Well with Arielle Lorre - 148: Wellness & Mindset Motivation for 2022!

Episode Date: January 5, 2022

In this solo episode I am taking questions from the audience about wellness, mindset and goals for the new year. I discuss the biggest game changer habit I started in 2021; how a step goal helped change my body and mind; how to approach exercise and nutrition in a balanced way if the goals are also physical; time management and productivity tips; how to stay organized in 2022; my morning and nighttime routines; how to rise above negativity and so much more. I also do some rapid fire random questions at the end including a few beauty questions!   www.Athleticgreens.com/blondefiles for a free 1 year supply of Vitamin D and 5 Free travel packs with your first purchase. www.Talkspace.com with code "blonde" for $100 off your first month. www.Curology.com/BLONDE for your free 30-day trial; just pay $5 for shipping and handling. www.Arrae.com with code "blondefiles" at checkout for 10% off your one-time purchases or 25% off first month on subscription.   Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Hey, welcome to the Blond Files podcast. I'm your host, Ariel Lori, and I'm here to talk all things wellness. From how to achieve optimal health and well-being to the best beauty tips and everything in between, no topic is off limits. I know there is so much information out there, so I'm here to help you navigate it all and live your best life. Thanks for listening. Let's get into it.

Hi, everybody. Welcome to the show. I'm sure everybody is. over all of the New Year's stuff. I don't know about you, but I personally had to like take a little break from Instagram because if I heard that song that everyone did with the freaking highlight real video with the Bruno Mars, I cannot. I truly cannot. If you made one of those, I get it. It's fun to look back on everything, but I was like, I can't. I also hate opening the Instagram app now and being assaulted with videos.

That's what TikTok is for. So, wow, I didn't think I was going to go off on a tangent to start. But I guess I had to get that off my chest. So I'm going to try to not go too much into like the New Year's 2022 resolutions and all of that. But I did have you guys send in questions on Instagram. And I think there were some about like best and worst of 2021 and what I'm taking with me into 2022. So I might dabble a little bit. We'll see. We'll see what happens. And I'm going to take whatever other random questions I decide to answer. So let's get into it. So I guess I do have to

kind of start off with this one because I've been posting about my walking on Instagram. And a lot of people asked what one wellness thing I started in 2021 that I will continue in 2022. And And it is without a doubt this walking thing that I have been doing specifically 12K or more steps. And before people get triggered, because there have been some people on Instagram who say I'm promoting like this no rest days mentality, I'm going to tell you the origin of this. So I was at my absolute lowest point in like August, moving into September because I had torn a ligament in my foot. I was having gnarly side effects from the medication that I was taking for that injury. I was pretty sedentary. Like, I never used to be a step tracker.

But when I look back on this year, I was at like 2000 on average in August because I simply could not walk. So that means a lot of days I was less than 2000. So I did not feel good. My period was nonstop too, which I've talked about on the podcast. And it just felt like I was unraveling. And I was like modifying some Pilates. workouts here and there, but I just could not get motivated and I felt really frustrated. And during that time,

as the foot injury was healing a little bit and I started being able to walk more, I was in New York City in September and I still felt so terrible physically, like so anxious. I was dizzy all the time and this was related to the medication, but we didn't know it at the time. But I would go and I would just walk aimlessly for hours because it was the only thing that calmed my body and my mind. And when I got back to L.A., I saw my friend Ashley was working with Harley Pasternak, who's like a celebrity trainer here, and he had her walking 14,000 steps a day and working out with him. And I was like, okay, that seems like a lot, but I was intrigued. And so she put us in touch and he's actually going to come on the podcast, so I won't give too much away. But essentially,

when I went to meet with him, he said this. He said he used to train people super hard, like Hallie Berry for Catwoman and all these action stars and they would come in and they would grind it out seven days a week and get in the best freaking shape of their lives for a role. And then he would never see them again because it was just not sustainable. But now with social media and like way more visibility and you can get like put up on Dumois or just Jared or TMZ or whatever, or like any time, like just walking from your car to the grocery store, people want to look their best all the time. And they want to do it in a sustainable way. So he traveled around the world, and I might be getting this timeline a little off, but I'll have him tell you guys about it. But

