Ultimate 30 Day Glow Up Challenge for Your Life-Changing Transformation

Sometimes we get in a slump and before we know it, it’s been weeks since we actually followed a skincare routine or ate something besides cold pizza leftover in our fridge. When that happens, it’s time to pause, take a deep breath, and have a glow up. This 30 day glow up challenge focuses on your physical glow up, but also dives into self improvement tips for a mental, physical, and personal glow up.

This post will guide you through one month of daily decisions that will nourish your body and soul, and allow your most natural beauty to shine through.

Though this glow up challenge list includes a lot of health and wellness type of glow up ideas, if you want a more health-focused challenge for 30 days, I have a 30 Day Healthy Habits challenge blog post scheduled to go live in one week that you can check back in for soon!

How does this 30 day glow up challenge benefit you?

To start off, let’s talk about what this challenge offers you.

This one month challenge truly has the potential to totally transform your looks, your habits, and your life — if you want it to.

Let me say this first, just in case you’re not aware: You are a fabulous, beautiful human exactly as you are. And I swear I’m not trying to be all woo-woo or hype you up for nothing.

I genuinely believe you are here to make the world a brighter, more joyful place. Your existence itself is a miracle and your soul is so valuable. Please don’t ever forget that. Your looks are the last thing on a long list of what makes you beautiful.

That said, you’re here because you want a glow up. So, this 30 day challenge is designed to help you achieve:

• A healthier body
• Enhanced natural beauty
• Increased self confidence
• A more balanced lifestyle
• More joy in your daily life
• Less stress and clutter
• More inner peace with yourself
• Less feelings of overwhelm and emptiness
• A healthier relationship with yourself and others 

Please keep in mind that maybe not everything in this challenge will vibe with you. That’s okay! We all have different beauty and lifestyle preferences, so if something in this challenge isn’t to your taste, it’s all good! 

Just use these daily challenges as a good place to start with your own personal transformation.

Now, let’s cover a couple questions you might have.

What’s a Glow Up?

A glow up is what happens after you take a period of time to focus on YOU. Your physical health, mental health, spiritual health and your emotional needs so you become your best self.

The results of a glow up? You’ll look and feel healthier, be more confident in yourself, and feel more at peace. Keep in mind, this all comes from the work you do inside yourself.

A glow up requires dedication and commitment to yourself. But don’t let that scare you away! It might take work, but it’s always worth it.

You are worth it. And that’s the number 1 thing to remember.

What if you’re too busy to glow up?

If you’re too busy to take time to prioritize yourself, then girl you are too dang busy. That means you’re prioritizing other things and other people rather than yourself.

Do that for too long and before you know it, you’re exhausted, run down, emotionally drained, and totally burned out.

Don’t worry though. This one month glow up challenge isn’t going to require you to dedicate hours of your daily routine to complete. 

Realistically, the glow up lies in the small habits we do every single day. So that’s what this post will focus on! This challenge is attainable, fun, and feels absolutely fabulous when you get to walk around feeling like a new woman.

How do I Use This Challenge?

This 30 Day Glow Up Challenge helps you introduce small, beauty-and-life-enhancing habits one step at a time. But that doesn’t mean you do these things one day only and then move on!

Implement each of these daily activities into your daily (or weekly/monthly, depending on the activity) lifestyle. 

But don’t get overwhelmed if you can’t suddenly make allll of these 30 things into habits! (In fact, if you are capable of that, please shoot me an email and tell me HOW, ‘cause I’m still figuring it all out!) 

You can start this challenge on any day you want. Doesn’t have to be the first of the month and doesn’t have to be a Monday. Time is just a tool society uses to stay on track and to get everyone on the same page. 

YOU, however, do not need to wait to glow up your life or make any changes to yourself whatsoever. I personally find that concept so freeing. 

You’re in charge here, and if you want to start this glow up at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday in the middle of March, then go get it!

How is this 30 Day Glow Up challenge organized?

I’ve separated each daily glow up challenge into categories: Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Personal.

For the sake of organization, you’ll find each category grouped together in this post.

However, for the sake of adding variety and color to your life, the downloadable 30 Day Glow Up Challenge PDF printable I created to accompany this post is color-coded and the category days are shuffled.

So instead of 5 days straight of working on your mental glow up, you’ll have a different glow up challenge category to tackle from day to day!

