How to Glow Up in a Week: Step by Step Checklist 2023

How to have a glow up naturally, physically and mentally in a week. Natural tips to live healthily & look prettier. A step by step glow up challenge checklist included.

Quick Guide
What is a Glow Up
How to Have a Glow Up Tips
The Glow Up Challenge
Download Our Glow Up Checklist
Frequently Asked Questions

Taking care of our physical and mental well-being has never been so important. The glow up challenge could be the answer to all your problems.

In this article, I’m going to give you some specific steps and tips to follow for a glow up challenge that could change your own life, as well as the world around you.

I truly believe that if everyone could experience the benefits of a true glow up, we would be able to give more to those we love, as well as the planet we live on.

Oh! By the way, using the glow up tactics listed below together with our 30 day self care challenge will give you the best transformation results.

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What is a glow up?

A glow-up, also known as glowing up, is a healthy and natural transformation to look prettier and take better care of yourself. A glow up routine is known to start improving your physical appearance, mental health and self-confidence within a week.

Glow ups are more than a simple physical makeover. They include undergoing a wholesome mental, physical and emotional change from the inside out. After all, we always look the best when we feel our best selves!

From engaging in active exercise and self-love meditative practices to opening up about our emotions, and doing something good for others around us, a glow up is all about leading a happier, healthier, and glowing life.

Keep scrolling for some incredible how to glow up tips and ideas…

Why is glowing up important?

The most obvious benefits of a personal glow up are the improvements you will notice in your self-love and self-development journey.

Through giving ourselves the time of day to focus on improving our personal development, we can improve our:

Emotional capacity and willingness to engage with our loved ones.
Happiness levels.
Awareness of our own mental well-being and state of mind.
Confidence levels.
Understanding ourselves and focusing on the world around us.
Ability to make better-informed decisions.
Physical health, strength, and appearance.
Ability to love yourself!

Now that you know why it’s important, it’s time to discover how to glow up…

How to Have a Glow Up Tips

Are you ready to become healthier, prettier, and more confident than ever before? Raise your confidence levels with these simple lifestyle changes.

Here are 23 glow up tips and ideas to get you started:

1. Fill up your water bottle regularly

Drinking water is essential for hydrating our bodies and replenishing the fluid levels we lose throughout the day. Water is also useful for flushing out bad toxins in your body and is integral for well-functioning kidneys.

PRO TIP – It’s recommended to drink at least 3.7 litres of water each day. Fill up a large 1-litre water bottle each morning, and make sure you drink four refills of the bottle throughout the day. This is a great way to make sure you are reaching your water quota.

Read these 16 reasons why water is so essential for the human body.

2. Glow up your diet with more fruit and vegetables

Research shows that fruit and vegetables are filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, increasing our energy levels and helping our bodies operate at their full potential.

While being the most environmentally sustainable foods to consume, fruit and vegetables are considered ‘brain foods’ and increase our cognitive minds’ functioning.

These food groups are also the most healthy to consume when trying to lose weight. All in all, lost weight, improved brain functioning, and increased energy levels contribute to all aspects of our lives and help improve our confidence levels.

3. Get better quality beauty sleep

Without adequate beauty sleep, our bodies and brains cannot recover their energy levels and function properly.

The benefits of beauty sleep:

Increases immunity.
It helps you maintain a healthy weight.
Reduces stress and anxiety.
Improves brain functioning.
Increases energy levels.

4. Practice some form of exercise daily

Physical exercise should be an essential part of everyone’s day-to-day routine. Whether you prefer hot yoga, pilates, or intense cardio HIIT workshops, moving your body is known to reduce your risk of developing heart disease while regulating your insulin levels and controlling your weight.

Mentally, exercise endorphins are related to improved mental health as well as a better overall mood.

5. Improve your body posture to feel more confident

Maintaining a good posture can be difficult for some, yet it is a huge part of our physical health journey.

Sitting and walking with a healthy posture is necessary to keep your bones well-aligned with each other while reducing tension kept in your muscles and joints.

Aside from the numerous health benefits of a good posture, holding your body in a proud and upright position can positively influence your self-esteem levels.

