I’ve never been one to consider myself the athletic type. Growing up, I wasn’t particularly good or bad at any sport. In elementary school, I played basketball and took swimming lessons. In middle school, I joined the swim team. By high school, I realized I just wasn’t loving the sports life and decided to put more of my efforts into creative endeavors like art.
Disclosure: Thanks to adidas for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own!
For years, I’ve struggled to find a sport or athletic activity that I really connect with. I’ve tried cycling, running, barre, yoga, and joined a gym. For whatever reason, none of these things have stuck despite countless attempts at making New Year’s resolutions. Last year, however, Dave encouraged me to take up golf. I brushed him off over and over again, but he persisted.
Finally, to shut him up, I offered to take a golf lesson with him. Surprisingly, I didn’t hate it. So I went back. And then again, and again.
While I’m definitely no Tiger Woods, and will likely never be a great golfer, it has got me out of my athletic comfort zone. I’m using muscles that rarely get used in my day-to-day activities of typing, taking photos, and spending too much time on my phone. I’m getting more exercise and also trying new things, like visiting the driving range. I won’t lie; having an excuse to shop for women’s golf gear has been fun, too. I mean, after all, how cute are golf dresses and skorts?!
This year, I purposely made no New Years’ resolutions. Instead, I want to do more things that challenge and push me outside of my comfort zone, keep up and establish more healthy habits, and work on decluttering areas of my life that don’t bring me joy.
Today, I thought I’d share how I’m skipping the idea of “new year, new you” and instead of making sustainable changes that fit into my everyday routine!
Refresh your closet + declutter your life
I kicked off 2020 by tackling the clutter. Because of what I do, it’s been easy to accumulate a lot of excess things that I just cannot use. On top of that, I found myself not wearing a lot of things in my closet, particularly certain pieces of athletic gear, because it wasn’t comfortable or didn’t fit right. Instead of forcing myself to wear things that don’t make me feel great, I thought it was time to refresh the parts of my closet that I don’t love. Then, throughout the year, I can continue to remove the things that just aren’t serving me.
To upgrade my golf wardrobe, I opted to add a few pieces from the adidas women’s golf collection to the mix. I love these half-zip jackets for layering when it’s chilly outside so I picked one up in this bright blue shade. (Bonus points for it being on major sale!)
I also picked up a new golf skort, which I know I’ll be wearing often this spring. It’s so comfortable and the print makes such a fun statement. Additionally, I picked up a few polo shirts to round out my golf wardrobe. Not only are they comfortable and true-to-size, but they also are made with material that protects you from UV rays!
Don’t forget about checking out your favorite sneakers for overall wear, too. If it’s time to replace them, my go-to’s are the CloudFoam Pure Shoes. They’re so comfortable and come in so many great colors!
How to get out of your comfort zone in 2020
In 2020, I’m challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone more often. One of the things I’m going to try is golfing, for the very first time, on an actual golf course. Up until this point, I’ve been golfing during my lessons and at home using a golfing simulator, or visiting a local driving range. I won’t lie; I’m feeling intimidated by the whole thing, but I think that’s just part of being human and something I need to overcome.
Are you looking to get out of your comfort zone this year, too? You don’t have to take up golfing like me, I mean unless you want to be my new golfing buddy!
Here are some easy ways to get out of your comfort zone this year:
- Try a new sport
- Take a new type of fitness class
- Rock a new-to-you fashion trend
- Wear a new color
- Start a conversation with a stranger
- Take a day off to unplug
- Learn to do something that’s always seemed daunting
Make healthy habits part of your everyday routine
The concept of “new year, new you” is so overwhelming that we often fall off the resolution wagon shortly after the year begins. In the past, I’ve tried gluten-free diets, joining a gym, or vowing to “eat healthy”, whatever that means. Of course, none of these resolutions have stuck, which is why I’m looking at the positives of my everyday routine already. Then, I’m focusing on how I can maintain these healthier and positive habits throughout the year, even when times get busy and stressful.
For me, making positive changes means things like:
- Always have healthy snacks available (lately I’ve been loving celery and peanut butter!)
- Keeping a protein or snack bar in the car to prevent fast food stops before or after golf lessons
- Getting in a meal routine that is easy and doesn’t require a lot of cooking
- Preparing more meals at home
- Finding healthy swaps I actually enjoy, like a piece or two of dark chocolate instead of ice cream for dessert
What types of healthy habits do you already have in your everyday routine? If you can find a few things you do on a daily or weekly basis and make them even easier for yourself, you’ll be much more likely to stick with them. As an example, I hate meal planning. Because of this, I found a local business that prepares healthy meals every week that we can pick up. I heat these up for us instead of meal prepping, planning, and cooking since I have found that it doesn’t work for my schedule or lifestyle. If our plans change, I often will pop them into the freezer for the future so we can still be flexible enough to go out with friends or just have a take out night.
As we embark on 2020, I challenge you to worry less about your New Year’s resolutions and instead focus on celebrating the great things you’re already doing! Celebrate those amazing healthy habits you’ve already established, cheer yourself on to try something outside of your comfort zone, and only keep the things in your closet and home that make you feel great.
What are you looking forward to in 2020? Did you make a New Year’s resolution, or are you sticking to making small changes every day? I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
