Lucie: *slurps* Ahhh... coffee.
Hey everyone, welcome back to my YouTube
channel! If you're not yet subscribed, be sure to click on the subscribe button
down below and give this video a thumbs up. Before we get into it, if you've
watched any of my video content over the past few years, you'll know that I have
made a ton of positive changes to my lifestyle all in effort to improve my
physical, mental, and emotional health. I've tried a lot of new things, I've
incorporated these new things into my lifestyle, and I've built lasting habits
that have had major effects on my overall positivity and just how I go
about every single day. So, in today's video I'm gonna share some of these
habits with you. Thank you to Princess Polly for sponsoring today's video. This
sweater is from Princess Polly, and pretty much all the comfy loungewear
that I've been wearing at home over the past couple weeks is from their online
shop. If you head over to my Instagram post today, May 8th, I'm running a
giveaway where two of you will be able to win $200 gift cards to Princess Polly
so that you can get comfy with me at home. The giveaway will be open for one
week so head over to my Instagram @luciebfink, check out today's post, and
read the caption for details. And don't worry even if it's way past May 8th or
past May 15th. I will still be mentioning all the princess Polly clothes that
you'll see featured in this video, and I'll call them out by name in case you
want to shop for them yourself. So now let's get into the habits. Habit number
one: Waking up and following a morning routine. One of my recent YouTube videos
was all about my morning routine and what I've been doing these days... So if
you missed that, definitely go check it out right after this, because I walk you
through every step of my routine... But pretty much every single morning I wake
up, and I move into a new space... So I get out of the bedroom... and I follow my
morning routine. For me, having a set morning routine every single day makes
it easier for me to wake up. I feel like it inspires me and invigorates me to get
out of bed because have something that I want to do that
I know is gonna make me feel great... and I find that it's a great way to get myself
not to scroll through my phone for hours and hours. Instead, I give myself at
least 30 minutes, but sometimes a full hour, to do things like meditation,
practice visualization techniques, affirmations, journaling, reading, and
exercise. The comfy PJs outfit that I wore to bed and I'm featured wearing
here is the Serafina linen blend shorts in beige, and the Poly tee. I love
sleeping in light, loose-fitting clothing, and part of practicing good sleep
hygiene for me is not bundling up when I sleep but instead keeping my body cool...
so this outfit is perfect for sleep. A morning routine is just such a great way
to start your day by doing something for you. I'm sure we're all no stranger to
waking up and feeling like this... but if you wake up just a little bit earlier,
you can get in some much-needed YOU time before you start dedicating your
day to other people and other things. Habit number two is painting. Over the
past few weeks I've gotten into the habit of painting at least once a week
for an extended period of time. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen
some of my recent illustrations... and taking time to paint for me is almost
like taking time to meditate and just get into my flow...
I usually just pop on something really comfortable... I sometimes try to find
something that's colorful or has a pattern that can inspire my painting... and
then I just sit down and I just go. On this day, I was wearing the Princess
Polly Love Generation playsuit in cream. It has this adorable floral
pattern on it that I emulated on the paper... and while I'm painting, I just kind
of get into the zone... Sometimes I forget what's going on around me, or I'm just
listening to a podcast... I'm lost in music... I just want to point out that the habit
that I'm trying to get you to pick up here is not necessarily painting. So, for
me, painting is something that gets me into that zone and into that groove... but
for you it could be something completely different...
