My 5 Self Care Practices To Live By This Summer

This post is sponsored by Olay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I hope you guys all had a lovely Memorial Day Weekend! What did you get up to? Mackenzie and I decided to stay put in LA (I actually love this city most when it’s quiet), and went for a long walk in the park, followed by a BBQ in the garden and a movie after Honor went to sleep. Since having Honor, I take even more pleasure in the calm, quiet moments – which are few and far between! So this holiday weekend was the perfect excuse to put the laptops and phones away, say no to big social engagements and just spend time together.

As you know, I’ve been reading and listening (on podcasts – one of my faves is the High Low), to the idea of self-care. There’s no rulebook or mantra to what that entails, it’s such a personal thing. But for me, it’s trying to take moments where I slow down, to smell the roses – quite literally this weekend as you’ll see from the pics!

Here are my 5 self-care practices I’ve committed to:

Take care of my skin. It’s officially the start of summer now, so it’s important to protect skin more than ever. I use Olay Regenerist Whip SPF25 every morning, pre-makeup, without fail. It’s also a moisturizer and primer, so if I don’t have a shoot, I won’t put any makeup over it, other than a tiny bit of blush, and that’s it. I love the fact it protects my skin from the sun, but also looks good – it’s matte, so there are no greasy, thick white residues. It also makes my whole routine shorter, because this one product does so many things, which leaves me more time for….

2. Coffee! Well, the art of making it as well as drinking it. We finally splashed out on an espresso machine at home, and it might sound silly, but the joy Mackenzie and I get from sourcing and trying different coffee beans, grinding them up and making our own latte – has become a new hobby! It’s something we do as a couple, and I love it.

3. Be stricter with timings for the end of a working day. I work 8am until 4pm straight, and unless it’s an emergency, my team knows not to call me after 4. That’s uninterrupted playtime, reading time and bath time with Honor. Phones away!

4. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier and read the book sitting on my bedside table. Reading is one of my absolute favorite things, and I neglected it for the last year or so. Even just a few pages per night, helps me unwind from the day, and I swear I sleep better on the nights I read.

5. Stretch. I try to work out three times a week, but if that doesn’t happen – or even if it does – I make a point of stretching, and rolling out, for 10 minutes every day. In front of the TV, while I’m cooking – whenever. I had no idea how much better it makes you feel physically, and it is also proven to reduce stress, and calm the mind.

xx,