3 Ways I’m Prioritizing Wellness in 2020

This post is sponsored by Nordstrom and ShopStyle.

2020 marks the first year in the past 7 years where I actually feel like I have my head slightly above water and my ducks in somewhat of a crooked row. I’m finally at a place where the thought of consistently (and I mean consistently) working out, cooking healthy meals and taking time to focus on myself doesn’t make my head want to spin. For me personally, I tend to focus on my husband and kids and then all of my tasks as a wife, mom and homemaker before I focus on myself. Today, in partnership with Nordstrom, I’m going to share a couple ways that I am attempting to make myself, my health and my overall wellness more of a priority for the first time in as long as I can remember and all of my favorite Nordstrom products and gear that have supported my journey!

Jacket // Top // Sports Bra // Leggings // Shoes // Water Bottle 

First, the backstory. In early 2013 I found I was pregnant with my first daughter, Hayden. At the time I was commuting an hour plus each way to work and that coupled with a first time pregnancy didn’t leave too much time for intentional fitness & health. Hayden was born in November of 2013 and in 2014 I transitioned from my job at the time to working for my husband’s company. I also started this blog on the side. Oh yeah, and I found out we were expecting baby #2 at the end of 2014. In 2015 I experienced the lows of grieving a tragic death of a loved one and then the highs of having our second baby girl, Scottie. I think I blacked out for most of 2016 juggling two babies and two jobs and at the end of 2017 we were approached to sell our house. Over the course of 2018 & 2019 we moved three times and basically all of 2019 was spent finalizing the house, moving into the house and unpacking the house. Oh, and did I mention that all this time I have still been running this business, working for my husband’s company part-time and keeping two tiny humans alive?!?

All in all it wasn’t overly stressful and life was still full of joy and fun, but when it came to priorities, I was dead last. I’m just not the type of person that can innately fit in “self-care” when there are babies to be fed, a house that needs cleaning, or work to be done. Even today, I repeatedly miss deadlines or fall short on work when it comes to my family because they are my ultimate priority.

As women, and especially as moms, when we don’t give ourselves time, sleep, fitness and quality nutrition, it isn’t just our waistline or our skin that suffers. Our mental state, our families and our relationships also suffer. I have been really trying, and I mean REALLY TRYING, to make myself a priority since October of last year and I feel like I’m just now in a good stride. I’m so thankful that Nordstrom has partnered with me to let me tell you a little bit about these newfound habits as I gush over all the gear, skincare and helpful products that have helped me. If you want to see more of their wellness items you can do so by visiting this page. They really are one of my absolute favorite retailers and honestly if it wasn’t without their free shipping and returns, my family most likely would not have been clothed over the craziness of the past several years. 

3 Ways I’m Prioritizing Wellness This Year

Jacket // Top // Sports Bra // Leggings // Shoes 

Putting Fitness First(ish)

For the past 3 months I have made it a priority to workout. I have pushed meetings, I have missed dinners with friends, I have left the clothes unfolded, the house a wreck and I have said no to things I felt obligated to do but didn’t want to do. I have asked for help with the girls and admitted that I needed to sweat or I was going to lose my marbles. I have been downright selfish about it. I’m not saying that this is a good practice long-term per-say but it was just that important to me to get back in the swing of taking care of my body. Now that I have formed healthy habits I am much better about balancing working out with my everyday life and responsibilities. This doesn’t mean that I worked out every day. Far from it. This means that I consistently worked out two to three, or sometimes four, days a week. More importantly than the number of times I worked out was the fact that even if I missed a week, I jumped right back in and kept going and I’m proud of myself for that. I also found some great workout gear along the way. Side note – don’t ever discount bribing yourself with a new workout clothes after a week of making your workouts.

My Go-To Workout Gear from Nordstrom:

9 days out of 10 I’m wearing leggings. Here are my favorite leggings for every day wear and my favorite leggings for wearing around the house. I have worn both to spin, yoga or to do core work at home. T

I love On shoes & I don’t care who knows it! I wear this pair to and from spin or classes and this pair to run!

Zella has great sports bras! I love this one and this one.

I wear this Zella tee non-stop and this long-sleeve option when it’s cold outside.

These Bose wireless earbuds won’t fall out while you run or spin and have AMAZING sound!

As far as outerwear goes, I typically wear this jacket, a Patagonia pullover or this hoodie to and from the gym.

Jacket // Top // Sports Bra // Leggings // Shoes // Water Bottle 

Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

Being totally honest, if I get an A on my consistent dedication to working out then I get a C on sleep. In recent years it was no big thing for me to consistently stay up working until 2am only to get up at 6am with the kids. I have really been trying to put off until tomorrow anything that truly can wait, even if that means if I feel behind at work. As a business owner, I have coped with the fact that I will most always feel behind so I bought a few new items to help make the most of my sleep!

A few of my favorite items for blissful sleep:

I wear this sleep dress or this set of PJs almost nightly! If I’m wearing cozy jammies and have relaxed with a great skincare routine then I 100% will sleep better.

I bought a new silk pillowcase and a new eye mask since I can’t sleep with a shred of light

This face oil is the last step of my skincare routine before bed. It smells awesome!!

I recently discovered the Vitruvi line via Instagram and was pumped to see Nordstrom carries it! I got this diffuser for essential oils! It looks great sitting on a bedside table! I haven’t tried this sleeping spray yet but I just came across it while writing this post & ordered immediately!

Jacket // Top // Sports Bra 

Taking Care of My Skin

I have always taken care of my skin but I am on ANOTHER LEVEL this year. Maybe it was turning 34, maybe it was having a little more time to myself every day, and maybe it’s that I want to be able to review things for the blog and for that I need to use it consistently. I don’t know where the renewed vigor for skincare came from but let me tell you, skin is in for 2020. I have so much to say about this topic but for now I’m going to share a few of my favorite finds.

10 skincare items that I cannot live without:

I can’t get enough of eye masks these days! I typically wear them on the way to school drop-off! It makes me feel like I’m being productive during the stress of the mornings. Two of my favorite eye masks are Wander Beauty and BeautyBio. I also really love these Elemis eye masks! They are more expensive but work so well for plumping your under-eye! 

Some might say that pale is the new tan but when you get your tan in a bottle, tan is something to be proud of! I love this St. Tropez tanning mousse and the Tan Luxe tanning lotion. 

I have been on a moisturizing kick! This is my favorite nighttime moisturizer right now and this is a great, more affordable, alternative!

At night I’ve been rotating my GloPro microneedling tool and my NuFace in an effort to give my skin the best fighting chance at keeping itself healthy, toned & radiant!

An ice roller just might be my newest skincare obsession. I keep it in the freezer and use it in the morning after my serums. Ice rollers have been shown to improve circulation, de-puff, reduce swelling, tighten the jawline and improve the appearance of pores.

What would a self-care skincare roundup be without a face mask? This 24k Gold Mask is legit and will make your skin glow! It also just dawned on me that I haven’t tried any of the sheet masks from Nordstrom so I will be fixing that ASAP.

Jacket // Top // Sports Bra // Leggings // Shoes // Water Bottle 

More Self-Care Products I Love

I have also kept using natural deodorant, take these gummies daily to help keep my hair strong, and I take this collagen daily! What are some of the ways you are putting your wellness first this year? Hop on over to my instagram account & let me know!