Maybe it's knitting, maybe it's making jewelry, writing... whatever it is,
everyone's got something that can be their creative outlet,
and I highly recommend you find yours. All right, habit number three: Putting my
phone down hours before I go to bed. Now I didn't always do this one. I used to be
on my phone up until the moment I went to sleep, but this is a slight change
I've made over the past couple of years and it's really helped improve my sleep
quality. So Michael and I always watch a show before bed... Recently it's been funny
sitcoms like Silicon Valley or Seinfeld. For me it has to be something that's
upbeat and colorful and funny that's basically just mindless TV... and by the
end of one episode, my eyes are already closing so it does a good job at getting
me to sleep... but, I find that when I plug my phone in to charge and then I flip it
upside down on the opposite side of the room, it helps just take my mind off of
the social media sphere as I'm trying to fall asleep. That's usually what kept me
awake which is that there's always going to be another notification... there's
always going to be someone else to answer to... so just picking a dedicated
time (for me, it's usually 8 or 9 p.m.) when you flip your phone upside down and
do not touch it... that's a great way to get your phone off your mind. Habit
number four is changing out of my pajamas after my morning routine. Even though
pajamas are incredibly comfortable and it can be tempting to leave them on all
day, I have found that getting dressed--even for a day where I'm staying home
and doing nothing--can entirely change my mood and my productivity. On this morning
I put on my Adi playsuit, which is a loose-fitting romper. It helps me feel
cute and put together while still being cozy and comfortable. Some other mornings
I've been putting on workout clothes for my last step of my morning routine, and
then I've been keeping my workout clothes on for a few hours in the
morning while I do work... Whatever it is, I would just recommend taking off the
pajamas, because changing your clothes really changes your mindset. I know it's
kind of a silly thing... but most people don't even think about it, that, actually,
the process of putting on something fresh and new can make your mind feel
fresh and new. Habit number five is learning something new every single day. I am all
about trying new things. If you know anything about me, it's that trying new
things has been kind of like the backbone of my personal
brand and my lifestyle since about 2015... I highly encourage people to stay
curious and to never stop learning, and I find that so many of the new things that
I've learned about or explored over the past few years have made me a more
interesting person. I find that learning new things gives me new inspiration... it
gives me a new reason to wake up energized and invigorated in the morning...
and I just always encourage people to pick up new skills and experiment.
Recently I've been learning new things every day because I'm currently taking
an online course from Yale University called "The Science of Well-Being". It's a
free online course that's being offered through Coursera. There are 2 million
people who have already taken this course, which is incredible... and Michael
and I are doing it together. It's a 10-week course with readings and videos
to watch, and we've loved it so far. In this clip where I'm sitting on the couch
with Michael, I'm wearing the Princess Polly Soldier crop jumper in grey, and
their open-road denim paper bag shorts, which are jean shorts... but are really
comfortable. They're both soft and stretchy, and perfect for an indoor day
of online classes where I want to feel put together but I also want to be
comfortable. Habit number six is journaling. This is one of the steps in
my morning routine, and it's become such a major habit that has improved my life.
I used to be unable to journal for extended periods of time because my hand
would get really sore. I was convinced that my wrist was not strong enough
because I would start cramping up and it was actually pretty uncomfortable to
write for more than five minutes... but then I started practicing, and I started
pushing myself to journal every day for 10 minutes a day... and eventually my
wrists must have gotten really strong, and now I don't feel any sort of pain or
any discomfort when I'm writing. So now I can journal for 20 to 30 minutes, easily.
And usually what I do is I just write stream-of-consciousness and just kind of
dump my words out onto the page... But if you're one of those people that is kind
of, like... What do I write about? What do I say?...
You can try just writing things you're grateful for, or just writing down some
empowering statements to yourself. Habit number seven is carving out
dedicated time for family throughout this time. At home, Michael and I have
gotten in a lot more meaningful husband-and-wife time than we get in an
average day in our lives in New York City. We've had a chance to play games together...
we've been doing a lot of puzzles... playing a lot of board games... This time
has been incredible for in-person connections with whoever I happen to be
with. But even for family members that I'm separate from right now, I've been
setting intentional video calls to make sure that we still have meaningful time
together. Even virtually I've been getting really back into board games and
puzzles... a lot of these things that I used to do tons of when I was a kid, but
haven't done a lot of as an adult. And this outfit that I'm wearing here is the
Princess Polly Harrison set in white. It's 100% cotton, it's loose and flowy...
the back is open, so it's really comfortable... and it's the perfect at-home
matching set for feeling put together while still being cozy. My next habit is
making the bed in the morning... And, living with family over the past few weeks, I've
sort of started to regress to my childhood ways where I'm not making the
bed like a real adult should... but in my normal adult life back in New York City,
this is something that I do every single morning without fail, and I have to tell
you... it completely transforms your day. Especially if you're a person who
works from home and who's going to pass by the bed multiple times...
it just helps clear your mind and make you feel like you're working in a
comfortable and clean space. I even find that it helps me feel better at night.
something about crawling into a freshly made bed, instead of getting into sloppy,
messy sheets, helps me feel more restful and relaxed. Habit number nine is
building a skincare routine. For me, the specific routine I'm following... such as
what creams and serums I'm using... changes all the time. I love trying new products.