he traveled and went to places where people are the healthiest. And he looked for their commonalities. And he used that to tailor his approach with his clients. And one of the big commonalities is that people who are the healthiest, and this is like not some secret mystery, but people who are the healthiest are active. And that doesn't mean hitting the gym for two hours a day necessarily, but they're walking or biking or working outside. And so one of his non-negotiables is getting a certain amount of steps per day, like baseline X amount of steps depending on the client. So I'm not sure what it is for other people, but for me it's 12K. And he has said on his Instagram, he actually just posted a video yesterday, like about New Year's resolutions. And he was like,

if you're barely walking at all, don't start at 12K. Start at like 2K and take on things that feel manageable so that it can be sustainable in the long run. So if you're listening to this and you're not active and you're like, I'm going to start doing 12K, it's probably not realistic. So start where you can. But anyway, initially for me, that sounded really daunting because it's one thing if I'm in a city where I can log that like before lunch, but in L.A., it's very much a driving culture. It's not really a walkable city. And in my neighborhood, there are so many hills. So I can walk all over and get such a good workout and then come home and I'm at like 6,000. So it took a while to find what works for me and I realized it's probably much easier for me than for other people because I live in

California where our winter is not really winter at all and I have a treadmill and I like don't have you know babies or kids that I have to take care of and I have a flexible job so I have all of that going for me but this is the way that I do it so I'll do like 8 to 10k on the treadmill first thing in the morning after I meditate and do all of that which takes me anywhere from like an hour to 75 minutes, which sounds like a long time, but I have made it so that I do work that whole time. So sometimes like I'll save editing or writing or emails or whatever for that time, which is actually good because I feel sharper in the morning anyway. So I am multitasking. And then I always walk Harvey at least around the block. So that's another two to four K, depending on how many

times I do it during the day. Sometimes we go for a longer walk. And then just going about my day, I get like, I don't know, I would say maybe 5K average. So that usually brings me close to 20K. Some days I'm around 15. Some days, like after a hard workout, if I'm really sore or if I'm just not feeling super energetic, I stick to 12. So I'll be honest, six months ago, I would have heard this and I would have balked and probably been like, this seems very rigid. Like, seriously, it does sound like a no days off situation. And that was my initial reaction. I was like, I get that movement is important, but all this tracking and being so specific with it feels a little intense for me, especially as somebody with a history of like being a little disordered in this area. But once I got into a habit with it, I came to really crave it. Like I wake up and crave that movement because it's just so good for my energy and for my mind and my body. And of course, like if I don't feel well or if I'm traveling or I have a crazy day, I cannot get it in. My world is not going to end if I don't get the steps in. That's the difference with like me now and me a few years ago. It's just a goal. And it's what I strive for and it's okay if I don't hit it, but I feel my best when I do hit it. And then this is the other interesting thing. So I got an aura ring because Harley also helps with sleep. And so we wanted to track it. And there's such a big difference in the amount of deep sleep that I get when I hit like 17 to 20K steps. versus when I get less. It's not even that I feel exhausted because it's just walking. I'm not, and I'll get into this. I'm not like walking at a super high incline and trying to like lose fat and

break a sweat. It's just being active. But I sleep so much better. And he said that he has other clients who have said the same thing. Like it's better than Xanax, to be honest. Sometimes when I hit my bed at night, I feel like I have taken a Xanax. And obviously I have not. It's just I have been active enough that my body feels naturally super calm. So I will wrap up this portion of the episode with the specifics. Like a lot of people asked how fast, what incline, all of that. I never go faster than 3.2 miles per hour on the treadmill. Usually I stick around 3 and my incline is either nothing or it's between like 2.5 and 4, but that's only for intervals. It's not for the whole time. And yeah, I'm not necessarily walking to get my heart rate up or sweat. I'm just walking to move and to not be sedentary. And I really didn't realize how sedentary I was until I started doing this. And that's something that he talked about too. Like you don't have to put your sneakers on and get on a treadmill and do it all at once and you don't have to work up a sweat. But you can maybe take that

