  I'm not someone who does crazy full body workouts.  I mainly do it to maintain energy to keep up with my kids (and of course the health benefits too haha), so the bike is a really good fit for me.  If you do a lot of strength training or weights, you would probably need to supplement the bike with some additional workout equipment, but for me, the bike is all I need.    

[PrettyPaint]

@averylayne  Oh, that's great that it gives you energy. That's really what I need. I sometimes overdo it on the running, so I feel like I need something a bit more low impact that I can do indoors. They are just so pricey, though. I'm trying to figure out whether I can actually justify it or should just resort to a more inexpensive bike. I'm just afraid I'll buy something else and still wish I had the real thing...haha.

[averylayne]

@PrettyPaint I definitely understand that.  There's the cost for the bike and the additional monthly costs for the subscription so it's definitely a long term investment.  I will say though, now that I've tried Peloton, I don't think I can ever ride a regular bike indoors 😅. They do have deals sometimes.  One of my friends bought hers during the Black Friday sale last year.  So maybe just keep an eye out for a good deal!

[PrettyPaint]

Ooooh thanks @averylayne. I will definitely keep an eye out on Black Friday.

[BrendaBT]

Yay! Congrats @averylayne! I'm so happy for you and your self-care journey 🙂

[averylayne]

thank you @BrendaBT 😊

[LexBT]

@averylayne cheers to you!!

[averylayne]

thank you @LexBT !

[RebeccaBT]

@averylayne Congrats on your self-care and getting back to prebaby weight! That is amazing! 

Best,
Rebecca

[averylayne]

thanks @RebeccaBT ! Happy to be back at my normal weight, but also really happy to gain a little more energy from my workouts.  These kids are running circles around me 😰

[itsfi]

Yaaaay!!! So happy for you @averylayne! Congrats on keeping with your self care! 💗

[averylayne]

thanks @itsfi ! always a work in progress...slowly but surely, I will try to dedicate more time to myself!