Grab the free printable challenge and weekly reflection sheets here to follow along!

And now, let’s dive into my 30 day glow up challenge!

Psst! Pin this so you can refer back to it later!

30 Day Glow Up Challenge

Part 1: Physical Glow Up Challenge

Day 1: Eat nutrient-dense meals

What you feed your body is a crucial aspect to a glow up. When you eat nutritious, whole foods that fuel your body and give you natural energy, the benefits are huge.

Not only will you feel better, but your body will be healthier and your daily activities and goals will benefit from feeling strong and energized.

A good balanced meal should have protein (like eggs or chicken), veggies (you can always throw some bell peppers, onion or tomato into a nice omelet), healthy fats (like avocado or olive oil), and some healthy carbs (whole grain toast or a serving size of fresh fruit).

And of course, brew yourself a delicious cup of coffee or some hot tea to go with it.

Pro tip: Drink a big glass of water before eating or drinking anything! This helps get your metabolism going first thing.

Oh, and if you want some delicious, healthy coffee creamer alternatives to your typical sugar- and preservative-filled coffee creamers, read this.

Day 2: Develop a love of exercise

If you really want to nail this 30 day glow up challenge, falling in love with some form of exercise is one of the best ways to do it.

Day 2 of this challenge is to simply move your body for 30-45 minutes. You can do yoga, pilates, running, weight lifting, swimming, biking, jogging, HIIT workouts, go on a nice long walk, etc. 

And because you want to create healthy habits for a lifestyle (not just a healthy day), aim to do this 3-4 days of the week. 

Try out different things and see what you love, because the more you love it the more likely you are to commit to it.

Pro tip: Bring a friend along with you if you’re nervous or lacking the motivation! If anything, it’ll make the whole experience more fun.

Day 3: Develop a hair care routine

Maybe you’ve nailed your skincare routine, but how’s your hair care routine looking?

For me, I didn’t even know I should have a haircare routine. I just washed it like normal, put in some hair oil, and that was it.

Having a hair care routine that works for your specific type of hair can be such a game changer. 

It’ll probably take some trial and error to find what works best for your hair, but be patient with yourself as you try things out.

My top haircare tips:

Tip 1: Use a scalp scrub

Scalp scrubs are an essential–yet often forgotten–step in a healthy hair care routine. 

Scrubs are so amazing because they help remove dead skin cells and product buildup from your hair follicles. 

Removing that buildup helps moisture reach your hair follicles and prevents dry hair and a dry scalp. (It also helps prevent one of my least-favorite hair issues–dandruff.)

Tip 2: Avoid phthalates, silicones, and parabens

Phthalates and parabens prevent your hair’s natural oils from coating the strands, which causes an irritated and dry scalp.

And while silicones might make your hair look shiny and smooth in the short term, they actually create a layer over your hair strands that prevent nourishing and moisturizing ingredients from reaching your hair follicles.

So over time, silicones result in buildup and dry or dull looking hair.

Tip 3: Use products that work for your hair type

Find out your hair type and use products that work best for it!

For my wavy hair, I’ve discovered that using this weightless leave-in conditioner with this banana and coconut texture spray is the perfect routine for me. 

It hydrates my stands so my hair doesn’t get that frizzy look I was so frustrated with, and it never weighs down my wavy/curly hair. 

Plus, I love that there’s no crunchy feeling from the texture spray–just really soft and manageable hair.

So, play around with different products to see what works for you!

Tip 4: Be cautious using heat

If you’re going to straighten or blow dry your hair with heat, make sure you’re using some kind of heat protectant. 

Spritz on some thermal protection spray before applying heat to protect your strands from getting burnt and damaged.

Tip 5: Use a silk pillowcase

Sleeping on a silk pillowcase keeps your hair from getting all fuzzy and frizzy in the morning. It’ll give your hair much less friction while you sleep, resulting in smoother and less mussed hair when you wake up.

Day 4: Glow up your hairstyle

As someone who’s had long hair all her life and only just cut it within the last year, I can understand the fear of making a dramatic hair change.

But the truth is, sometimes it’s just time for something different!

If you’re absolutely happy with the way your hair looks, then of course there’s no need to do anything crazy to it. 

But if you’re ready to add a little flair to your glow up, then take this as a sign to get that fabulous haircut you’ve been pinning to your secret Pinterest board!

