You are ugly.

At least, that’s what the internet wants you to think before you start a glow-up journey.

The person often shown at the beginning of those viral glow-up videos on TikTok is usually the messiest version of themselves, but through movie magic or a satisfying time-lapse, they become Beyonce.

(That is an exaggeration, no one can be Beyonce. Sorry.)

While these videos are satisfying to watch, they might not be the healthiest way to look at personal improvement.

Do you see how we used style to explain what a glow-up is without dragging those of you who don’t know?

We are just too gracious, really.

Anyway, the glow-up trend popped up in the late 2010s, around the same time TikTok started to gain popularity, so naturally, the trend only grew from there.

Since then “The glow-up” has taken on a life of its own, with influencers filming themselves doing some crazy – albeit entertaining – things in the name of dramatic transformation.

If you go to Youtube, type in “Extreme 24-Hour Glow-Up” and leave autoplay on, you will probably have enough time to take a shower, receive a lecture about marriage from your mother, cook jollof rice, and then sleep till the next day before the stream of videos will end.

It’s all fun and games but underneath the eye-catching thumbnails and “oohs”  and “ahhs” of a transformation, a nasty reality awaits.

The pursuit of a “Glow-up” can very quickly turn from a genuine desire to be your best self, to a toxic mental health trap.

Even Vogue (as in, the fashion and style giant themselves oh) have implored people to “Leave Toxic Glow-Up Culture Behind In 2021”, and we couldn’t agree more.

The trend has a way of making you look at yourself and think “Hm, maybe I’m not enough”, and while there is nothing wrong with self-reflection and improvement (ahem, Nigerian politicians, ahem), comparing yourself to people on the internet is never the best way to start your journey.

Maybe that babe on Instagram with a banging body starves herself thin… or maybe she doesn’t and just has great genetics.

Will you now die?

Do you know if that super successful tech bro on Twitter has a rich parent who is funding his lifestyle? We don’t know.

The point is, a glow up should be about becoming the best version of yourself, outside of comparison with others.

It’s about you, period.

This is why we – in our vast expanse of abundant wisdom – have come up with a realistic 30-day glow-up guide.

Our guide won’t be focused on dramatic changes, because we know the pressure to look perfect is whooping everyone’s behind, so, we’ve crafted it to meet you at whatever stage of your body is at.

As long as you want an improvement in how you look and feel, we’ve got you.

When have we not?

Also, we are now, quite firmly, in the third quarter of 2024!

Remember our “Secrets to Achieving Your Dreams” and our Goal setting articles?

Yeah, take this as another instalment of that series, especially if you fell off the New Year New Me bandwagon earlier than you care to admit.

At the very least, finish this article and try a challenge (ours) for a month and see how you feel.

Realistically, what can you lose?

Now let’s walk you through the areas you’ll be focusing on for the next 30 days.

Skincare

This is kind of a no-brainer, as your skin is literally one of the first things people see when they look at you.

The thing is, everyone’s skin is different.

Some people – God’s favourites – don’t have to do too much, but they have amazing skin, others… Well, let’s just say good character is what matters in the end, please.

This is why you have to do a lil research before buying any products.

Here are some questions to start you off;

• What type of skin do you have? Is it oily? Dry? Normal? Combination?

• What are your skin concerns? If you have specific issues like acne, hyperpigmentation, or dryness, getting products that address these concerns will help.

• How sensitive is your skin? Consider if your skin reacts easily to certain ingredients, and maybe opt for gentle, hypoallergenic (formulated to not trigger allergies) products if necessary.

Now that you have an idea of what you’re dealing with, you can start to see what’s possible for your skin in a month and realistically, what isn’t.

A big part of a glow-up is – you guessed it – goal-setting. Setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals is one of the best ways to go about it.

For our challenge, we recommend that your skincare goals be focused on skin health and consistency, as that takes off the pressure of trying to achieve a certain look, so, here are some ideas you can adopt;

• “I want to start wearing sunscreen every day.”
• “I want to do my skincare routine at least once a day.” 
• “I want to do a face mask twice a week.”

All these goals are Specific – they outline exactly what you want to do – Measurable – you can keep track of how many times you do your skincare routine or wear sunscreen and make sure you’re hitting your target – Achievable – they are not impossible or even very difficult things to do – Relevant – they are related to your primary goal (to have better skin) – and Time-Bound, because in 30 days, the challenge ends, and you can evaluate results.

(We talk about this a bit more in our Goal setting article – you should check it out.)

