Transcription
So, this was me last winter struggling with my mental health, dealing with painful hormonal acne and doom scrolling and bedrotting for hours. Your girl was going through it mentally, and you could literally see it manifest physically.
And as you can see now, it's like I'm a completely different person. I feel so confident in my skin, my actual skin. She's cleared up. I moved into my dream place. I'm in my social era, and I am fully ready for this summer glow. And if you want to be unrecognizable this summer—mentally, physically, emotionally—in this video, I'm going to be spilling all the tea on how I had my glow-up with 11 hot girl hacks that will actually help you do the same.
If you're new here, hello. My name is Lena, and this is the very first glow-up video in the new apartment. Yeah, if you are new here, welcome. I share all the hacks on leveling up and becoming your best self. So, if you're not subscribed already, what are you doing? Okay, what are you doing? Go subscribe right now.
First things first, heal your relationship with discipline. We are starting this video off with the mental tips because, like I said, if you are going through it mentally, it is going to show physically. Okay, take it from me, guys. Last year was probably one of the hardest years of my life mentally because of a lot of personal reasons, but mostly because of health reasons. I was actually diagnosed with PCOS, and so I started getting hormonal acne everywhere. I had no energy. I was dealing with really painful bloating, and all my symptoms got so bad to the point that I didn't even want to go outside. Okay? I didn't want to see people. I didn't want to work out anymore because I didn't want to sweat and make my skin worse.
And listen, I know this sounds so dramatic, okay? But I feel like only people that really struggled with acne, like bad acne, only they understand kind of how difficult it is to do normal things when your skin looks like that. And I remember I would try so hard to escape all these feelings that I felt and just try to make the time pass by by doom scrolling for hours and hours. It was the only thing that temporarily made me feel better because it made me forget what I was going through. But if I'm being honest, it made me feel 10 times worse because all I would do was just see people's perfect lives, girls' perfect skin, girls' perfect bodies, and I was feeling like crap about myself because I was bedrotting for weeks.
And guys, some of the most horrible things I've ever heard about myself were from myself. I was literally like my own biggest hater. Okay, I was telling myself, "You're lazy, you're worthless, you're ugly, you have no discipline." And I would just let myself get into this constant negative cycle loop.
Before you even start on any of these glow-up things, the first thing you need to understand is that discipline is not punishment. It's self-respect. It's not forcing yourself to do things like eat healthy, go to the gym, work towards your goals. It's not about forcing yourself. These are actions that remind yourself, "I deserve to feel good. I am worthy, and these habits will help me get there." And the best thing I ever did that jump-started my glow-up, I kid you not, was to view discipline as a form of self-care, not control.
So, I don't know who needs to hear this. It does not matter how long you haven't been to the gym, how many hours you spend rotting in bed, how you ate all the junk food in your pantry after you said you were going to be on a healthy diet. Discipline is not about being perfect. It's about deciding to begin again. And the one quote that really helped me really get out of the slump that I was in is, "You're always one choice away from getting back on track."
So, please take it from me. Do not wait for next week, next month. Don't wait till you feel ready. Show up as your most messy, disorganized self. And if you're watching this right now and you want to be disciplined for summer, I want you to comment down below, "I am disciplined."
Fun fact, writing affirmations actually helps them to come true. It is scientifically proven. There are real studies that show that when you speak and write something consistently, your brain will start to believe it. I want you to comment down below, "I am disciplined. I follow through. I am becoming her." And let your comment be your digital proof that your summer glow-up has already started.