Do a little research to find out what your face shape is, or ask your hair stylist what cut would complement your facial features.

For instance, I have a rather long forehead so bangs were a good choice for me! And if you don’t want to do anything too dramatic, even just a good trim to get rid of those split ends can be a massive game changer for your looks.

Day 5: Create a skincare routine you’ll stick to

Have you been slacking on your skincare routine? Personally, when I feel good about my skin, I feel 10x more confident in myself.

You don’t have to have a super elaborate skincare routine if you don’t want to! Just find one you like enough to stick to. It can be as quick as cleanser-moisturizer-sunscreen, or as long as a 10 step Korean skincare routine if you prefer.

The key here is to get your skin in a routine so it can glow up with the rest of you! 

Not sure where to start? Check out my simple skincare routine here, or my non-toxic skincare routine for glowing skin here!

Don’t forget the sunscreen!

The best skincare routine in the world can’t save your skin from the damage the sun’s rays can do.

If you don’t already use sunscreen, today’s the perfect day to start. Protect your skin from the harmful UVA and UVB rays to prevent wrinkles, premature aging, dark spots and the obvious sunburn.

Get yourself a mineral sunscreen that you like enough to not conveniently “forget” to apply sunscreen on a daily basis. 

I use and love Cocokind Daily SPF. It blends into my skin so nicely and doesn’t leave a white wash at all (for my skin, at least). 

I’m also loving Sunday Riley Light-Hearted Daily Sunscreen because it’s so non-greasy and it feels so nice once it’s soaked into my skin. It’s worth noting that it’s a bit more expensive than my usual preferences.

Friendly reminder: If you plan on swimming in the ocean, please opt for a reef-safe sunscreen to prevent further killing of the coral reefs! These sunscreens below are 100% reef-safe and are perfect for a day at the beach.

• Blue Lizard Mineral SPF Stick SPF 50
• Thinksport Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+
• Badger Sport SPF 40

Day 6: Stay hydrated

The results you get from simply drinking enough water is honestly crazy.

You have more energy, your skin looks smoother and brighter, the dark circles under your eyes look less dramatic, and you lose weight easier. 

So, get yourself a giant water jug, fill it up, and carry it with you everywhere so you make sure you’re staying hydrated.

If you low key hate drinking water (like I do) then try changing it up! Throw in some mint, some rosemary, or some fruit to make it taste better. 

You can also try flavored carbonated (unsweetened) water if you prefer.

Day 7: Cut out processed and fast foods

Like I’ve already mentioned, what you feed your body is so, so important if you want a glow up.

Besides the fact that processed foods cause bloating and can lead to weight gain, they can even contribute to dull or blemished skin. 

But to be honest, it’s more than that. Processed foods often cause you to feel sluggish. The preservatives and chemicals in processed foods can literally affect your brain over time.

To have a glow up that lasts, you want to be energized, motivated, and feeling great in your body–no matter what size you are!

For day 7 of this 30 day glow up challenge, cut out processed foods like bagged candies or chips, frozen meals, fast food, and any other foods that are full of artificial ingredients, sweeteners, additives, and preservatives.

Put this into practice in your daily life and you’ll be shocked at how much better you feel, how clear your skin will become, and how much easier it is to keep extra weight off.

Day 8: Dress the part

Part of a glow up is owning your “look.” 

Today, don’t wear what you think you’re supposed to wear, or something that makes you feel like you’re invisible. Wear something that makes you feel beautifully YOU!

You’ve only got one life to live, so you might as well live it out in a cute lil ‘fit.

It doesn’t have to be fancy or revealing–even well fitting jeans and a simple shirt can make all the difference if you’re feelin’ yourself in it!

But if you really don’t have anything that matches your current style, or your whole wardrobe could use a glow up of its own, then you can always gradually add new items to your closet while getting rid of the ones that just aren’t working for you anymore.

And if you need affordable but trendy clothes, check out these budget-friendly clothing shops online.

Or, if you’re in need of some extra tips to sustainably clear out your closet, check out this post on 8 Simple Ways to Downsize Your Wardrobe.

Day 9: Work on your posture

Posture says a lot about a person. If you tend to slouch or slump over, people will subconsciously view you as lacking confidence. 

And as you know, confident people are more attractive.