I love experimenting and seeing what works for my skin and what doesn't... So
the actual routine itself is not always the same. But it's moreso the act of
having dedicated time at the start of a day and at the end of the day to take
care of my skin, and particularly the skin on my face. In this shot I'm wearing
my Darlee tank. It's the cutest tank top for when I'm washing my face. It has
three little cute flowers on it, and it just makes me smile. I used to completely
rush through my skincare routine... I didn't really care what I was doing to
my face or what I was putting on it... but now... you can ask Michael: It is a ritual.
And at the start of the day and at the close of the day, I am going
to be spending time moisturizing myself, exfoliating myself, putting on creams and
serums to take good care of my skin, to make sure that it's healthy, and to make
sure that it's clean. The face brush that I'm using in this video is actually one
of my favorite face brushes, and I'm going to talk about it in a future video...
so stay tuned. But when my skin is looking clear and it has vibrancy and
vitality, it just changes my confidence levels and how I feel going into a day.
And even for people who don't even care how they look or don't even care to have
clear skin... just dedicating time to pampering yourself and taking care of
yourself in some way is a great habit to build. Habit 10 is keeping my space clean.
And I'm not the cleanest gal in the bunch... but I am a huge Gretchen Rubin fan
and if you are, you'll know her quote that "outer order creates inner calm". She
has a book called "Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter and organize to make more
room for happiness"... and she claims that having tidiness and neatness around you
is a great way to bring that same clarity and calmness to your inner world. As a
creative person who loves to allow myself to get messy and who really
does let my space get messy quite often... I need this more than ever, and I
find that whenever I give myself that little bit of extra time to clean my
space up, it always makes me feel better. I wish I did it more often. But even if
it's just once a week, doing a deep clean to wherever you live or wherever you work,
this will change your life. If I'm going to do some tidying up, I always try to
put on something comfortable but also something cute because I like to feel
like I'M tidy too... this is one of my favorite matching sets... It's the Ainsley
set in white. It's a sweater and a skirt. This is the absolute only skirt I've
worn in months. It's so comfortable. It's made of this knit material, it's stretchy,
its soft... I love the way the set looks together, and it has me feeling
incredibly put together while I'm trying to make the rest of my space look put
together. Next tip is drinking water all day long. We all know that staying
hydrated is incredibly important, but I don't know about you... I still find that
when I don't have my reusable water bottle on hand
I sometimes slack and I'll go through the entire day absolutely not drinking
enough water... So the tip I have for you, and the habit I built, is carrying this
around with me everywhere. I fill this up two to three times a day. This is
actually the water bottle that I drink with at meals, so even when I'm at a
family table and everyone's drinking from a cup
I'm usually drinking from this. I wash it every day with soap and water and that
stick, spongy thing... and if you're really trying to build the habit of drinking
more water, get into the habit of holding a reusable water bottle and
taking it everywhere. The sweater I'm wearing here is the Jabal jumper in
black and white. It has a really cute criss-cross situation in the front, and
then I tied it up in the back... which is how I saw it online, but I suppose you
could tie it up in the front if you want to try something new... It's really soft
and really comfortable, and it's perfect for looking very put together on the
top if you're doing something like a video call. My next habit is reading 10
pages a day. I mentioned in a previous video that I've been wanting to read
more. This is pretty much a constant New Year's resolution for me... I always want
to read more books in a year... but I always find that when the year ends and
I look back on my progress, I somehow did not read nearly as much as I wanted to...
So, recently I've dedicated myself to reading just ten pages a day. At the end
of one year that's gonna be thirty six hundred and fifty pages... which, if you
divide that out by a two hundred page book... that is EIGHTEEN 200 page books in a year.
