Glow Up Challenge + 5 Pages of Printables, Including Daily Trackers to Keep You Motivated

Last updated on February 7th, 2023 at 12:10 am

If you relaxed your self-care and beauty standards a little (or a lot) during the pandemic, I have a challenge for you.

Let’s get back on track with a glow up challenge! Keep reading for tips to becoming your best self inside and out, and then grab our free printables.

These glow up checklists are the perfect reminders to stay on track and will help you hold yourself accountable.

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What is the Glow Up Challenge?

The glow up challenge begins with taking time every day for self-care. It’s easy to let these things slide, but these little rituals are things you can look forward to each day that, I hope, will boost your mood and self-confidence.

Here are the steps in our glow up challenge, but you might want to add some of your own too.

Follow a skin care routine.

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to products, and a lot depends on your age and what your skin care concerns are. I love Timeless Skin Care, especially because of their serums. They’re every bit as good as high-end brands, but are so affordable. The Ordinary also makes high-quality, affordable skin care products too. You’ll find them at Sephora and Ulta.

Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Getting enough quality sleep is important for our physical and mental health. Read more about the importance of sleep and how to create an evening routine to help you prepare for bed.

Eat more fruits and veggies.

There are so many health benefits to eating more fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan to get the benefits of eating a more plant-based diet. 

Maintain your nails.

I don’t know about you, but I just feel better when my nails are done. You don’t need to spend a lot on nail salon visits. Here are some products to help you take care of your nails at home. 

Cut out junk food.

Cutting out the unhealthy snacks isn’t easy. Salty and sugary foods are actually addicting, but here are some tips to help you avoid junk food and stop your cravings. 

Exercise 3 to 5 times a week.

No matter what kind of exercise it is, it’s important that you get some kind of exercise in every week. The CDC suggests 150 minutes. That might sound like a lot, but that time can be 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The good news is that you can spread your activity out during the week, so you don’t have to do it all at once. You can even break it up into smaller chunks of time during the day. Find a balance and exercises that works for you. [Also read: 5 Reasons You Should Take Up Running and 6 Benefits of Strength Training]

Pay attention to your feet.

It can be easy to ignore your feet, but they take a lot of abuse. Dont’ neglect them! Exfoliate your feet, then use a quality moisturizer, and trim your nails. Be careful not to cut them too short to prevent ingrown toenails. There are some amazing foot scrubs, soaks, and lotions you can try too.

Refresh your hair color.

I always feel not quite myself when I let my hair color fade and my roots are growing out. A fresh color is always gives me a boost, so I had to include this one in our glow up challenge. If you’re coloring at home, these Madison Reed color kits come highly recommended.

Groom your eyebrows.

Your eyebrows frame your face, so you’ll want to maintain them. Here are some eyebrow products to help you do just that.

Clarify and moisturize your hair.

Why and how do you clarify your hair? Clarifying your hair is the process of stripping away the product that builds up on your strands, especially from styling products. You can use clarifying shampoos to do this. They’re made specifically to deep clean your hair and remove residue and buildup. If your hair feels heavy, dirty, and lacks body even after washing it, it is probably time to clarify. If you color your hair, be careful though. It’s best to clarify your hair before dyeing it.

If you use heat on your hair, like a blow dryer, flat iron, or curling iron, make sure your hair is getting enough moisture. Use a deep conditioner in the shower and try hair masks for even deeper condtioning and moisturizing.

Practice body positivity.

There are several ways you can become “body positive.” Start with meditating on positive messages. You can also make a mental shift (if you don’t do this already) to find something positive about everyone you meet–that means people of all shapes and sizes. When it comes to your body, don’t obsess about your weight and clothing size, and instead focus on being healthy.

Stay hydrated.

Staying hydrated is good for every part of you–from your joints to your skin, your digestion, and may even improve your mood and memory. Here are five ways to drink more water.

Always eat a healthy breakfast.

