Key Takeaways
- 1Your glow up is built from tiny everyday choices, not one dramatic life event.
- 2Solo dates teach you that your own company can feel safe, fun, and enough.
- 3A realistic wellness routine starts with one habit you actually keep, not a long checklist you never finish.
- 4Swapping scroll time for reading is a simple way to calm your mind and still feel entertained.
- 5Small luxuries like a massage, fresh nails, or a cute hoodie are not shallow when they remind you that your life is worth caring about.
If you have been searching how to romanticize your life or trying to build a realistic wellness routine that you can actually stick to, this week in my life is for you. I have been sharing my life online for years, and I can tell you this with my whole chest: the glow up is rarely one big moment. It is tiny choices like leaving the house for a new coffee shop, taking yourself on a movie date, or dragging your sleepy self to a 7 a.m. class when you would rather stay in bed.
This vlog week was packed: new spots, Hotworx, Pilates, a solo movie, Barnes & Noble runs, a massage, and a lot of tiny habits that quietly shape who I am becoming.
What does “trying new things” actually look like in real life?
“Trying new things” sounds cute on Pinterest. In real life it looked like me sitting in my car, slightly nervous, on the way to a coffee shop I had never been to in downtown Tampa.
I could have gone to my usual place. I know the menu, the baristas, the vibe. Instead I picked a new spot, walked in alone, ordered a churro latte, and let myself settle into a corner with my laptop and my book.
Here is what that one choice did for me:
- I finished my to-do list in a fresh environment
- I proved to myself that I can walk into new rooms without a friend on my hip
- I found a cheaper coffee spot that I actually like more
Tiny risk, tiny win, new version of me unlocked.
If you want your life to feel different, do not wait for a big move or a perfect plan. Pick one everyday thing you usually do on autopilot and change the setting. New park. New café. New route. New class. Your nervous system will complain at first, then it adjusts.
How do you build a wellness routine you will not quit?
My wellness this week did not look like some twelve step aesthetic routine. It looked like:
- Waking up earlier than I used to, even if I did not jump out of bed right away
- Hotworx sessions where I was tired, a little puffy, and still showed up
- Spin classes that had me questioning my life choices in the best way
- Pilates that reminded me my core has some work to do
I talked in the vlog about “happy weight” and the back and forth of losing it, then gaining it again. That is life. Your body reflects seasons. The point is not punishment. The point is feeling good in your skin and treating your body like a place you live in, not a project you hate.
If you are trying to build a routine, try this:
-
Pick one non-negotiable for movement.
- A short class
- A walk
- Stretching while a show plays
-
Make it stupid easy to start.
- Clothes in a pile by your bed
- Class booked ahead of time
- Friend or cousin waiting for you
-
Measure how you feel after, not just how you look.
When my legs are shaking after spin or Pilates, I feel proud. That feeling keeps me going more than any number on a scale.
What is the point of solo dates anyway?
This week I took myself on a solo movie date to see The Housemaid. I packed snacks in my big purse, walked in alone, sat in a mostly empty theatre, and had the best time.
Solo dates matter when:
- You feel awkward being alone in public
- You rely on other people to “give you” a good time
- You are trying to rebuild confidence after a low season
Here is the magic of solo dates:
- You practice choosing yourself on purpose
- You learn your own taste without someone else voting
- You prove that your company is not a backup plan
If you want to try one, start simple:
- Movie
- Coffee and a book
- Barns & Noble run for a new read
- Massage booked with your own money
The goal is not to “look mysterious” to strangers. The real goal is to feel safe and content in your own presence.
How do you get back into reading after a slump?
Reading has been my favorite way to pull myself away from my phone. I finally finished Atomic Habits, then devoured The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden, and now I am deep in thriller territory again. TikTok has the girls in a chokehold with these books and I am not mad at it.
Here is what helped me get out of my reading slump:
- I picked books that felt fun, not “good for me” homework
- I kept a book in my bag so it was easier to reach for that than my phone
- I treated new books as part of my solo date: movie first, Barnes & Noble after
If you feel stuck, start with a genre that feels like a movie in your hands. Thrillers, romance, whatever keeps you turning pages. You can sprinkle in self-help later. Reading for joy still grows your vocabulary and calms your brain.
Let your glow up include rest, nails, and small luxuries
Wellness is not just sweat and books. It is teeth chattering in Pilates and then letting your shoulders melt on a massage table the next day. It is a fresh set of nails that makes you feel put together when you grab your steering wheel. It is a merch hoodie that feels like a hug from your past self who once dreamed of launching anything at all.
This week I:
- Used my ClassPass credits for a massage and Pilates
- Took my time with my nail appointment and picked a shape that felt feminine
- Wrote my weekly newsletter for my community, sharing thoughts I do not always say on camera
Those moments might look small from the outside. On the inside they add up to, “I take my life seriously. I take my rest seriously too.”
A gentle challenge for your own “trying new things” week
If this week of my life spoke to you, try this:
- Pick one new place to work or study from
- Plan one solo date that feels fun, not forced
- Move your body once in a way that feels challenging and safe
- Swap one scroll session for a chapter of a book
Then pay attention to how you feel at the end of the week. Not perfect. Not fixed. Just a tiny bit braver, a tiny bit calmer, and a tiny bit more proud that you showed up for yourself in real life, not just in your camera roll.