6. Take your vitamins every day

Without noticing, we often cannot consume enough fruit and vegetables each day to fulfil our body’s vitamin and mineral requirements.

Taking a dose of daily multivitamins can help boost your immunity, keep your organs functioning well, and maintain your bodily functions.

7. Drink healthy smoothies daily

Another convenient way to pack in your minerals and vitamins is to drink a healthy smoothie or green juice every morning.

Smoothies and juices are easy to prepare and digest, packed with flavour, nutrients, and protein, and can be consumed on the go!

PRO TIP – Blend up a fresh smoothie before your morning walk or exercise session and put it in a travel cup. Never add sugar to your juice or smoothie recipe. The fruit content should already be high in natural sugars!

8. Be more active (NEAT exercise)

NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, and it’s a sneaky way to burn more calories throughout the day by moving.

Simple decisions such as taking the stairs instead of an elevator can increase your NEAT exercise. Over time, you can lose a few extra pounds of weight with minimal effort.

So if losing weight is one of your glow up goals, try to increase your NEAT by walking to work, standing instead of sitting and vacuuming your house more often.

9. Glow up your skincare routine

If you dream of having glowing, radiant skin (don’t we all), it’s time to achieve it.

It’s time to establish a morning and nighttime beauty routine that you can stick to.

To help you achieve beautiful and youthful skin, check out my essential skincare routine that works for all skin types. You’ll also see the best face mask, cleansers and moisturisers to use.

10. Improve your body posture to feel more confident

Did you know that having great body language and standing confidently can help you to feel more confident? Self-confidence is a huge part of the glowing up process.

Consider working on improving your posture so that you can stand taller and more proudly. You’ll be feeling more confident in no time at all.

Check out this body posture tutorial below:

11. Naturally, whiten your teeth

Not only will beautifully white teeth help to improve your appearance they will give you a major confidence boost. And when you’re confident, you’ll smile more!

The good news is there are easy ways to whiten your teeth and improve that smile naturally.

In this video, a dentist will show you ways how to whiten your teeth at home.

12. Remove negative people from your life

Spending time with people who make us happy is a big part of the glow up challenge. Happiness truly is contagious, and one of the best ways to increase our own happiness is to ‘catch’ and ‘share’ it with others freely.

In the same vein, glowing up challenges you to actively distance and disassociate yourself from people who make you feel anxious, irritable, or negative about the future.

13. Try to meditate every day

Meditation is a great way to get in touch with your spiritual self and reduce your stress levels. It allows us to think and look at ourselves from a new perspective and offer insightful opinions on stressful situations.

By focusing on the present, we can reduce our negative emotions and increase our imagination and creativity.

14. Do something for somebody else

Helping others out is a great way to boost our own confidence and happiness levels while improving our relationships with others.

Scientifically speaking, when we do something for someone else, the pleasure centre in our brain releases endorphins that give us an active high.

15. Do something that makes you smile

Besides improving your physical appearance and approachability, keeping our chins up and smiling throughout the day has some scientific benefits.

The benefits of smiling:

Reduces stress
Elevates mood
Boosts the immune system
Reduces blood pressure

16. Create a weekly cleaning schedule

Living in a clean and tidy space is one of the best ways to ensure you stay motivated and satisfied throughout the day.

By creating a weekly cleaning schedule, you’ll be able to maintain control over your personal space while delegating tasks to those you live with.

Why you need a weekly cleaning schedule:

It helps you feel prepared for unexpected visits.
Allows you to feel proud and comfortable in your own home.
It helps you stay on top of messes.
Improves productivity levels.
Lowers stress levels.
Reduces allergy symptoms and the spread of germs.

17. Read or listen to daily affirmations

Reading or listening to affirmations daily can influence you to act on what you seek to achieve, motivate you to focus on your goals, and redirect negative thoughts into positive ones.

Subconsciously, daily affirmations can have a huge impact on our inner minds and beliefs about ourselves and our capabilities, helping us stay positive and confident.

18. Learn a new skill

Upskilling yourself can be one of the most rewarding activities to do in your spare time.

Whether you choose to learn a new craft, cook better, or learn a new language, improving your skill sets helps keep your brain active and engaged while opening up avenues for future opportunities (depending on the skills we learn).