work call walking around your backyard if you're working from home or walking around your block or like going down the stairs at your office, I don't know. Or do it on the treadmill, just going slowly. Like I've done that a few times too, where I take a Zoom call or just a regular work call on the treadmill, going super slow, but just so that I'm not sitting there. And of course, you can listen to the podcast when you're going on a walk, basically just getting in the habit of not sitting around all the time. Also, I was DMing with pop apologists. I never know who I'm talking to because I don't know which one of them. I think they switch on and off. But they were saying that they had this like fold out treadmill at their desk. So just this small thing so that when you're standing at your desk,

you can be walking slowly. Again, you're not like running and trying to type an email. But as far as additional workouts go, I am working out with him like once a week right now. And then I do my Obay Fitness app. So I do the Pilates and Sculpt at home. And I just listen to you. And I just listen to my body as far as additional workouts go. Some days I have lots of energy and I'll do like a 20 or 30 minute workout. I never really do more than that. And other days, it's just the walking. I don't really have a schedule as far as that goes. I have to take a second here toot my own horn and tell you guys that I felt very happy and very vindicated by the amount of messages that I got over the holidays saying that you guys weren't sure about array bloat pills and then you got them

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and you can cancel any time. The prescription will be subject to consultation. Okay, current workout routine and food philosophy with Harley. So again, I'll kind of save a deep dive on this for my episode with him. But my philosophy and approach hasn't changed too much. I've always been in a pretty good place nutrition-wise. He did have me increased protein. Like his philosophy is that it's not a meal without protein. So I did that, which definitely helped my kind of inclination to snack throughout the day. And he also helped me move away from more processed snacks. Like I was doing a lot of crackers and stuff to things like fruits and vegetables and hummus and he's giving me like a food a week. So last week the food was hickama. So I did like a lot of, I don't know if I'm saying that

right, hickama and guacamole. I feel like I've probably saying that wrong. Someone's going to call me out. And nuts and seeds and those kinds of things. And then let's see, somebody asked me if I've broken the cookie habit loop, which is a reference to the podcast episode. I did with Dr. Jed Brewer, which is also like one of my favorite episodes. If you haven't listened yet, definitely check that one out. It was last spring, I think. And that's actually a good one. Now I'm like super digressing, but especially as things like resolutions and breaking habits and creating new ones are at the forefront of most people's minds right now, that's a good episode to listen to. So anyway, yeah, we talked about how I habitually eat a cookie or a dessert

every night in that episode. And I still do. You know, some habits, you just don't want to break. It's not negatively impacting my life in any way. In fact, I truly believe it enhances it. I mean, I am one of those people who looks forward to dessert like all day. I have tried to stick to less sugary things, even though all of my cookies use things like maple syrup or honey, sugar is sugar, is sugar. So what I usually have are dream pops, which are these frozen coconut cream, ice cream balls dipped in chocolate. They are so effing good. Or I will have like dates with FX chocolate because that doesn't have any sugar. The chocolate doesn't have any sugar in it. Dates obviously have natural sugar. But I noticed my sleep quality is way better when I do those versus something really sugary or

chocolatey, but I will never be one of those people who has some tea with honey and calls that like a treat or dessert. I fully don't trust those people. No offense if that's you. So I don't know if I answer that question. Food and workout philosophy with Harley, obviously the daily movement and steps thing has been a shift for me. And then my food philosophy is pretty much the same, except that I have increased my protein intake. Okay. Someone asked how to mindfully approach nutrition and exercise for physical goals. So this is kind of a tricky one, but it can be done.

And I think this year we should probably stop shaming anyone who wants to lose weight or tone up or whatever, as long as it's reasonable and healthy. I feel like last year it was kind of trendy or like not PC. to want to lose weight. And I am like fully all about accepting yourself as you are and having that be a starting place. But I think, I don't know, I think no matter what size you are, you can want to be healthy and have that be reflected in a certain way. So I feel like the pendulum always kind of swings to extremes. I think we went from that being okay to it being deemed not okay and not okay to talk about. It's not okay to want to change your body and this big emphasis on intuitive eating and