So if you've been wanting to read more and finish more books, I encourage you to try
the challenge of reading just ten pages a day, and if you have any good book
recommendations, comment them below. The blue sweater that I'm wearing in this
shot is actually the cute blue sweater that I'm wearing right now. It is the
Twiiin Record roll neck top. I'm obsessed with the color. It's like a really light
sky-blue... and it has these amazing, cute, stringy details on it... it's also cropped,
which gives it a cute, flattering look... and it's warm and cozy and perfect for a
nice long read. My next habit is getting into nature whenever possible. In my
normal life in New York City, there are so many times because I work from home,
when, at the end of the day, around dinnertime... I realize "Wow, I have not left
my house today..." And on those days, I'm always feeling disconnected from the
earth. I'm feeling a total lack of fresh air and freshness around me, and I've
been realizing lately how important it is to get outside and
connect with nature, and just breathe in some fresh air. Being out of the city has
led to Michael and I going for some long walks together in the forest...
It's been such a great way to get outside and connect with nature, and kind
of get back into our childhood, playful patterns... I'm wearing my Merry Happy Pants
in green... The Poly Tee... This Western denim jacket in beige... and my Windsor Smith
Carte white sneakers. I'm incredibly into wide-leg pants these days, and I have so
many that fit just like this, but I'm obsessed with this specific green color.
They're really the most comfortable pants, and I love the fabric and the way
they fit. It's also been getting warmer lately, so I've been kind of ditching my
winter coats recently and wearing light jackets like this one... and these chunky
white sneakers are pretty much my go-to for every outfit right now. They go with
just about everything, and they're perfect for a slow walk in the woods.
Next habit is meditation... and I won't get too deep into this one, because I have an
entire video all about how I meditate every day, walking you through exactly
what I do and my practices... but just because this section is short in the
video and I'm not getting too far into it, I don't want you to think that it's
any less important of a habit... In fact, daily meditation is probably the daily
habit that has had the single biggest positive effect on my life... So if you're
not into meditation yet, check out some of my videos... check out some of my posts
on Instagram... and definitely give it a try. And the last healthy habit that has
changed my life is stretching and yoga. And these are kind of two separate
things... but I'm pooling them together, because I do both at once.
Yoga is something that I now practice two times a week. When I'm in
the city I usually join forces with my twin sister and we go to classes both
weekend days together... but these days I've been doing video calls with a
yoga instructor on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and
I've been practicing flows from home. I am really excited to get back into the
class groove again because there's something about being in the environment
where you're surrounded by other Yogi's that really just invigorates me and
helps me get into my practice more deeply... but adding yoga into my everyday
life has really transformed my mind and my body. This is the one "sport" where I've
actually seen the physical effects on my body as I've done it over time. I've
noticed myself getting stronger, I'm able to hold poses and postures more easily
for longer periods of time... I can twist, stretch, and bend into poses
really deeply... and at the end of every single yoga session I do, my mind feels
quieter and calmer. I hope you found this video helpful. I hope that you pick up on
some of these healthy habits yourself... If you're feeling a little overwhelmed, you
can always just pick one or two things that you saw in this video that were
inspiring to you, and try slowly to incorporate them into your day. Just know
that these habits have taken me YEARS to form, and even some of the habits that
I've mentioned today I am still not fully habitually doing them every day.
These are things that you really need to dedicate yourself to. You really need to
keep practicing until they come as regularly as something like brushing
your teeth every morning... Let me know if you like this type of video. :et me know
what other type of content you want to see on my channel. Comment below, give it
a thumbs up if you liked learning about my healthy habits that changed my life,
and I can't wait to hear about yours in the comments. Sending you all so much
love to wherever you are in the world right now... I hope you're staying safe and
healthy. I miss you all. Even though I don't ever see you in real life, I
like I miss you... and if you ever want to contact me, just shoot me a DM on
Instagram @luciebfink. I try to respond to everyone if I can, and I'll
try to respond to you. Have a great rest of your day, Bye!