Do not chase a summer body. Build a body that feels strong, energized, and confident all year round. Listen, we've all done it before, okay? I know I have. Every summer that would come around, I would stress out. Oh my gosh, it's about to be summer. And I would start 30-day diets, two-a-day diets, a strict no-carb diet just so I can change my body before summer so I would look snatched in a bikini. But let me tell you, not once did that work. And why? It's because it is not sustainable. I would put so much pressure on myself. Oh my gosh, it's summer. I have to look good. I have to do this as fast as possible. I need to lose this weight. I was just setting myself up for failure because all that pressure on you is just not sustainable. But also, these fad diets, they're not good for you, and they're also not sustainable. So think long-term, not quick fix. Those crash diets you see, those 30-day diet plans, they might change your body fast, but they rarely stick. So instead, I want you to ask yourself these three questions: Can I do this next year? Does this fuel my body or drain me? Does this feel like self-love?
So, for me, when I was going through it in the trenches, okay, I wanted to get a glow-up and I wanted to get it fast, but also stick to a workout routine that would actually be sustainable for me and I can actually keep up with. So, I promise you, I'm about to share with you what got me snatched fast, but also sustainably.
Lift weights three to four times a week. And Pilates or walking twice a week. I'm telling you guys, Pilates—life-changing. Okay, I have been lifting weights for years, and I did not see the results I've seen than when I started implementing Pilates and walking. Guys, it has made my abs come out of the woodwork. I finally saw some definition in abs that I've never seen before in my life. Like, Pilates has made them come out of hiding. Pilates is just so good for your core. It like really works it. And the secret combo, I'm telling you, is to add Pilates with weightlifting. That is like the beautiful combo cuz weightlifting is going to build your muscle. It's going to give you that shape. So, you're going to look toned and fit. And I'm telling you, I feel the most confident in my body now because I combine the two.
Get at least 5 to 10,000 steps a day. This is one of those things that sounds really hard, okay? Like every day, is that even possible? Yes, it is possible. My favorite hack in the world is going on hot girl walks, especially when it looks beautiful out like right now, and sneaking in my steps. So, let's say you're at the grocery store parking your car, park your car at the furthest parking spot that you can find, and walk all the way to the grocery store. Yep. If you're going to get your morning coffee and there's a cafe nearby, go walk to the cafe instead of driving. If you're able to walk to school or to work, get up earlier and sneak those steps in. It sounds like a lot, but trust me, throw on your favorite music playlist, your favorite podcast, and the time goes by like—and bonus tip, okay, walking after you've eaten a meal, it really is the cheat code to life.
Okay, listen, shout out to my parents for putting me on to this. After eating lunch or dinner, my parents would always literally get up and go outside and go on a walk, and I would always be like, "Why do they always do that?" But girl, I get it. I get it. Last year, I was dealing with the worst bloating of my life. And genuinely walking after I would eat a meal, especially dinner, really helps with my bloating because after you eat a big meal and then all you do is sit and not really move your body, your body gets bloated. And I'm telling you, walking after you eat just helps you feel less full, less bloated. It gets things moving.
Get creative with nutritious meals and snacks. I was one of those people, okay, I could not stand healthy food. I thought it all tasted bad. And I would always ask like, "Why does unhealthy food taste so good? And healthy food tastes like grass." But no, it's because I couldn't cook. So, I didn't know that you could cook healthy food to taste amazing. Healthy food isn't just eating unseasoned grilled chicken and soggy spinach every day. Look up some recipes on TikTok. There's so many amazing recipes on there. That's where I get a lot of mine. Get creative with it. Make some cute meals. Romanticize your meals, okay? I make my yogurt bowls, and I make it look cute. And I just personally aim to eat more balanced. So, following the 80/20 rule, which is trying to eat nutritious, healthy meals 80% of the time and then indulging and letting yourself enjoy what you want 20% of the time.
Build a summer mood board of your dream life. So, you guys already know about vision boards, okay? You know how everyone and their mom, we love to make vision boards for the whole year? Well, I need to put you guys on to the newest thing, which is making mood boards for every season of your life. Because honestly, you are not the same person every season. And I don't know about you, but I love a rebrand. I just feel like each chapter brings a different vibe, a different energy, a different version of you. And especially if you're a visual person like me, making a summer mood board is like setting the tone for your next era. It's going to help you visually lock in on how you want to feel, what you want to prioritize, and just like the aesthetic of the life that you are creating.