exercise, which by the way, I fully support, but it became kind of like hush-hash, like don't say that that's what your motivation is when it comes to working out. And I don't think it's always a bad thing. But there is this nice area where you can like have goals and be persistent and still be intuitive and gentle with your approach. And I feel like that's kind of where I am. Like after being sedentary and having that foot injury and gaining some weight from the medication I was on. And of course, like I have to add the disclaimer. Like I know I'm small and petite. I always have been. And that's a privilege. But I was like, yeah, this is kind of uncomfortable. Like it happens suddenly and I'm, I want to like tone up. I just don't feel comfortable. So what can I do to feel my best? And that's

where the walking and working out with Harley came in. And the point is to do my best every day, to do what supports my overall well-being, and that includes resting and having like super lazy days and not hitting all my nutrition goals or whatever every day. And I don't mean that by like counting calories or anything like that. I just mean like having the cookies and having the pizza night and whatever. And when we do things that support our overall well-being and make good choices, good supportive choices. I think whatever our desired results are usually kind of follow naturally. So I think how to mindfully approach nutrition and exercise is to find what is most sustainable for you, whether that's walking or whether it's Pilates or workout classes or

cycling or whatever. I mean, there's so many ways to get active, especially at home now. Like, everything is online. And with nutrition, just keep it really simple. Try to buy as much fruits and vegetables and like whatever protein you like and whatever you enjoy eating so that you have a lot of healthy food on hand and then you can cook and make good supportive food choices with what you have without having to count or track or any of that. I was pretty, I don't want to use the word bad, but like I ordered out probably 85% of my food this past year, maybe more, because I just didn't have. time to cook. But lately I've been getting back into cooking, especially as I took a little

IG hiatus. And I do notice that I feel so much better. So that would maybe be another goal, like try to cook more if you are not cooking a lot. And if you don't have time, you can also try a delivery service. I like Kushi if you're in L.A., K-O-O-S-H-I. It's another company that I found out about through Ashley. And they're really good. They have different plans for whatever kind of diet or whatever kind of food you like, diet meaning, you know, vegan, paleo, pescatarian, whatever. And then I also like Sakara, of course. I am not vegan. Sikara is plant-based, but I will get their stuff and then I'll just like cook some salmon or grilled chicken or whatever and add it to my meal. So I hope I answer that one. I always feel like I'm rambling when I do these without someone

like Brian to interact with. Always very awkward, but yeah, okay, moving on. Okay. How to to gain self-confidence and not be self-critical. So for me, it's directing all of that energy outwards. And I don't even like calling it self-confidence. Like, let's just call it confidence. Self-confidence, self-criticism. I feel like they both have to do a lot with like self, thinking about yourself. And I don't like to think about myself. I don't know about you guys. I find it freaking exhausting. It's kind of something that I learned in recovery, like the less I think about myself and the more I think about what I'm putting out into the world and, like, thinking about other people, the happier and more confident and less critical and all of that I am. So it's this kind of weird

dichotomy. Like, we think we need to do all this work on ourselves and think about ourselves and, like, journal and meditate and self-examine. And I do those things. But I think we usually grow and improve in those areas by directing our attention to others and, like, other endeavors, whether that's work or relationships or volunteering or your passion projects or being creative and all of that. So I think there's a time and place for that self-examination. Obviously, I'm a proponent of therapy and journaling and meditation and all of that. But then I really think the focus on the self should stop there. So personally, I gained the most confidence and I always feel the least critical of myself when I'm doing things I'm proud of, like building my brand or working

on a hobby or doing something with my friends or like showing up for a workout that I didn't feel like doing or helping someone with something or coming up with the new recipe, like basically just taking actions that don't have to do with thinking about myself. It never reducing self-criticism, all of that never comes from sitting there just thinking about myself. basically is what I'm trying to say. Okay, how do I deal with failure? I mean, I try. I don't always succeed, but I try to see it as an opportunity or a stepping stone to get to where I am meant to be. Like, I have enough experience to know that. And this is something I talked about on Instagram recently. what is meant for me will come to me and what is not meant for me is often like what would be

considered failure if that makes sense. So if I'm forcing something or really struggling with something that's just not happening, it's because it isn't meant to happen. And I've had several of these things happen with work, like things that I was really trying to force, they didn't happen or it fell flat. It would be considered like quote unquote failure. And now I can look back. on that and see that they were really just opportunities and also like kind of guides like, oh, okay, this is not what I am meant to be doing right now. Like there's so many cliche sayings about this, but I really think that failure is the best opportunity for all of this. Like you, we or me, I'll just speak for myself. I don't learn and I don't grow from everything working out

and going my way. I just don't. Obviously it's the comfortable thing. But, But it's not the way that I move forward in life and evolve. And I think the important thing about failure is to just not let it stop you from whatever you're trying to do or achieve. Like try to find the lesson and try to grow through it. All right. I feel like I'm preaching right now. Okay.