I understand that people we perceive as overly-confident can get under our skin or even make us feel more insecure, but in general, the human race views confidence as an attractive quality even if it’s a little intimidating.

So, part of this 30 day glow up challenge is to make good posture a habit. 

Stand up straight and keep your chin up. If you keep finding yourself slouched over, you may need to actively practice good posture (like I found myself slouched just typing this). 

Try yoga or even a posture harness to help you focus on standing straight and tall. I use a posture harness and find that it actually does help me to keep my back much straighter. 

Confidence Pro Tip: Don’t talk smack on people. Seriously.

It’s always easy to spot someone who isn’t confident when they constantly put down other people.

It’s a way to make them feel better about themselves, but it’s a glaring sign that reads “That Person Makes Me Feel Insecure, So I’m Going To Bad Mouth Them To Feel Better.”

Day 10: Eat more veggies and fruit

Eating more vegetables is a super simple way to get fuller faster and get more nutrients. 

Plus, eating fruit is basically nature’s dessert, so fruit makes a great substitute for candy or sweets. 

(To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying candy or sweets in moderation. You can just as easily overeat fruit, too. There’s just more nutrients and vitamins in fruit than candy, obviously ;))

Day 11: Whiten your smile

A whiter smile is automatically going to look more attractive, but the best part is you’ll feel more comfortable smiling at people! 

A genuinely friendly smile is the best way to look prettier instantly. So take care of your teeth, especially if you tend to drink a lot of coffee!

I’ve been using the Snow At Home Teeth Whitening Kit and I gotta admit that I love it.

I noticed a difference after just the first use (using the ultra strength serum). 

If you don’t want to spend money on a teeth whitening product, you can always grab a charcoal toothpaste from Target or a grocery store. 

I love this one from Hello, and even though it won’t have as dramatic effects as a teeth whitening product, your teeth will be noticeably whiter after using it for an extended time.

Glow Up Part 2: Mental & Emotional Glow Up

Day 12: Develop a healthy mindset

Let’s start the second part of this challenge off with the most important part of a glow up: Mindset!

When your head is in the right place and you’re motivated to start pursuing your best self, you’ll make so many amazing changes!

But when you start your self improvement journey full of self loathing or negativity, its much more challenging to make improvements.

This doesn’t mean you have to feel amazing about yourself to start this challenge. But it does mean the actions you take over the next 30 days will be much more effective if you can shift your mindset to one of neutrality or positivity. 

So instead of thoughts like “I can’t do this,” or “I suck at xyz,” try a neutral mindset. A neutral mindset says, “Right now, this is hard for me, but let’s just keep going with it and see what I’m capable of.” 

And a positive mindset might sound more like, “I deserve the hard work I’m putting in for myself, and I know I can see this through!”

Allow yourself to believe in your abilities and to see the value in yourself, regardless of the changes you hope to make over the next month. Challenge yourself to suspend your disbelief and buy into the truth that you are absolutely capable of becoming who you want to be.

Day 13: Make time for reflections

Oftentimes, our schedules are so jam-packed with activities, deadlines, work, and goals that we don’t pause to actually examine how the heck we’re really doing.

Maybe you don’t think it’s important to stop and reflect on your wellbeing or your life, but I can guarantee you, friend–it is important.

The truth is, the better you know yourself, the easier it will be to create a life you love. I know it’s easy to put your own needs and emotions on the back burner, but that’s not going to get you your dream life.

And part of a glow up is to examine yourself and see what areas you’re happy with, and what areas could use some more joy and peace.

I recently bought the book How Are You, Really? by one of my long-time internet heroes, Jenna Kutcher. Although I’m still in the middle of reading it, I can’t recommend this book enough to anyone who’s struggling to decipher their heart and passion along their journey.

Day 14: Social media detox day 

Why do you follow the people that you follow on social media? Are they friends you truly care about? People who inspire or educate you? Exes that you want to check up on from time to time? (Oh, look at that! Yup, he still sucks.)

It’s important to take a deeper look at the people you follow and how they make you feel. If you’re getting inspired, educated, or entertained, then that’s one thing. 

But if you follow someone who makes you feel less about yourself, like you’re “failing” or “behind,” “not pretty enough,” or even if it’s just someone who kind of irks you, then it’s time to hit the “unfollow” button.

Go through your Instagram, Facebook, and other social media channels and unfollow the people who aren’t serving you in where you’re at right now.