Yeah. If you're anything like me and you are a visual person, maybe sometimes you have trouble keeping your life organized or you tend to be forgetful about projects, deadlines, homework, appointments, etc. Let me put the girlies on to one of my favorite apps right now. It's called Extiles. If you don't already know, XTiles is the ultimate personal productivity app that just makes staying on top of things so much easier. It allows you to do everything from weekly planning notes, and I used it for my 2025 vision board. And I also used it to create my summer mood board. If you're familiar with Notion, XTiles is like Notion's load-up sister. It's a mood board, planner, and habit tracker all-in-one. And I'm just such a visual person. So, I need things that feel and look inspiring. So, their drag-and-drop layout and customizable blocks actually makes me want to stay on track. So, you can literally track all of your summer goals—fitness, social, finance, all of it—in one place. So, yeah. If you are ready to glow up and enter your summer era, you can download XTiles today and experience the perfect blend of organization and creative freedom for yourself.
Create a digital reset. One thing about me, when I'm going through it, my screen time is atrocious. If there was an award for master doomscroller, it would have been me. So, if you're doom scrolling, comparing, feeling numb, it is time to take your power back. I remember the day I saw my screen time. Like I finally checked it, and I was like, "This is atrocious. Enough is enough. I need to fix this." I realized I wasn't really living. I was just watching other people live. And in that moment, I just knew that something had to change. So, I basically started with a weekend phone detox. So, I deleted TikTok, Instagram, YouTube for 48 hours, turned off all notifications, and I forced myself to not check my phone. And girl, I felt like I could breathe again. It was crazy how I was using my phone to escape, but my screen time was just actually making me feel so much worse. Your phone—scrolling and scrolling—that gives you instant dopamine. But if your mind is so used to just scrolling and scrolling, you become numb. And now you're only used to temporary satisfaction, which will only make you fall deeper and deeper into yourself. Trust me, your mind is your most sacred space. You need to guard it. So I recommend just take 2 days, just 2 days, commit 2 days to turn everything off. I'm talking every social media app, Netflix, all of it, whatever—turn it off for 2 days and then afterwards see how you feel.
And using the 10-second rule actually really helps. What really helped me stop doom scrolling, I moved all of my social media apps all the way to the end of my phone in a separate folder so that when I open my phone I have to scroll all the way to the right in order to open the app. So they are buried in some folder super far away in my phone so that it creates barriers. So it's a lot harder for you to open those apps because most of the time we're not even thinking. It's like second nature to us. We pull up our phone and we just swipe. We open up the first thing we see and just start going. Like most of the time we are opening up our apps just out of habit. So you got to block the easy access. And now whenever I tap Instagram or TikTok, I force myself to pause and count to 10, guys. Like literally like a 5-year-old—count to 10. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, count to 10. And then I ask myself, "Do I really need this right now? Or am I just bored and avoiding something?" Most of the time, it's number two. I'm telling you, that tiny pause, that 10-second rule, it has been a game changer. It is actually wild how much more mental clarity you get when you stop constantly watching other people's lives and start showing up for your own. So try it. You're going to feel weird at first, but trust me, your brain is going to thank you.
Start journaling to clear mental clutter. Guys, journaling is literally my therapy. The real ones know I am a journaler through and through. It's literally the best way to brain dump anything that I'm overthinking—the spirals, the self-doubts, like the overanalyzing. We have thousands and thousands of thoughts a day. When you take it out of your head and put it on paper, I'm telling you, it loses power. And even just journaling for five minutes a day in the morning or before bed, it makes such a difference. So, I always write down how I'm feeling, what I'm grateful for, some goals that I'm striving for. I track my mood, how I'm feeling, rate my energy level, and journaling has just made me so much more self-aware. Like now, I'm always able to catch myself before I burn out. And the best part is I actually created my very own journal to make it as easy as possible for you to stick to journaling. You can fill it out in the morning or night. And with journaling, you could literally see your growth over time. So yeah, if you've been wanting to get into journaling, but you don't know where to start, this is your sign. I'm going to have my journals linked in my description for you guys.