Learning new skills is more important than ever in an ever-changing world, as they help make us more adaptable to conflicting situations while keeping our abilities relevant.

19. Buy a new beauty or makeup product

Invest in some everyday skin-care products and make a promise to yourself to take better care of your skin.

Top 5 skin-care products everyone should own:

A daily moisturizer.
A light cleanser.
A deep moisturizing serum.
A weekly exfoliator or peel.
A broad-spectrum SPF sun lotion.

20. Give your hair some TLC

Conditioning your hair after cleansing is one of the easiest ways to get glowing and bouncy hair. Set aside one evening a week to apply a deeply nourishing hair mask.

21. Glow up your body with a tan

Having a tan can have a huge effect on your self-confidence levels while making you appear healthier and slimmer.

Spending 20 minutes in the sun each day is a great way to build up a natural, gradual tan, as well as increase your vitamin D levels.

This being said, too much exposure to the sun and its UV rays can cause uneven pigmentation and increase your risk of developing skin cancer (and is one of the easiest things to avoid).

If you struggle to tan naturally, why not book yourself a professional spray tan? This way, you’ll be able to choose an appropriate skin tone while avoiding the risks of burning.

PRO TIP – Keep a tube of sun lotion and a wide-brim hat in your everyday handbag/car at all times, just in case you spontaneously visit an outdoor park or the beach.

22. Give yourself a weekly full-body spa treatment

Set aside 30 minutes each week to give yourself a relaxing and rejuvenating home spa treatment. Don all your best products (including peels, face masks, eye masks, waxing products, nail polish, and a hair mask), run a warm bubble bath and soak up some ‘me-time.

Related: Self Care Shower Routine (Step-by-Step)

23. Switch up your style of clothes

One of the most freeing and invigorating things you can do to glow up is switching up your style, cleaning out your wardrobe, and purchasing some new key clothing items.

We all know the personal benefits you feel when you wear something you feel great in. As long as you feel confident and happy in what you wear, changing up your personal style can offer a degree of self-confidence that is hard to achieve elsewhere!

Glow up challenge

The glow up challenge refers to a week or a month of personal development dedication. It’s a period of time that you spend focused on yourself, from your mental well-being to your physical appearance.

There are two common ways to take on the glow up challenge…

Method #1: Devote an entire month to glow up. Throughout this month, focus on all the activities that will improve both your physical and mental appearance.

Method #2: This is a more patient version of the challenge. Pick one thing you want to improve about your appearance or lifestyle. Each week you can add something new to form new habits until your glow up transformation is complete.

The overarching goal is to make you feel like the best possible version of yourself, after which you will be able to take on your personal and professional life with confidence and style.

After all, we can only truly love others and do wonderful things for the world once we fully love and appreciate our own selves.

You can use the ideas above to customise your own challenge. Alternatively, you can follow the checklist below.

Glow up checklist

Use this free glowing up checklist to keep track of your glow up challenge.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to glow up?

From one week to one year, you can take as long as you see fit to glow up. The traditional glow up challenge recommends spending at least one week working on yourself; however, this is entirely personal and could take you less or more time.

The pivotal point of a glow-up is improving, realising, and taking advantage of your newfound self-confidence. Depending on your personality and how quickly you can achieve this important goal, you’ll reach your glow!

Can I glow up in a week?

While it is possible to glow up within a short time frame, a full glow up transformation should not be rushed. A glow up is a form of personal development, and personal development doesn’t often happen within one week.

That being said, most individuals can start to see noticeable changes within a week.

How can I glow naturally?

In my opinion, glowing up naturally is the best way!

Start by eating clean, reimagining your wardrobe, and giving your body some much-needed TLC. You can also focus on improving your mind with meditation and impactful affirmations.

By following the glow up challenge, tips and tricks in this article, you’ll start to feel better in no time.

As a result, you’ll find yourself smiling more, walking with an upright posture, and feeling confident about your aesthetic and personal self.

Once you get this right, your natural glow will shine through you like a bright light!

From improving your personal well-being to your cognitive abilities, participating in the glow up challenge can have a measurable impact on every aspect of your life.