How to stay positive and avoid negativity. I don't know what kind of negativity this person is referring to, but I have always always, always just ignored it. Like, it doesn't mean I'm positive all the time. But I just do not get wrapped up in drama and negative people or situations or anything. If you are like negative, Nancy, peace out. I can't have that in my life. I just don't have like the time or the space for it in my life. I feel like I'm really sensitive to like people's energy and I don't know. I'm really affected by it. So I know by now that I just, I just can't have it. I think it started because I used to be super non-confrontational. So I would just avoid it that way. And as I've gotten older, I just am cognizant of

like time and how short life is and try to be really intentional with how I spend my time and who I give my time to and where my energy goes. And nobody needs negative people or negative energy truly. Like if I'm in a negative situation or dealing with a negative person, I am like, goodbye, I don't want this. It reminds me of this TikTok sound that I used a while ago. I feel so Gen Z. I can't remember all of it, but it was about focusing on the good in your life. When you focus on the good, the good multiplies. And if you focus on the negative, the negative will multiply. So the choice is really yours. So I say focus on the good and also just be the good. The new year feels like the perfect time to refocus on what we want in life,

but it can be easy to get stuck looking back on all the resolutions that we didn't keep last year or are feeling badly about ourselves if we made resolutions for this year and then we fall short just a couple of days into the year, speaking from experience here. So this year, instead of making mental health a goal, you can make it part of your daily routine and make sure that you are taking care of that resolution with TalkSpace. So Talkspace personally matches you with a licensed therapist that you can connect with right from your phone or computer so that you can get help whenever you need it. And you guys know that I am a huge proponent of therapy.

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be a resolution that you can actually stick to throughout the year, which will also feel good. So just for me and my experience, I've been in and out of therapy, as I mentioned, for years. I don't feel like I always need it, but sometimes I get to a place where I'm struggling with something or everything just feels a little bit more difficult. And I feel like I have a lot of close people from my friends and family and confidants that I can bounce things off of. But sometimes I still don't feel like I'm making any progress or I don't feel like things are getting any more clear or manageable. And that's when I go into therapy and I'm always like, oh yeah, that's why this is a available to us because it is so, so helpful. So no matter what you are struggling with, talk space can

help. As I mentioned, you can have a private virtual room with just you and your therapist. You can send messages 24-7 and get replies throughout the day. There's no need to wait for a weekly appointment. And TalkSpace' encryption and added security features keep your conversation fully protected. So this year, you can make your mental health more than just another New Year's resolution. You can visit Talkspace.com and get $100 off your first month when you use the promo code blonde, B-L-O-N-D-E at sign-up, which is such an amazing deal and an investment in yourself. Again, that's Talkspace.com. The promo code is blonde for $100 off your first month. Since we're talking all about New Year's in this episode, I have a great health hack that you can add to your routine for the new year that will cover so many bases. So, of course, I'm talking about athletic greens.

I did the simple habit, the majority of last year, and it's something that I actually look forward to every single morning. It gives me a little bit of a buzz, like an energy buzz, and I just love it. So if you have not listened to this podcast before and you're wondering what it is, athletic greens is a daily greens superfood powder, but it's so much more than that. I'll get to that in a second. It has gone through, I believe, 53 iterations and counting. So the latest iteration, AG1, in one scoop contains 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitaminol, probiotic, green superfood blend, and more, like I said, in one convenient daily serving.