(Remember, you can totally do this without any hard feelings or bitterness toward those people! It’s probably not their intent to make you feel anything less than amazing, but you gotta do what’s best for you. You can detox your social media without losing any respect for those awesome creators!)

Day 15: Spend time outdoors every day

I didn’t understand this until recent years, but it turns out that sunlight is super important to your mental health. 

Like, spending time in the sun literally reduces depression and anxiety.

Not just that, but your body gets most of its Vitamin D needs met by the sun (not all those Vitamin D pills).

And sitting by a sunny window doesn’t count–the sun’s UVB rays can’t penetrate through the glass, so sitting by a window still isn’t enough Vitamin D.

As part of this 30 day glow up challenge, make sure you get 20-30 minutes of sunlight multiple times a week–preferably each day. 

Do it for your mental and physical health. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel after just getting some sunlight.

Day 16: Go for hot girl walks

If you haven’t heard of the “hot girl walk” yet, let me give you a quick gist: 

Basically, the whole idea behind the hot girl walk is to get out in nature, move your body (by walking, obvi), and listen to something that encourages, empowers, or motivates you.

That can include a podcast, a sick playlist full of songs that speak to you, a sermon, a motivational speaker, or anything that helps you raise your vibration.

Hot girl walks are amazing for your personal development journey because they’re a form of healthy exercise that doubles as mental self care.

Bonus tip: Give your hot girl walk a fun little destination, like a coffee shop or a favorite local spot to sit and read a book.

If you’re enjoying this post, you might also like this 30 Day Self Confidence Challenge! Check it out here 🙂

Day 17: Create boundaries for yourself and your relationships

This 30 day challenge isn’t just about giving you a physical glow up. It’s also about achieving more mental and emotional peace in your life.

Have you ever had a day planned to get something done for yourself, or work on yourself, and you ended up getting nothing done because everything else kept needing your attention–whether it was physical or mental attention?

It doesn’t matter if you have the best friends or family in the world–boundaries are crucial for everyone.

And not just for dealing with other people–you need boundaries for yourself, too.

I used to think of boundaries as a bad thing because I thought it meant emotionally keeping people at arm’s length, or putting everyone else on the back burner if it wasn’t a convenient time for you.

But now, I know boundaries are an important part of keeping healthy and sustainable relationships.

Creating boundaries with other people might look like:

• Saying no to things you don’t want to do or aren’t comfortable with
• Politely declining to share personal details of your life when someone asks
• Choosing to stay at home and rest instead of going out 
• Not engaging with someone who clearly just wants to argue

All of those boundaries are not only acceptable, but they’re also so important to keep your relationships as healthy and energy-giving (rather than energy-draining) as possible.

On the other hand, boundaries for yourself might look like:

• Telling yourself “no” when your first instinct after a frustrating day is to pour yourself a glass of wine or a cocktail
• Exiting out of social media apps when you’ve spent too much of your day scrolling
• Getting yourself on a normal sleeping schedule instead of staying up all night and sleeping in til 3 p.m.

We don’t always know what boundaries we need to create right off the bat. It might take you some time examining yourself and your relationships before you can recognize the areas you need boundaries.

Start by noticing the activities, people, and conversations that drain you and re-evaluate to see if there are healthy boundaries that can be created in those areas.

Day 18: Read more, scroll less

If you’re sick of influencers, authors, and bloggers telling you to “spend less time scrolling through social media,” well… Sorry, but here we go again.

When you spend all your time on social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.), there are a few things going on:

1. You’re getting sucked into the “dopamine loop” that social media gives your brain. Every like, re-tweet, comment, etc. is resulting in a feel-good dopamine chemical hit that can literally get you addicted to the app. 
2. You’re keeping your brain so busy and full of noise that you end up unaware of your own emotional or mental needs.
3. It’s killing your creativity and productivity.
4. You may begin comparing your looks, life, and relationships to people on social media, which results in insecurities and feeling like you’re not as good/pretty/rich as the people you see on your phone.
5. The apps are taking time away from you that could otherwise be spent on reaching your goals.

So no matter how many times you’ve heard it, if you haven’t yet started monitoring your time on social media, this challenge is the time to do it.

Pro Tip: Set your social media preferences on your phone settings and stick to them! After your social media time is up for the day, every time you feel the urge to open IG or TikTok, reach for a book instead.

