Starting Off the Year #FPRAFresh

By Gabriela Sabo, FPRA Orlando Intern

FPRA Orlando kicked off the new year with our #FPRAFresh Campaign to inspire us to reach our peak performance both in our professional and personal lives. Throughout January, we hosted three events and shared some tips and tricks on social media to help us start off 2022 on a positive note.

The first part of our campaign consisted of three events — a Private Yoga Session, Image Awards Workshop and a Dogtastic Park Meet-Up. These were fun ways to get involved and recenter ourselves going into the new year.

The second part of #FPRAFresh focused on sharing tips and tricks from fellow members and local health professionals on our social media platforms. We included topics such as time management skills, health and fitness, organization skills, meditation and mindfulness, and even some book recommendations to incorporate into our daily routines.

Here are some of the most important #FPRAFresh takeaways that will help you stay on track in 2022.

 1.     Perform an assessment of your life.

VP of Image Awards Cynthia Velasco recommends reflecting on the previous year by writing down what worked best for you and what didn’t. This can help you identify your priorities for the new year. Determine what your ideal day looks like and what routines and habits will get you there. Write this down and keep it in a visible place to make it easier to stay consistent. Be honest with yourself and embrace structure and self-discipline.

2.     Create a schedule that works for you

Creating fresh and engaging content can be overwhelming. VP of Communications Valerie Moses suggests batching your content. Instead of bouncing back and forth from task to task, dedicate an hour to creating content to be used in the future. She also recommends finding inspiration from popular content and trends. However, planning evergreen content that can be used to fill in is equally as important. Test out different organizational systems to find the best fit for you.

3.     Practice mindfulness and meditation regularly

Kenneth Morgan-Schleuning explained practicing mindfulness each day can help us develop clarity, concentration, and equanimity. Learning to be present and having a deeper understanding of ourselves and others is valuable for leaders and communicators because it allows us to approach situations and develop strategies with a clear lens.

A good way to start your journey of meditation and mindfulness is to read books such as “Mindfulness for Beginners” by Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mind Your Life: How Mindfulness Can Build Resilience and Reveal Your Extraordinary” by Meg Salter and “How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends With Your Mind” by Pema Chodron.

There are also meditation apps available to guide you.

4.     Nourish your body

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Diane Campbell shared the importance of maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. Campbell recommends going back to the basics. Focus on eating real, unprocessed foods and limiting sugars and carbohydrates. Her shopping list for staying on track includes grass fed meat, pasture-raised chicken, wild-caught fish and organic fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

If your goals for 2022 include weight loss, Campbell advises to eat whole foods, eat a complete breakfast, avoid skipping meals and start off your meals with protein and vegetables, which help you fill up faster.

5.     Read more books

Reading regularly is an important part of our personal and professional development. President Elect Jose Luis Dieppa said “There is so much power found between the pages of a book.” Here are some book recommendations we can add to our reading list this year.

-       “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

-       “Atlas of the Heart” by Brene Brown

-       “Finding Freedom” by Erin French

-       “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo

-       “The Strategic Storyteller” by Alexander Jutkowits

We hope that #FPRAFresh helped you start off the new year feeling refreshed and reenergized and inspired you to incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life in 2022.  Whether we taught you some new tips or reminded you to pick up where you left off in your own practices, we encourage you take some time to prioritize yourself this year and stay #FPRAFresh.