High Waisted // Straight Leg

Goodby January & Hello February!

Even though today is the last day of the month, I’m looking forward to the start of a new month and getting one step closer to warmer spring temperatures; I’m officially over this cold weather. I could use a few more days of warmer weather in Chicago just to keep me from slinking into a cold weather depression.

Before I get into what I’m looking forward to in February, I thought it would be a great time to update you guys on how the first month of the new year went for me.

I didn’t write out a specific resolutions list for 2018, however I did give myself three goals/good habits that I wanted to take on in January. My plan is to pick three news things I want to try/do/create at the beginning of each month and dedicated 30 days to doing those things.

So how did I do with my January list?

Intermittent Fasting – YES! I recently did a instagram story about my experience with intermittent fasting. This week I officially finished up my 4th week or 31 days to be exact, of intermittent fasting and I would consider it a success. I’m still feeling my way through this lifestyle change and I don’t know if it’s something that will work out long term for me, but so far so good.
Push-up Challenge – HA HA HA! I’m just going to be honest, I have no upper body strength and any attempt I make at trying to get my lacrosse arms back is just a joke. I hate pushups and I have no idea why I thought I could or would stick with this challenge. It’s a no go for me.
Brown Bag Lunches – WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! I challenged myself to bring my lunch to work every single work day this month and I crushed it. Granted, I normally bring my lunch to work 80% of the time as I rarely have time to eat during the traditional lunch period, but in December I got really lax about it and overspent my allocated “eating out” budget. It does feel good to know that the $10/week I was spending on lunches went directly toward my travel fund.

So what’s on tap this February?

Dry February – I know that most people take on dry January, aka no alcohol consumption for a full month, however January was a busy time for me and I knew I needed to push this off. Therefore, I’m committed to a dry February and abstaining from alcohol for the next 28 days. (benefits of a short month….)
Meditation – I know this was a trendy top in 2017, but for some reason I just couldn’t commit to daily meditation last year. Coming off a successful January, I’m feeling good about making daily meditation a part of my life in February. I’m starting to experience the early signs of workplace burnout and I think this will really help balance it all out.
Fashion Challenge – For the month of February, I’m challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone and shake up my style. I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately and find myself wearing the same things over and over again.
I tend to be really hard on myself when it comes to my body type. I hate my legs, more specifically my thunder thighs, and have for years avoided wearing pants. You may have noticed that I tend to stick with dresses or skirts…

This month, I’m challenging myself to embrace my body and start incorporating items into my wardrobe that I’ve for years told myself I didn’t look good in. For instance, I recently picked up these high waisted pants off of Amazon Fashion and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked them.

They are great for more professional work environments or those times you want to look a bit more done up. Paired with my favorite long sleeve blouse (bought from Madewell 8 years ago!), I’m starting the month off on a high note in this outfit.

So I would love to know from you guys what’s on your health and wellness agenda for this year. I’m enjoying trying something new each month and would love to incorporate more of your ideas into my March challenge.