Today's post marks the final blog post of 2023 here on TheKristenDiary.com. It's hard to believe another year has passed us by, isn't it? I don't think I'll ever really quit saying or feeling that way-- time truly is inexorable. Despite knowing that, I also don't think I'll ever stop feeling a peculiar and bittersweet sentiment around the passing of a year. I always feel the same with my birthday, too. It's strange-- experiencing life and aging is a gift but I still can't seem to shake feeling a little sad about it passing by too.
Despite my wishy washy feelings, I'm looking forward to 2024! I'm excited to dive into new goals, change and growth. I'm a big believer in always striving for progress + improvement, however a New Year always feels like a fresh start full of possibilities. Before diving into that and all of the resolutions, though, I thought we'd take one last stroll through 2023. Every single month I share the "Top 5 Most Popular Blog Posts" on TKD so it was only fitting to end the year with the Top 5 Most Popular Blog Posts from all of 2023. If you've kept up with any of these throughout the year, number one should come as no surprise...
-THE TOP 5 MOST POPULAR BLOG POSTS OF 2023-
1. OURA RING UNBOXING - Coming in at number one for the entire year (and pretty much every single month of the year) is my Oura Ring Unboxing. I've had my Oura Ring for almost two years now and it's one of my favorite purchases. If you're big on health + tracking data, I highly recommend buying one. It's a wearable ring to track your sleep, fitness + overall readiness level for each day. It can also provide insight on the female cycle, oxygen levels + more. I purchased the Gen3 in the Heritage Gold. For the full 411 on the ring, my ordering experience + overall first thoughts, this post is a good place to start.
Read here: Oura Ring Unboxing
2. MY AMAZON STOREFRONT - Earlier in the year, I also created my own Amazon storefront to organize + link all of my favorite things on Amazon. I made this post shortly after creating my storefront and clearly we are all big Amazon lovers. I try to keep my storefront updated regularly with all of my favorite lifestyle finds- think snacks, shoes/fashion, beauty, supplements, books + more.
Read here: My Amazon Storefront
3. WALKING 10,000 STEPS EVERY DAY FOR 3 WEEKS - This post is an oldie but a goodie from 2021 when I first started walking 10,000+ steps a day. I had heard back then that it was (and it is!) extremely beneficial and ideal to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. On average, most people only walk 3,000-4,000 steps per day. Because I have an active job, I'm constantly moving but when I tracked it, I was still only walking anywhere from 6,000-8,000 steps per day on average. At the time I challenged myself to start walking the 10K+ per day for a month which I did. After the three weeks, I wrote this post on my experience, how I did it and tips on how to get started. I've also continued walking the 10K per day ever since! It's a wonderful healthy habit to add into your daily routine and I encourage everyone to do so. When I first started, it would often feel daunting at times to get my steps in but now it's just like brushing my teeth or driving to work. PS- it would also make a great New Year's resolution for 2024!
Read here: Walking 10,000 Steps Every Day for 3 Weeks
5. BEAUTY HAUL + SEPHORA/ULTA BIRTHDAY GIFTS - Another little oldie post is this beauty haul. I've done a lot of different hauls and unboxings on the blog over the years so I've always been surprised to see this one in the favorites. I think mainly because it's a random mix of just a few items. I have an inkling though that the reason it's so popular is because of the Sephora + Ulta Birthday gifts. I'm a big fan of the birthday gifts every year and know I usually Google them to see which one to pick! I'll also say that this haul does have some great, tried + true products that I still love. The moisturizer + mascara are two of my all-time faves!
Read here: Beauty Haul + Sephora/Ulta Birthday Gifts
That's a wrap on 2023! Talk to you next year, xx.
What are your plans to ring in the New Year?