The special blend of high-quality bioavailable ingredients and a scoop of AG1 work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet. They help to support energy and focus, aid with gut health and digestion, and support a healthy immune system, effectively replacing multiple products or pills with one healthy, delicious drink. So the way that I take this is I do it first thing in the morning with water. Sometimes I like to add ice. But if I'm doing it first thing, usually I'll just do it like room temperature or kind of cool. So I shake it up. It comes with a shaker and I drink it before I do my macha, my meditation, all of that.

because I want this to be the first thing that I introduce into my body when I start my day and then I do my workout after. And I just feel like, as I said in the beginning of this episode, all of my bases are covered. The other thing that I really love about athletic greens and AG1 are the travel packs. They're so convenient. If I'm traveling and I don't know if I'm going to have like one green vegetable during the or I really don't know what my diet is going to look like. I can have this in the morning and just feel like, okay, well, I got my minerals, my micronutrients, probiotics, green superfood, all of that. And now I can go out and enjoy myself. So those are also super convenient. The other thing about AG1 that I'm sure you guys will appreciate is that it's very lifestyle friendly. So whether you eat

keto, paleo, vegan, dairy-free or gluten-free, it works for you. It contains. It contains, is less than one gram of added sugar. So unlike a lot of green juices, it has very low sugar, which we love. It also has no GMOs, no nasty chemicals or artificial anything while still tasting good. So Athletic Greens is going to give you an immune-supporting free one-year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase if you visit athletic greens.com slash blonde files today. Again, just visit athletic greens.com slash blonde files and you can take control of your health and give AG1 a try. How to be more productive in 2022. So when I think of how I want to be productive in the new year,

I think productive and efficient with work so that I have time for rest, which is something I didn't really do last year. Like the nature of this job is to be on 24-7 and always be creating, which is not sustainable. And what happened to me at the end of the year was my creative well ran dry. Like, I could not find the energy nor the fucks, excuse my language to create anything. And that's not a good place to be when like, that's it. That's the job. So I'm really focusing on outsourcing as much as I can this year so that I can do my job. I can't wear all the hats. I think doing a little inventory of your time can be helpful. Like try to think of your days at work or just your days and general. And write down where your time and energy goes. Like a big one for me that made a huge

difference last year was muting people that I enjoy on social media. So I know it's common to mute or unfollow people who like make us feel worse about ourselves or our lives. But I found myself mindlessly watching really entertaining Instagram stories. Like let's see, should I give specific examples. Okay. So for example, like Amanda, not skinny but not fat, who I love, go listen to our podcast episode, by the way, it was great. But like I could watch her stories all day. And she posts so many all day or like do moi or I can't remember who else, but I would consume people's stories all day. And I had this moment where I was like, Jesus, I may as well be sitting here watching reality TV for nine hours a day because that's what I'm doing. So I muted people who I enjoy and I got so much

of that time back. So if you're like someone that I follow and you're like, she doesn't watch my stories anymore, it's because I enjoy you. You're welcome. I also put two and a half hour limits on my social media, which was maybe a little extreme because I do have to be on it for my job. So I might increase it because right now it just makes me feel like a failure at like 10 a.m. every day. It's like you have reached your limit for the day. So maybe I should start around four hours. That's probably more reasonable. But those kinds of things really help me to be more mindful of social media and like just how much of a time suck it is, which I think we can all agree on. And then I think having a really organized calendar and like front loading my weeks is what I'm going

to be focusing on this year. So I started front loading last year and I just kind of made that term up for it, or maybe it really is a term, I don't know. But basically I schedule my weeks where they're really heavy Monday and Tuesday, maybe a little less so on Wednesday and Thursday, but still full days. And then Friday is really light. And I know obviously not everyone can do that, but if you are working from home or if you do have some freedom with how you schedule things, I would definitely recommend that. So I think my tip, for productivity are like, I mean, I know I said no self-examination, but I think this is productive. Like writing down an inventory, it might be kind of illuminating for you to see

like down on paper because it's always different on paper than it is in our head where our time is going. And like when you see it, you can think to yourself is this where I want it to be going because oftentimes those are two completely different things. What we want to be spending time on is not what we're spending time on. And I think we can kind of declutter that. And I think we can kind of declutter that by doing things like setting limits on social and unfollowing and muting people and creating the space to do the things that you want and then being really efficient with your own schedule and sticking to it. Okay. What do I struggle with other than stress? I mean, ironically, I really struggle with time management and being efficient. So maybe don't