Now, we're getting into the physical tips. Invest in simple skincare. So, forget the 10-20-step skincare routines. Okay, first you want to nail down the basics, which is use a gentle cleanser, use a hydrating serum, and use sunscreen SPF every morning. And if you are struggling with really bad breakouts like I was, especially hormonal or cystic acne, I highly, highly recommend checking your skincare and your hair care products and make sure they are non-pore clogging or non-comedogenic. Fun fact, a lot of the products that you see that are marked as clean still clog your pores. So now I use this app called AcneSafe, and you just copy and paste all the ingredients of whatever skincare or hair care product you have and you can see if it has any ingredients that might be causing your breakouts. And I'm telling you, having a completely non-pore clogging skincare routine has completely transformed my skin. Like, it's honestly crazy how many ingredients that I didn't know I was using that was breaking me out and disrupting my hormones. Also, if you didn't know, skincare is linked to your gut. So, I also had to heal things internally. So, the way I did that was becoming really intentional with what I was putting into my body. I started really limiting processed foods, reducing dairy and added sugars, and just tried to focus on whole anti-inflammatory meals. So, think lots of greens, healthy fats, fiber, water, all that. I also added pre- and probiotics, which made sure I was going to the bathroom regularly. TMI, but it matters. Something I really had to learn is that your skin is a direct mirror of what's happening inside your body. So that's why when I'm also stressed out, I break out more. And once I started taking care of my gut, my acne finally started to calm down, and my bloating went away. So if your skin is breaking you out right now and like nothing topical is working, I'm telling you, start with your gut health. It completely changed my life. And if you guys want a more in-depth video of how I balanced my hormones and cleared my hormonal acne, go ahead and comment down below. I can definitely do that for you guys.
Get serious about sleep. Okay, we're going to talk about something that's so underrated, which is sleep. Okay, and there's actually a study that was published that proved that sleep deprivation significantly reduces perceived attractiveness, health, and even trustworthiness. So, that just proves that getting sleep is essential. I used to stay up scrolling all night till like 2:00 a.m. on my phone, overthinking, comparing, doom scrolling, and then I would wonder why I would wake up the next day with zero energy, fat pimples all over my face, and I felt anxious 24/7. Getting serious about my sleep, like genuinely taking it so serious, was honestly such a major turning point in my glow-up. Like, I started treating it like a non-negotiable. Your skin is healing while you sleep. Your hormones regulate. Your mood has to reset. So, here's some sleep tips that helped me. I started going to bed at the same time every night, even on weekends. Listen, you don't need to sleep at the same time every single day forever. But if you're trying to fix your sleep schedule like I was, it helps so much. I have a no-phone rule for 1 hour before I go to bed. So that means no blue light before I go to bed because that really disrupts your sleep. I also have color-changing lights in my room. So when it hits like 8:30 p.m., I turn those lights on and I make it dark pink or red, which is scientifically proven to help you have deeper sleep. And I just try to make my night routine feel like a spa night, okay? I dim my lights. I do my skincare. I take magnesium, which helps sleep so much, too. I drink my peppermint tea. I'll journal in my day-by-day journal. Reflect on my day. I also make sure to charge my phone in my kitchen outside of my bedroom so when I wake up, I'm not like checking my phone, scrolling and scrolling. So, if you've been wondering why you're exhausted all the time, check your sleep, babes. Okay, you're probably sleep-deprived.
