Closing Out 2024 with Wellness: Tips and Recipes to End the Year Strong

As the year winds down, it’s the perfect time to reflect, recharge, and prepare for the new year ahead.

1. Prioritize Rest and Reset

• Tip: Create an evening routine to signal your body it's time to wind down. Consider a warm bath, meditation, or journaling.
• Recipe: Relaxing Bedtime Tea
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 chamomile tea bag
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 1 slice fresh ginger
  • 1 squeeze of lemon
    Combine ingredients and sip slowly an hour before bed.

2. Stay Hydrated and Nourished

• Tip: Carry a water bottle everywhere you go, and try infusing your water with citrus or mint for a refreshing boost.
• Recipe: Winter Wellness Smoothie
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 banana (frozen)
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    Blend until smooth for a quick nutrient-packed snack.

3. Move Your Body

• Tip: Go for a brisk walk after meals or try a short yoga session at home.
• DIY Recipe: Energizing Foot Soak (Post-Workout)
  • 1 basin warm water
  • 1 cup Epsom salt
  • 5 drops peppermint oil (or another favorite essential oil)
    Soak your feet for 15 minutes to relieve tension and refresh your senses.

4. Support Your Immune System

• Tip: Add more garlic, ginger, and citrus to your meals for a natural immunity boost.
• Recipe: Immune-Boosting Tonic
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
    Mix well and drink daily to strengthen your immune defenses.

5. Cultivate Joy and Gratitude

• Tip: Start or end your day by writing down three things you’re grateful for.  If this is a new practice for you, start now to set the habit, then continue it every day in 2025.
• DIY Recipe: Festive Gratitude Jar
  • Decorate a mason jar with ribbon or paint.
  • Cut small strips of paper to jot down moments of joy or things you’re thankful for each day & place them in the jar. (Add a drop of your favorite essential oil to liven things up!
  • Review them at the end of the year for a heartwarming reminder of 2025’s highlights.

6. Indulge Mindfully

• Tip: Pair sweets with healthy fats or proteins to stabilize blood sugar levels.
• Recipe: Healthy Holiday Energy Bites
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts or seeds
    Mix all ingredients in a bowl, roll into balls, and refrigerate. Perfect for a quick snack!

7. Plan for a Strong Start to 2025

• Tip: Use this time to create a vision board or set small, achievable goals for the first quarter of 2025.
• DIY Recipe: Motivational Room Spray
  • 1/2 cup distilled water
  • 1 tbsp witch hazel
  • 10 drops of citrus essential oil (like grapefruit or orange).  
  • 5 drops rosemary essential oil
    Combine in a spray bottle and mist your workspace for a refreshing, uplifting atmosphere.
    
    
• OPTION 2:  I have a personal recipe that I like to use where I replace the citrus oil and rosemary with 15 drops of  Envision essential oil blend, because it stimulates intuitive creativity in visualizing the future & awakens the innder drive to achieve dreams and goals. 
• OPTION 3:  Instead of the citrus oil & rosemary, just use Motivation essential oil blend.