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3 Ways To End The Year Strong

October 29, 2018

The end of the year is only a couple months away!

As usual, I’m so excited for the holidays and all that comes along with them: family, friends, food, downtime, gifts, and most of all, celebrating the birth of my Savior who chose to enter this world as a baby one holy night long ago.

Last year, as the end of December was quickly approaching, I made this video of 5 Ways To End The Year On A High.

We usually start the New Year with some resolutions and direction for the future, but it’s easy to end the year without being intentional at all! It can be a busy time, even stressful for some, and thoughts of a healthy lifestyle and accomplishing something specific “can wait until January 1st.”

But why let the next two months pass you in a blur? Instead, why not look at November and December as 60 days of opportunity? — opportunity to be intentional and end this year in a way that next can’t help but be amazing.

I’ve been thinking about those 5 tips from my video and thought of a few more practical ways to end the year right. (I may be a little extra motivated by the fact that in December, I’ll be celebrating the big 3-0!)

3 Ways To End The Year Strong

1. Make Healthy Choices

In my opinion, Thanksgiving and Christmas are definitely days when you eat what you want without giving thought to macros, sugar, calories, or any other dietary rule! (Unless, of course, your health or life depends on it!) Some may disagree, but these holidays bring with them my favorite meals of the year.

However, as I sit here drinking my protein shake in prep for my upcoming workout, I think it’s important to note that you can still make healthy choices during the holiday season.

If you didn’t hit that goal weight you wrote down as a New Year resolution, don’t wait until January 1st to start working on it again! Set an end-of-the-year goal to lose 5-10 pounds and give yourself an edge on weight loss as you head into next year.

It doesn’t take much!

  • Set a goal to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day.
  • Make a meal plan for the next two months that will keep you on track.
  • Find ways to be active! (Christmas shopping requires a lot of walking, right??)

For the month of October, I got my sisters and cousins to join me in a 30-day workout challenge. They helped keep me accountable since we had to check in when we completed each day. I told them I’d send them each a gift if they completed the challenge with me.

Get your friends or family involved and make it fun! You can get a lot of inspiration on Pinterest or by searching for “30-Day Workout Challenge.”

Check out some of the great health and fitness advice and inspo from our resident wellness blogger, Leah Pfohl!

2. Finish Something

Look back at your New Year resolutions, or some of the goals you have set throughout the year. Is there anything you didn’t follow through on?

Can one or more of those be accomplished in 60 days? If so, pick one, make a 60-day plan to reach that goal, and do it!

You can even use this cute, little She’s Intentional Goal Tracker!

Easy-peasy, right??

Plus, if you’re anything like me, you love a good checklist. (Where my list-lovers at?)

Set yourself up for an end-of-the-year WIN! When you win, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and creates momentum. That momentum will carry you into January ready to tackle anything.

3. Focus On Your Habits

One of things my husband and I did a few months ago was sit down and write out all the characteristics of our “perfect” selves so we could start doing what they would do.

I asked myself, what does “perfect Brittani” do that I don’t do?

What does she not do?

What are her daily habits?

What characteristics define her?

There’s no need to wait until January to do this little exercise! If you do it now, you can pick a few habits to focus on that will bring you even closer to being who you are designed and called to be!

If the “perfect” version of you spends 15 minutes each morning in the Word (and you’re not already doing it), then start now! If you see yourself being a more giving person, this is the ideal season to put giving into practice.

Small changes really do add up. So focus on your habits, and you’ll be well on your way by the time the New Year arrives.

Don’t believe the lie that you just don’t have time during the holidays to accomplish anything. You will make time for what matters to you. And small changes in your routine or habits don’t take a lot of time!

I challenge you to pick at least ONE thing from this list and put it into practice.

Let me know in the comments what you plan to accomplish in your last 60 days of the year!

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BONUS: 5 Ways To End The Year On A High

Just in case you didn’t go watch the video, here are five ways to end the year on a high:

  1. Forgive and be forgiven.
  2. Celebrate what you accomplished.
  3. Spend quality time with your friends and family. (Check out these 5 Ways To Be Intentionally Present For Christmas.)
  4. Keep Jesus at the center.
  5. Make sure someone else’s year ends on a high.
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