Or, take the time to meditate and center yourself.

Take the extra free time as an opportunity to expand your mind, learn something new, or better yourself through reading. Right now, I’m reading 3 books at once, (because that’s just how I roll, don’t fight me on my methods), and I’ve noticed I feel much happier and more energetic than I did when I was spending hours on social media.

Day 19: Listen to podcasts

Podcasts might not be for everyone, and I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge podcast person myself. But that doesn’t mean they’re not super beneficial–especially for anyone working on themselves.

So if you’re like me and you’re relatively new to the world of podcasts, here are some of the top self improvement podcasts I’ve been hearing about lately for you to check out!

• Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher (this is one I actually listen to regularly and LOVE! Perfect for anyone balancing work/life/womanhood and general life existence)
• Unf*ck Your Brain
• Manifestation Babe
• Pursuit with Purpose
• And She Rises
• The School of Greatness
• Him & Her – How to learn to control and understand the voice in your head

Any of these are good to listen to on your cute lil commute to work, your hot girl walk, or (what I like to do) while you’re taking an extra-long hot shower.

Day 20: Practice meditation

I truly believe that some of the best things you can do for your glow-up is to become more comfortable with yourself, understand yourself on a deeper level, and become more locked into the present.

Meditation helps with all of those things, and also several others as well.

So while you may be a little hesitant to sit in silence with yourself for 20 minutes (don’t worry–starting with even 3 minutes is better than nothing!), there are a myriad of amazing benefits to consistent meditation.

1. Meditation is a healthy way of dealing with stressful situations
2. It increases your self-awareness
3. Increases your imagination, creativity, patience, and tolerance
4. Improves your quality of sleep
5. Lowers your resting heart rate, which is good for a healthy heart
6. Helps you reduce and manage negative emotions
7. Meditation helps you focus on the present, instead of the future or past

So if you feel more overwhelmed than usual or you’ve got so much stress and anxiety in your life that it’s hard to focus, meditation is the place to start.

How to meditate for newbies

Okay, before we get on with this 30 day glow up challenge, let’s talk meditation for a hot second.

Here’s a quick rundown of how to meditate if you’re brand new to the practice and have no idea where to start.

First, find a comfortable spot to sit or lie down. 

Second, set a timer for yourself. Even starting with just 5-10 minutes is a perfect place to start!

Third, it’s time to start meditating! Feel your breath enter and leave your body. Rather than taking shallow chest breaths like most of us tend to do, focus on slow deep breaths that go all the way down to your stomach.

Fourth, notice when your mind starts to wander. And trust me, it’ll wander. Grocery lists, relationships, to-do lists, stuff that’s bugging you, all of that will fight for your attention. Just be patient with yourself and gently nudge your thoughts back to your breath.

And finally, when you’re finished, open your eyes and take in the moment. Examine how your body feels, and what thoughts or emotions you’re experiencing. Be kind and gentle with yourself if you don’t feel how you expected to feel.

Meditation doesn’t magically heal or transform you in one sitting. Do it regularly and with consistency, you should notice a difference in time.

Day 21: Start to journal regularly

I used to begin the day with Instagram, re-watching Gilmore Girls while drinking my coffee, or reading emails that made me feel behind before the day even began.

Lately, I’ve been reaching for my little pink journal instead. (Okay, I still watch my Gilmore Girls, but I try to journal first.)

And honestly, I love the way I feel after taking just 5-10 minutes of my morning to reflect, focus on gratitude, and center my thoughts.

I went from feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or comparing my life, to joyful, excited and optimistic for what the day would hold. It didn’t happen over night, but the more consistent I am, the more my overall mood improves.

Journaling is such a simple and effective way to embrace your glow up–and it only requires as much time as you want to give it.

Day 22: Make gratitude a habit

Okay, everyone says to “practice gratitude.” But how do you do that? What are some practical ways to actually make gratitude a habit?

Here are some ways I’ve been practicing gratitude lately, plus a few extra ideas for you.

• Write down 3 things I’m thankful for every morning in my journal
• Stop complaining about things you have the power to change, and put that effort toward changing them instead
• Spend more time looking around me instead of looking at my phone (to increase my joy and decrease my thoughts of comparison)
• Be mindful of every good little thing that comes my way 
• Be more specific when you tell someone “thanks” (what are you thankful for specifically?)
• Remember the hard/bad times (this puts your current blessings in perspective–remember you didn’t always have what you have now)

These are some of the best ways to make gratitude a habit. 