take my advice at all. But I feel like for me with so many different components to my job, unless I can really condense each project down and time block, I'm kind of working all the time, which sucks. I mean, someone asked about the influencing business and best and worst parts, and that is definitely one of the worst parts. Like, when sharing your life is your job, it's difficult to turn off and have a life outside of that. I think I do better than other people. Like, I'll definitely take days or like a week or whatever time I need off and I largely keep my private life private, those boundaries are important to me and they're not as important for other people. So I respect that. But I definitely get burnt out and what happens is I just retreat and I'll

just go dark and like wait it out for however long it takes for that to pass, which is not a great strategy when I actually have to be working. So I will summarize with this because I'm just seeing another question here about organization tips for the new year and how to be more productive and have more rest and free time. So basically these are the things I would focus on implementing outsourcing whatever you can in your life, whether that's like in your personal or your professional life front loading or some form of that concept where you're carving out more free time in your schedule by adding more on certain days where you can so that you have lighter days where you can. mute, unfollow, set limits on social or whatever is consuming a lot of your time. If you take an

inventory of that, it will be revealed. Time blocking and being really granular with your calendar and do not deviate as much as you can. And then enjoy the shit out of the rest of your time that you have for rest and play. Okay, tips to decompress from holidays and start 2022. Well, well, here we are, guys. I said I wasn't going to do a New Year's episode. and this is all New Year's, but I would say just start, start small, start with a really solid morning routine, whether it's five minutes or an hour, just work with what you have. You probably know that I find morning and night routine questions and answers so boring, but I know people are interested and are looking for inspiration. And I will say I have really solid routines for

both, which I do think really help me in the long run. So for the morning, my non-negotiable are a few minutes of doing some readings. I write down by hand, whatever's going through my head and whatever I have to do that day that isn't on my calendar. Then I meditate, so I have a little more of a clear head. So I do that for 20 minutes. And that's every single morning. And if I have an early morning, I just wake up earlier. It's that simple. I know I sound like such a good time right now, but it really is the thing that grounds me the most. I just cannot jump up and blaze through my day. or I can, but I usually pay for it. And then I like to do some type of movement. Obviously, for me right now, that's walking and or a short workout. And so before my workday starts, I've taken care of my body and my mind,

and I feel clear and energized to get through the day. And I will say this, though. This is like 95% of my year, but if I'm on vacation or I'm like taking some time off or whatever, I don't always do this. Sometimes I like a really long, slow morning, and I will forego the meditation and the writing and all of that for that for that. So sometimes, you know, that's also practicing self-care. Just wanted to throw that in. But yeah, I would say if you're starting from scratch without any practices, start really small. Like maybe wake up, try to check your calendar, see what's going on, jot down anything, swirling around your head, even just in the notes app on your phone or something. sit like still in silence for two minutes and go for a 10 minute walk or do a 10 minute workout,

something like that where it's like 15 minutes of your morning, just manageable small steps that will turn into habits. And then a night routine to wind down is so important. And I think it's so overlooked in this conversation. People think of like starting your day off right so that you can be clear and productive. But night is so important. Like if I don't, if I don't take care of myself at night and if I get like shitty sleep, my whole next day is, I don't know, I'm on thin ice. My foundation is not solid. So I take my sleep very seriously. This is very important to me. So I get off my phone usually by seven. I'll put it in a different room to charge for the night. I take a bath or a shower. I do my skincare. I get in bed and I read with my

Amber reading light by like 830 and I go to sleep between 930 and 1030. And obviously I have nights where I go out and don't do all of that. And I have mornings, like I said, where I don't do my whole routine. But I'd say 95% of the time, this is what I do. So as far as decompressing from the holidays, I don't know if that means from all the food or the time off and just being off schedule or what. But I find that little practices to bookend my day helps me to be more mindful and grounded. throughout the day and I just feel better and I make better choices and decisions. I have more energy and clarity and all of that. So I think that's a good place to start. All right. I don't know how long I've been talking, but I feel like it's been quite a while and I didn't really get to any fun ones.