Everyone knows that taking care of your skin makes it better, all you have to do is perfect your system and the results will come to you.

Now that you know about your skin, and you have a goal, where do you get products from?

Thank you so much for that question, dear.

You can check out Beauty Hut and Teeka4, but we also have some more plugs for you in the index, so don’t sweat it.

Eating Right

We know there’s a good chance that when you think of healthy eating, what comes to mind is a super strict, impossible-seeming regimen that prescribes a gruesome death by hanging for people who eat white bread.

Can we just relax?

Eating right doesn’t have to be so daunting, and definitely not so restrictive.

According to a 2016 Journal of Food Research paper, the word “diet” may even originate from the Greek word ‌diaita‌, meaning mental and physical health, lending credence to the notion that your diet should make you feel good physically and mentally.

Now, completely transforming your diet all at once can be a recipe (get it?) for a very spectacular disaster, this is why, as is the theme of this article, you have to be realistic about your goals and expectations.

Again, compare yourself only to yourself.

One of the best ways to look at a healthy diet, especially if you are just starting, is this – The premise of healthy eating is not to remove, it’s to add.

You are adding health to your diet, you don’t need to start by restricting and removing and villainising food.

Food is not the enemy here. The government is.

Kidding, kidding.

Anyway, here are five ways you can start eating healthier, without feeling miserable about it;

• Eat slower: It seems crazy, but the pace at which you eat significantly influences how much you eat, and how likely you are to over-eat. Certain hormones control your appetite, how much you eat and how full you get, but hormones are not magic, so your brain takes about 20 minutes to realise you’re full. Eating slowly gives your brain enough time to catch up and tell you when you’ve had enough. Simple, right?

• Drink more water: Another no-brainer. Everyone knows drinking enough water can significantly improve your health, but did you also know that it can help you lose and maintain weight, and even slightly increase the calories you burn daily? See what God has done for you. Studies also show that it can make you feel full and thereby help reduce the amount of food you consume. Also, drinking water instead of beverages drastically reduces your sugar intake. Win, win, win.

• Eat some fruit: Fruits are one of God’s gifts if you really think about it. Edible plants? You can’t tell us we didn’t win with those. So why aren’t you eating them? They have been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. They are also high in fibre and vitamins, which affect your gut health to how glowy your skin is. Eat. Your. Fruit. (and no, fruit juice isn’t the same thing as eating actual fruit).

• Eat home-cooked: Eating freshly cooked food with ingredients you know and can vouch for can really ramp up the health factor of any meal, especially if you compare it to fast food. Most fast food is cooked in large batches, and while it may be more convenient, you don’t really know what’s going into the food you’re buying. Are they reusing dirty oil from last week? Are they sourcing less quality ingredients to make a profit (directly affecting the value of food you’re putting into your body)? You just don’t know. This is also why we have our trusty Guide to Home Cooked Food for you – we love you more than Chicken Republic does.

• Eat more eggs: There’s a reason Gym-Bros (men who are dedicated gym goers) seem to be in a forever-deal relationship with eggs; they pack quite the health kick, and are rich in high-quality protein and many essential nutrients. They are also very filling so you’re less hungry and have a lower desire to eat anyhow. An egg a day keeps the doctor away, abi what’s the saying again?

Okay, so. We’ve started you off, and you can follow up with some more research yourself (we actually recommend that you do), now let’s get into what your diet goals for this challenge can look like.

Remember, for now, it’s about adding health to your diet, not restricting your intake of anything.

• “I will eat a portion of fruit every day or every two days.”
• “I will eat at least one home-cooked meal daily.”
• “At least once a day, I will eat a meal without using my phone or watching something. (Be present and eat slowly).”
• “I will drink at least two 50cl bottles of water a day.” 
• “I will have two eggs with breakfast at least twice a week”

Keep in mind that these can and should be customised to fit your lifestyle and realistically what’s possible for you. Maybe three bottles of water is more your speed, or maybe fruit is difficult to get where you live, so you can only have a portion once every three days, – as long as you’re making a consistent effort.

For great deals on foodstuff, we always recommend you go to a local market and see what you can find, but if you’re feeling lazy, you can order groceries from Mano, or Glovo.

Movement

If you have the privilege of a fully functioning body, the least you can do is use it.

According to the World Health Organisation, we should do a weekly minimum of 150-300 minutes (that’s 21-43 minutes a day) of moderate-intensity physical activity, like walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity, like swimming, jogging or an exercise class – as well as regular strength training.

But.

