After a busy, bustling holiday season, January is a natural time to find a little reset. At the same time, life is still pretty busy so I’m always on the lookout for things that either make my life easier, or give me a little extra kick to keep going. I hope that you find inspiration to reset and reevaluate from this list of what is powering me right now:

Sustainability

Sustainability is a high priority for me. I’m always looking for ways to lessen my environmental impact with as little change in my day to day as possible. Luckily, I’m not alone! I find a ton of inspiration from local businesses and my fellow teachers. Some of my favorite sustainability helpers:

    • Local coffee shops. These awesome people do the legwork for me. They source and roast ethical, sustainable beans and are switching away from single use materials. Oddly Correct in KC made the announcement that all to go beverages will be prepared in glass containers that can be returned for re-use or to receive your deposit back. Horizon Line Coffee in Des Moines serves all drinks in reusable glass jars for togo, or mugs for those sticking around the coffee shop. 
    • Stasher Bags. These cute, reusable silicone bags come in sizes from snack to sandwich to storage. The upfront investment is well worth it considering they are endlessly reusable.
    • Mason Jars I know mason jars had a moment a few years ago, but hear me out, mason jars are the little black dress of food storage. They last FOREVER, come in dozens of sizes, they heat up, they freeze, they fit in any bag, they can house soups, they can hold salads, you can even make muffins in them (no, really).

Meal Prep

Meal Prep is a mainstay in my life. Between work, taking classes, teaching yoga, and social obligations; if I don’t have a solid plan in place, I will end up having coffee for breakfast and popcorn for dinner. My favorites right now:

      •  A green smoothie with almond milk, a banana, two handfuls of spinach, and an inch of fresh ginger. You can prep up to two days in advance, and pour into your trusty mason jar.  
      • A bright, crunchy, meat-free sandwich. Prep the ingredients separately and assemble each sandwich the night before and tote in your Stasher bag. If you need an extra hit of protein, sliced turkey or chicken is a great addition. 
      • One Pan Wonders. Anything that helps me do fewer dishes is a big plus in my book. I recently tried this chicken and roasted veggie sheet pan meal from MyFitnessPal that was easy and intensely flavorful. A trusty recipe that also keeps my Thai takeout expenses low is Katie Lee’s Thai chicken bake, it reheats well for days!

Downtime

Ya girl needs some downtime and some of it comes from a screen. Don’t worry, I limit it! But with these, it’s hard to not click “play next.”

    • Schitt’s Creek is the story of the ridiculously wealthy and very out of touch, Rose family. After they lose almost everything they find themselves inhabiting the town of Schitt’s Creek. It’s a slow start but with 20ish minute episodes you’re quickly hooked on the drama, and hilarity of this sweet, kooky town. I’ll be quoting it faster than you can say “Ew, David.” (Available on Netflix, Hulu, and any cable providers with Pop)
    • Bon Appetit Videos are great for the kitchen curious and veteran home cooks. My go-to is “Gourmet Makes” where pastry chef, Claire Saffitz, tries to recreate junk food classics with gourmet flair. If you want to see the full range of human emotion watch Claire and crew try to make gourmet Mentos. 
    • Armchair Expert hosted by Dax Shepherd drops on Monday and Friday with a bevy of celebrity friends and subject matter experts. Dax’s conversations are personal, enlightening, and fun. Short on time? Skip the Fact Check section at the end. 
    • Phoebe Bridgers in various iterations has been on my Spotify repeat lately (and in my class playlists). I’m also loving her collaboration with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame, Better Oblivion Community Center. 

Meditation

Slowing Down is one of my biggest focus areas for 2020 and, luckily, my Power Life fam is helping out! While I love a sweaty vinyasa practice I’m really digging our slow vibe offerings. 

    • Restore classes are the most ‘challenging’ for me mentally. I get super fidgety and fussy when I’m asked to be still. I’ve committed to taking one a week to continue to stretch out all the good stuff and practice a little bit of stillness. 
    • Meditation is something I’ve had on my To Do list for years and haven’t had the discipline to really get into. Thanks to our new guided meditation offerings, I have a kick in the tapas and some accountability to make it to one a week and start adding more on my own. Meditation is linked to better sleep, increased focus, and better productivity; so even though it sounds counterintuitive, slowing down for a few minutes a day really helps me power up the rest of the time!

I hope that this list gave you a few ideas of where you can make small changes in your life to help you efficiently and sustainably move forward into the new year! How do you reset in the new year? Sound off in the comments below!