I admit that it’s sometimes hard for me to eat a lot in the morning. If you prefer a smoothie to a large breakfast, here are some good choices. For something heartier, try this healthy pumpkin oatmeal.

Do a weekly face mask.

I love treating myself to face masks. There’s a face mask for just about everything. Whether you want to moisturize dry skin, exfoliate or peel, lighten discoloration, or almost anything else, you will probably find a mask made for that purpose. Here are some facial masks to choose from.

Don’t touch your face excessively.

Touching your face (with your hands or your phone) can spread oil, dirt, and bacteria from your hands to your face. That can lead to breakouts. Try to get in the habit of keeping your hands away from your face other than when you’re washing your face or applying sunscreen or makeup. (And, of course, do that with clean hands.) As for your phone, try not to hold it against your face, and clean it regularly. 

Take care of your teeth.

It should go without saying that we all need to take care of our teeth, not only so they look nice, but to avoid cavities and other dental problems. I have been using an electric Oral-B toothbrush for years, and I love it. It honestly makes my teeth feel cleaner than any other toothbrush I’ve used. You might want to pick up whitening strips to use periodically, especially if you drink coffee, tea, or wine.

Exfoliate and moisturize your body.

It’s easy for our skin to become dry and dull, especially in cold weather. That’s why exfoliating and moisturizing is on our glow up checklist. Take care of your skin by exfoliating regularly and moisturizing with a good quality body butter or lotion.

Trim split ends.

Another thing that makes me feel NOT put together is when I’m in need of a haircut. If your haircut is losing its shape or the ends of your hair are becoming damaged, schedule a haircut or trim ASAP, and you’ll feel much better!

Exfoliate and moisturize your lips.

Our lips can become dry and flaky, just like our skin–especially in the winter. Here are some easy diy lip balms that will help. For a simple way to exfoliate your lips, just use some sugar with honey or coconut oil to make a paste. Apply it to your lips, massaging it in small circles. Then wipe it off, and you’ll notice beautifully exfoliated lips.

Take vitamins for your hair, skin, and nails.

It’s incredible what a good hair, skin, and nails supplement can do! We like Vitamin World, but Amazon has some great choices too.

Work on your self confidence.

When your confidence is low, it’s easy to let lots of other things go, and it can all become a vicious cycle. Here are some books to help you improve your self-esteem and self-image that get four and five-star reviews.

• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
• What To Say When You Talk To Your Self
• Ten Days to Self-Esteem
• Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

Love yourself unconditionally.

The “glow” in our glow up challenge needs to comes from within too. It’s about caring for ourselves on the outside and on the inside. So, what are some ways to love yourself unconditionally?

• Don’t be critical of yourself. 
• Be kind and patient with yourself as you would with a friend or your child.
• Forgive yourself for past mistakes. I love Maya Angelou’s quote: “Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.”
• Give yourself praise. Criticism hurts, but praise builds you up!
• Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

That’s everything in our glow up challenge list! We have printables for you below to act as easy reminders of each of these steps. We’re also giving you daily trackers to help you remember to drink your water, exercise, and stay on top of your skin care routine.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the number of items on this list. The goal is to incorporate them into your life until they become habits.

There are probably some (or many) of them you’re already doing and some you need to work on, so feel free to use this checklist in whatever way works for you. The goal is to feel better about ourselves and “glow up,” so let me know how this works for you.

Print your Glow Up Challenge checklist and trackers by clicking on any of the page images below.

They’ll print on letter-sized paper, or use your printer’s setting to make adjustments, if needed. You can use a hole-punch, and put these pages in a binder or staple them together to create a journal if you’d like, with the first page as the cover.

You can also laminate the pages, and use a dry-erase marker to check off the items weekly. Then just erase when the new week starts. Here’s an affordable lamintor if you don’t already have one.

Also read:
Self-Care Checklist Printable (Free)
How to Keep the Exercise Momentum Going
Sunday Habits for a Productive Week

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