2017 was a year of change: I graduated university, I started accepting more responsibility at my retail job, then I left my retail job for my first full time job, I moved in with Adrian, we traveled together for the first time, I celebrated Christmas for the first time ever, and so much more.

Now it is a new year, and I am starting to set the foundations for 2018 to be amazing (filled with just as much change, but different change)!

**My mantra for this year is going to be Prioritize Happiness.**

I am making it a priority to be happy, and I think you all should too. We spend so much time focused on our jobs, our relationships, our finances, what have you, but we never really focus on ourselves (granted there ARE some people who do, but a lot of us don't). My goal for this year, call it a resolution if you will, is to become more in-tuned with myself - to focus on my mind-body connection. This may include learning and adapting intuitive eating habits, or knowing when my body needs more water (like right now..), or when I need to take a step back from a task and evaluate how invested in it I should really be. The list of things I/you could do to prioritize happiness can be exhaustive, but here's a start: go to the gym and sweat it out in style. I always find that when I look good, I feel good, and this applies to workouts too.

Pick yourself up a pair of bomb running shoes. Having killer kicks always makes me feel good (Note: I do have a shoe obsession). These Nike Free 5.0s are awesome for workouts and for running errands - multipurpose items are my fave. I love the plush cushioned sole and you've got me SOLD on pretty much anything black and white (see above featured image flat-lay for example). They go with pretty much anything, and they are supportive enough to stand up to my weird stair-master leg workouts (check this out).

Warning: You WILL fall in love with these leggings and you WILL have the hardest time purchasing them. These Gymshark Flex Leggings are almost always sold out because they are that fab. They are made from the softest material, they've got great stretch (the waistband is a bit tighter though), and there are curve defining contours down the sides and back of the legs that make the booty pop! I've got the Sapphire Blue Marl and Light Grey ones, but they recently came out with a bunch of new colours, so you've got 10 colour combos to choose from. As I said before, look good - feel good.

So you're rocking your sleek af runners and your curve hugging leggings on leg day, but you're missing a very important piece of the puzzle: a bar pad to use while your doing all those squats! Let's be honest, no one REALLY likes to have sore, red, bruised shoulders. Just save yourself the trouble a pick up one of these bad boys. I started a new workout routine that has been kicking my butt (S.O. to my girl Gabby for this awesome guide that has got me so sore), and it includes tons of bar work. This bar pad from Grace Fit UK (limited release I think??) makes it feel like I'm squatting a cloud. It's so soft and squishy so that I don't end up with those tiny red burst blood vessels on my shoulders. Find a pretty great alternative by clicking here!

Along with prioritizing happiness, I am also prioritizing hydration. When we were in Hawaii in February I found this stunning matte black 18 oz water bottle and scooped it up immediately. It may be kind of tough to find that exact one outside of Hawaii, but the lesson still stands: the bigger the bottle, the more hydration you can receive! Everyone makes fun of me for this huge bottle, but I laugh when everyone else has to get up to refill their itty-bitty bottles every 10 minutes (Exaggeration? Me? Never..) To boost your hydration at the gym, be sure to add some BCAAs to your water to aid in muscle recovery. Adrian got these Beyond Yourself Pomegranate Blueberry BCAAs from work, and they taste like a juice box! 10/10 would recommend.

Remember when I said I liked multi-purpose items? These Beats by Dre headphones definitely fit the bill. They are Bluetooth wireless, and sweat and water resistant making them perfect for the gym. I hate headphones with wires because they get all tangled in whatever weights or machines I am using at the time. These last for about 12 hours on a full charge with awesome sound quality. You know they are good when Adrian and I both have a pair! All black? I'm sold.

Do you have any priorities or resolutions for the new year? Sweat it out in style with me! Let me know what you take to the gym with you in the comments.