By actively choosing gratitude, you’re going to find more joy in life and become a happier person in general.

And what better glow up is there than becoming truly happy?

Day 23: Schedule time for joy

This might sound silly, but if you’re anything like most people existing today, you don’t have a ton of free time on your hands.

You go from appointment to appointment, deadline to deadline, running through your to-do list while running on fumes. You barely have time to cook yourself a healthy dinner, let alone do something just for the fun of it.

If that sounds like you, then it’s time for you to start scheduling joy into your life like you schedule everything else, bud.

Grab a pen, or open up your calendar app, and add a weekly event to your calendar called “JOY.”

JOY can be whatever brings you peace, happiness, makes you laugh, or makes you feel rejuvenated. A nice long walk, cuddle time with your pet, watching your favorite movie, reading a book, painting a picture, or just having coffee with someone who makes you feel alive.

But, Sav, I just don’t have time!

Don’t have time in your calendar? Then it’s time to start deleting some stuff, girl. If you don’t have 30-60 minutes to spare in your week to do something that makes you happy, then maybe you should ask yourself if that’s really what you want your life to look like.

Schedule joy like a frickin teeth cleaning at the dentist if you have to–but there’s no point to this life if you don’t do the things that make you happy.

And a glow-up is worthless if you don’t have the time to enjoy the life you’re already living.

Glow Up Part 3: Personal glow up

Day 24: Develop a morning and evening routine

When you’re becoming “That Girl,” creating an inspiring morning routine and a restful evening routine are important steps to take.

For your morning routine, develop some habits that get you excited to get out of bed whenever your alarm goes off.

A delicious breakfast, an oat milk latte, stretching to wake your body up–whatever floats your boat.

It’s important to have a morning routine you can enjoy so you can stick to it.

A morning routine gets you ready for the day and helps you stick to your goals. If you’re running behind and unprepared every morning, it’s going to be hard to follow through with your ambitions.

Similarly, an evening routine that helps you relax, unwind and prepare for a good night’s sleep is crucial so you feel rested the next day.

Day 25: Set short term and long term goals

Goal-setting plays a huge role in getting what you want in life.

Did you know you’re 42% more likely to achieve a goal if you write it down? So if you truly want a self transformation and you’re willing to do everything else, the simplest little extra step you can take is to just write down your goal.

Pro tip: Write your goal as a “SMART” goal. (SMART being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound.)

So instead of writing the vague goal of, “My goal is to have better relationships,” make it into a SMART goal.

“I am going to call my mom, Sam, and Amanda twice a week for the next three months to have stronger, more genuine bonds and create a group of supportive, loving people in my life.

Write your long and short term goals somewhere you can see them every day so you can keep your focus. Put them on sticky notes at your desk, on a sheet of paper over your computer, on the fridge door–wherever you’ll see it often.

By setting SMART goals and writing them down, you’ll be much more likely to take those steps needed to achieve them. And every goal you achieve just gets you one day closer to your ultimate glow up.

Day 26: Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night

Stop sleeping on sleep! The benefits of getting enough rest every night are basically magical. 

Getting plenty of sleep gives you the benefits of:

• Improved mood
• Increased productivity
• Healthier skin and digestion
• Better results with weight loss
• Also better results in putting on muscle
• Longer life expectancy
• You look prettier–plain and simple

Do yourself a favor and prioritize sleep above basically anything else. 

Diet, exercise, water, and all the other stuff is super important. But it’s at night when your body is able to put all those things to use!

Depriving your body of sleep sets your progress way, way back, both physically and mentally.

And if you’re one of the many people in the world who have a hard time falling asleep at night, you can check out my post on these amazing evening teas to help knock you out at night, and keep you asleep til morning.

Day 27: Declutter and organize your space

The term “messy space, messy mind” might not be true for everyone… but I’d argue it’s true for most. Take today to clean up your room, your desk, anywhere in your home that feels disorganized or chaotic.

Create a space for yourself that makes you feel peaceful and creative! You don’t have to spend money on new decor or anything crazy like that.

Sometimes, all it takes is making your bed, removing the crap from your work space, filing your mail, and dusting to make your space feel better.