Get on a supplement routine. Okay, this might sound a little extra, but getting on the right supplements was a game changer for my glow-up and my skin and energy levels. So, when I was dealing with all my PCOS symptoms, I realized that I didn't want to wing it with my health anymore. So, I got a blood test to see exactly what I was deficient in, and it was a game-changer. I found out I was super low in vitamin D and iron, which explained why I was so tired and moody and breaking out. I also had high testosterone levels, but that's like a whole other thing. But once I started supplementing based on my needs, instead of winging it and guessing it, I saw a huge difference. So, if you've been really feeling off and really dealing with a lot of breakouts, I actually highly recommend getting your blood tested and getting your labs done. It really helped me. Obviously, I'm not a doctor, so listen to your doctor first. This is personally what worked for me: A high-quality pre- and probiotic. I take the one by Seed every morning. It helps with your gut health and it really helps with my bloating. Omega-3s, cod liver oil for hormonal balance and clear skin. Magnesium every night to help with my sleep. Vitamin D because girl, we all live indoors and we all need that sun boost, especially those of you who live in your city like I do. I also took a few PCOS-specific supplements like myo-inositol, but always talk to your doctor first. This is what worked for me.
Prioritize protein. One of the best hacks for making sure that you are snatched and toned is prioritizing protein. Especially if you're working out and you're lifting and you're doing Pilates or any type of workout, you need to feed the gains. So, I recommend aiming for a protein source in every single meal you have: Greek yogurt, chicken, steak, tofu, lentils. They say you want to aim for one gram of protein per pound of body fat for building muscle. And when I started prioritizing protein, that is genuinely when I started seeing the gains.
Prioritize hair health. So, guys, let's talk hair health. Cuz if you know anything about me, I do not play about my hair. I take care of my hair like it's a part-time job. Especially because one of the symptoms of PCOS that I was experiencing was hair loss. So, my hair was just coming out in chunks. So, that has made me more disciplined with my hair than ever. So, here are my top five hair tips: First, use a clarifying shampoo every once a week. This removes all the product buildup of like dry shampoo and oils and any pollution that your regular shampoo is not going to catch. I use the one from Living Proof. Have zero heat days. Obviously, using heat on your hair will damage it. So, try to have some days where you use no heat at all. So, get creative. You could do a nice slick-back bun, a half-up, half-down. I love doing heatless curls. Use a silk pillowcase or a bonnet to bed every night. This is going to protect your hair from any damage throughout the night. And I wake up with way shinier hair when I use my bonnet. Wash your hair with lukewarm water and then cold water. So, using really hot water on your scalp and your hair can actually really damage it and strip your hair of the natural oils, which leads to dryness and breakage. So, I heard this from my hairdresser. Stick to lukewarm water and then seal it with cold water after to seal in moisture and shine. Hair oil weekly. So, hair oiling boosts shine, reduces frizz, and just helps with healthier hair. So, apply it and massage it to your scalp and then also the ends of your hair. I like to use batana oil. I leave it in my hair for an hour, clean my apartment, and then go wash it.
And last but not least, lash growth, hair growth, and nail growth. Guys, take it from someone who had major lash blindness. Take it from me. Let the lashes breathe. I know my Asian sisters with our straight lashes. I'm sure a lot of you understand me and my pain. I had a phase where I would only wear fake lashes all the time, like almost every single day. And they left me with even more short, stubby, straight lashes. Like my lashes were so damaged. So now I only wear lashes on certain days, so I can just let them breathe, you know? And I make sure to also have no-makeup days where I just let my skin and my lashes just breathe. I also use this Ordinary lash serum every night. It's helped with my lash growth so much. For my nails, I no longer get my nails done every single month. I like to wear press-ons sometimes, but even with press-ons, I try to take breaks for my nails to just breathe and so they could grow stronger. You want to let your nails breathe. Same with your hair—for hair growth. You cannot expect your hair to grow if every day you're slicking it back in a tight bun, using tons of product on it every single day. Your hair also needs to breathe. I'm telling you,
I saw the biggest difference with my hair, my lashes, my nails when I just let them breathe. So, yeah.
If you guys have any other glow-up tips for our little self-help community, make sure you leave them in the comments below. We do not gatekeep here. We always put each other on.
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I love you guys so so much and I hope to catch you in my next video. Bye guys. [Music]