According to them, more than 80% of adolescents and 27% of adults do not meet WHO’s recommended levels of physical activity.

Now, we’re not saying you need to become a Gym-Bro overnight, but, just like eating healthy, there are small small ways you can get some activity in that don’t leave you winded and gasping for air.

Shocking abi? Let’s get into it.

• Stand up: Have you ever noticed just how much we sit? We sit to work, we sit to learn, we sit to drive, we sit to eat, we sit to take a shit. Human beings are sitters. But, sitting for long periods has been linked with many adverse health outcomes, so maybe sitting all the time isn’t the best. Sitting for too long and too often raises the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome. Remember, Big medical grammar = Big problem.

• Walk the shorter trips: Let’s not lie, sometimes na laziness dey do us. You don’t actually need to enter a cab or danfo (no matter how luxurious they are) to get to your destination, you can just walk it. According to experts, walking just ten minutes every day has enormous health benefits that accrue over time, and it’s easy to make it a habit.

• Do some Yoga: Yoga is over five thousand years old and is proven to reduce stress levels and even help with lower back and neck pain. Clearly, it’s still in practice after all this time for a reason. Also, for you lazy Lekans, It’s low intensity (for beginners), so there is less huffing and puffing than in a regular workout. Easy peasy.

• Get into tracking your fitness: Most modern smartphones have health/fitness tracking applications, and if there are none built-in to your phone, you can download one for free from the app store. There’s also a plethora of fitness tracking devices – that won’t distract you every two seconds – available. According to the Harvard Medical School, fitness trackers “ may also encourage sedentary people to become more active” with goals, challenges and other fitness-related pursuits that live in your device. You can set your goals and revise them if you feel you need to. You’ve got all the power here.

• Get up and dance: Dancing is fun and you might be horrible at it (leave that legwork alone, please), but it’s also a great workout. If you don’t feel like going to a party just to dance, you can take a 30-minute dance class on YouTube and burn around 130-250 calories – about the same amount you’d burn on a jog of a similar duration. Working out doesn’t have to be serious and rigid and hard. Remember that.

Remember, the goal for this challenge isn’t a look, it’s movement.

You should be looking to increase movement, not necessarily just to lose weight or get abs (they are overrated, sorry not sorry), so your goals can look like this;

• “For every hour I spend sitting during the day, I’ll stand up and do a quick activity for one minute. This could be anything from washing dishes or dusting to simply standing in place and stretching.”
• “I will take a ten-minute walk every day, even if it’s just pacing the length of my house or circling my compound.”
• “I want to take a beginner yoga class every Saturday morning.”
• “I want to hit my move goal/step count goal at least twice a week.”
• “I will do a low-intensity workout twice this month.”

Small small, you’ll see the benefits start to accrue, and your mind and body will thank you for it.

(But you can also thank us, sha, we don’t mind.)

If you really want to get into the gym scene, we’ve got a few lined up for you in the index.

Odogwu Silencer take it easy, please.

The plan

Okay, you should have done all your research, and have all your goals now.

If you don’t, go and face the wall, raise your hands and close your eyes.

Now that you know what you want from this challenge, and know what is realistic for you, it’s time to pen down your plan for the month.

For each area to be worked on, select a minimum of one goal (two if you’re serious, but remember, be realistic), and compile these goals into a list, so you have (at least) three SMART goals for the next thirty days.

Next, give specific goals their days in your calendar, kind of like giving every child a seat in a classroom, so you never forget where anyone is supposed to be.

If one of your goals is “I want to do a face mask twice a week.” What days exactly will you do the masking?

“I will do a low-intensity workout twice this month.”  When? Mark those days in your calendar.

Also, set reminders in case you forget.

The goal of this is to integrate these mini-challenges into your life, so you are holding yourself accountable to achieve them all.

Chai, when they talk about wisdom, refer them here.

Too much brain dey worry us.

If you’ve made it to this point, we can tell your spirit is strong (it gave lion), and we applaud you for it. The last thing we have to give you before you start on your glow-up journey is…

The Realistically Glowed Up Index!

 

The Realistically Glowed Up Index

 

Imagine a world without an Ahmad’s Journal entry telling you how to live your best life.

Now that is scary.

Before you go, will you hop on this challenge or do we have to come to your house and drag you? Have you been keeping up with your New Year resolutions from January?

If you look down, you will see a comment section, press it and tell us what’s up, we want to know.

So, you have all the tools, information and resources you need to make the next thirty days a worthwhile physical transformation.

What are you waiting for, ogbeni?

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