But let's see. I'll do some rapid fire to finish us out here. Just kind of at random. Okay. Most valuable advice or aha moment I've had from a podcast guest. I suck at rapid fire. Like there is nothing about me. that's rapid fire. I am an overthinker and a rambler, but it is really hard to sift through so much, so many interviews, but one that's kind of standing out to me in my mind is just everything from the Dr. Talban Shahar podcast about happiness. So if you didn't listen to that one, he taught the most popular class at Harvard about the psychology of happiness. And just everything he was saying was so valuable. It's something that I feel like we should all listen to, especially going into a new year. I'll probably go back and listen to it again. The episode isn't numbered,

but it was from May 26th of last year. Okay, non-surgical upkeep I'm doing. Well, I'm going to start doing fraxil like twice a year on my face and neck and chest. And then I'll do clear and brilliant and microneedling as needed. I'm also doing BBL, the laser, not the fat in the butt, all over my body to stay on top of old sun damage and then Botox as needed. Must do skin, hair, and body treatments after 30. So skin, I would say maybe start with praxyl. It totally depends on you. So obviously go see somebody who is qualified to be giving this advice unlike myself. But maybe fractal, clear and brilliant, microneedling, those are all really good things. Start using retinal. use vitamin C and can't think of anything else for the skin.

Hair, I'm not sure. I'd say color as little as possible. I think there's like a big emphasis on natural, kind of grown out hair right now, which I love. Do hair masks once a week. Use pre-shample oil. That was a big game changer for me. Body, I would say be active, stay hydrated,

focused on getting a lot of variety in your diet, cut out processed food and sugars, take excellent care of your skin. So I like Augustine, I don't know how to pronounce it. You guys know what I mean. The body cream for my body. I like using necessary body oil and body serum, also SPF all over, even when it's cloudy, and do lasers as needed. Overhyped health trend. The first one that comes to mind is food combining. But at the same time, I'm not here to knock anyone if it works, if it works for somebody and it's not hurting them, which I think food combining does because I think from what I've seen, it can get disordered really easily. I went down like a whole TikTok rabbit hole on this actually a long time ago. My experience with breast augmentation, I have no experience yet, but I will probably fill them up with some fat when I'm ready.

Typical day. Okay, it totally depends on the day. but like I said, I wake up around six, do my meditation, morning routine, get my steps in, while I go over my calendar, answer my emails, do work, whatever I need to do, do whatever workout I'm doing that day if I'm doing it. And by 9 a.m., my workday starts. So that can be either podcasting, editing podcasting, filming recipes, shooting other content or shooting campaigns, editing content or campaigns, planning content, reaching out to potential podcast guests, researching them, prepping for interviews, writing and recording ads, a gazillion emails and

texts with my managers throughout the day. It always varies. And then I try to wrap up work by early evening. And then nights also vary during the week, but usually eat dinner around six. And then you guys know my nighttime routine and bed, hopefully by 10 or 1030. Okay, last one I'm going to do here, finding peace with a child-free life. So this is kind of interesting to me. I feel like if it's really what you want, I think you'll automatically have peace with it. But I think if you're struggling to find peace with it, it maybe is because it's not truly what you want. So I would maybe think about that a little bit. Obviously, there are other situations, like maybe you can't have children. So that would be a different conversation.

but I think if you are choosing not to have children, and that's truly what you want, then the piece should kind of inherently come with making that choice. And being one of those people, I know that like everybody, strangers, doctors, maybe family members, maybe friends, whoever will try to persuade you otherwise or plant the seed of doubt, which can be really annoying, frankly. But if it's what you want, own it. Like, I am child-free dog mom, freaking thrilled with my decision.

Thank you very much. Okay. With that, I think that's a good note to end on. I hope you all had a good New Year's and I hope you found some value in this. And thank you for supporting me. I said this in the last episode, but I'm really excited for this year of podcasting. And yeah, all right, I'm going to stop rambling.

Goodbye. I hope you enjoyed that episode. If you liked it, and if you like the show in general, please take a second to rate, review, and subscribe. It goes a long way, and it's actually the best way to support the show. Also, if you want to see more about each episode, you can head away. over to The Blonde Files podcast on Instagram. I'm always posting about each episode there or over on my personal page at Ariel Lorry.