Start forming habits of organization and cleanliness, and watch how much less stressed you feel overall.

The more organized your space, the more room you’ll have in your mind and life to accomplish the things you really want.

Day 28: Work on your personal shortcomings

We all have things we need to work on, right? 

This is the uncomfy part of this 30 day glow-up challenge: Acknowledging your struggle areas and making the decision to start chipping away at the rougher edges. It’s not as fun as getting your nails done or getting a new haircut, but it’s arguably one of the most necessary parts of a glow up.

For me, some of my shortcomings include my poor time management skills, my tendency to people-please, and the fact that I can’t make a decision to save my life. 

(Do I want my latte iced or hot today? Do I want Brussels sprouts or green beans tonight? I DON’T KNOW!)

The good news is, none of these little things have to stick around if I don’t want them to. So, what are some areas of your character that you would like to improve on? 

Don’t fall into the trap of believing “This is just the way I am. I can’t really change.” That’s just not true. Of course, like anything that truly lasts, you’ll need to put time and work into making the changes you want.

But you are more than capable. Be mindful of your unhealthy patterns and start putting in the effort to change.

Day 29: Get your finances in order

Take this challenge as an opportunity to get your money right.

If you’ve got bills that you consistently pay late, then it’s time to set up the automated schedule so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

And if you’re living off pennies every time payday comes around, then now’s the perfect day to set up a realistic budget you can stick to.

Trust me, I’m not a master in finances by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve (hopefully) learned a good deal from my mistakes.

From late toll road fines to late vehicle registration fees that added $100 extra to my payment, I’ve had a few hard knocks teaching me the importance of staying on top of finances.

So set aside a few hours today to set up automatic payments, reminders, budgets, and whatever else you need to make sure you’re thriving financially.

Day 30: Learn to manage your time

I know time management is another kinda-boring aspect to this 30 day glow up challenge. That said, there are sooo many amazing and helpful tips out there to better manage your time and increase productivity.

From the Pomodoro method, to time-blocking, to simple prioritization methods, find what works best for you and learn to make the most out of your time.

Pomodoro method

I personally love to use the online Pomodoro timer when I’m working on blog posts or projects.

And if you’ve never heard of this method, it basically includes 25 minutes of focused work, a 5 minute break, then another 25 minutes of work. Each 25 minute chunk is called a “pomodoro.” 

After 4 pomodoros, you get a longer break for 15 minutes. I’ve found this method super helpful to keep me from getting scatterbrained and distracted.

Time blocking

Another tip to manage your time is to give yourself x amount of hours to get something done. 

For example, when I know I need to clean my room but I’m short on time, I’ll set a timer for 15-30 minutes. I’m only allowed to clean the room for that amount of time.

That ensures that I don’t lollygag around and I get to work. (Yes, I really do use words like “lollygag” in real life. I blame my mother.)

Basically, the concept is that you’ll take whatever amount of time you have to get something done. So if you have 2 weeks to write an essay, it’ll take you 2 weeks.

If you only have 2 hours to write an essay, then it’ll take you 2 hours.

Again, it’s important to find what works best for you. But learning to manage your time instead of wasting it will not only improve your productivity, but it’ll actually end up giving you more free time.

Conclusion to 30 Day Glow Up Challenge

You made it, friend! You’re here at the end of this 30 day glow up challenge, and I couldn’t be more excited for you. 

However easy or challenging you found these past 30 days, you made it happen and you didn’t quit.

And if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to grab the free 30 day printable to follow along the challenge day by day that comes with fillable weekly reflection sheets! Grab it here.

Now that you’ve completed one month’s worth of glow up activities, you might be wondering what’s next. 

Well, if you’re excited to keep moving forward with your self improvement journey, these blog posts are great places to start to keep challenging yourself.

Remember: Every day is an opportunity for a glow up. Never limit yourself to Mondays, first days of the month, or the New Year. You’re in control here, so go become exactly who you want to be.

And most importantly, don’t forget to love yourself through this process of change, because a true glow up takes time. 

You can change your skincare routine with a single shopping trip, or get a different haircut in an hour, or you can make the decision to change your life overnight.

But lasting change takes time and patience. You won’t magically overcome negativity or change your entire body in a week. But you can create new habits every day that will, over time, transform you into the person you want to become.

So go get her! I believe in you always.

Sending you all my love and good vibes,