New Year, New You: Level Up Your Presence, Health, & Well-Being
The start of a new year is more than just a calendar change; it’s a powerful moment for reinvention. As a professional, "leveling up" means optimizing both your external perception and your internal performance. It's about updating your professional presence while simultaneously sharpening your focus, boosting your energy, and securing long-term health.
This year, let's go beyond generic resolutions. Here is your roadmap to leveling up your life, blending strategic career updates with science-backed wellness hacks from industry leaders.
1. Level Up Your Professional Presence: The Digital First Impression
In today’s economy, your headshot and social media presence are often the first impression you make. And in many cases, they are the only impression someone gets before deciding whether you are credible, qualified, and worth reaching out to.
This is where your external game matters.
The Power of an Updated Headshot
A great headshot is not a vanity piece. It is a business tool.
If your headshot is more than three years old, features dated attire, or is a cropped selfie, you are likely underselling yourself without realizing it.
A professional headshot helps you:
Project trust
A sharp, professionally lit image communicates confidence, attention to detail, and credibility before you ever speak.
Stay consistent
Use one strong, high-quality photo across all platforms: LinkedIn, your website bio, email signature, and social media. A consistent visual builds recognition and professionalism.
Match your ambition
Your photo should reflect where you are now and where you are headed. When your brand evolves, your image should evolve with it.
St. Louis Level-Up Resource
Ready to make sure your visual brand looks sharp and trustworthy?
I specialize in professional headshots and high-impact business portraits for clients across the entire St. Louis area. I operate a dedicated studio in O’Fallon, MO, with convenient in-studio sessions and on-location options throughout the region. I help professionals show up confident, current, and polished. Contact me here to get a new headshot with quick turnaround!
Social Media Review: Curate Your Narrative
Your headshot is the anchor of your visual brand. Your online presence should support it.
Set aside one hour to audit your profiles:
Bio check
Is your LinkedIn headline still accurate? Does your “About Me” reflect your current role, strengths, and goals?
The scroll test
Scroll through your most recent posts. Do they align with the professional reputation you want to build? If you are leveling up, your online voice needs to match your ambition.
2. Level Up Your Inner Health: Mastering the Breath (The Wim Hof Method)
The transition into a “New You” is not just about setting goals. It is about learning how to manage stress in a high-pressure professional life.
That is where the Wim Hof Method (WHM) comes in. WHM is a powerful, science-backed practice that can help reduce stress, boost energy, and improve focus. All of those are essential for performance, clarity, and resilience.
Wim Hof Method Overview
The Wim Hof Method has three pillars:
1) Breathing
2) Cold exposure
3) Commitment
The best place to start is breathing, because it delivers immediate benefits for mental clarity and nervous system regulation.
Wim Hof Breathing Steps (Beginner Friendly)
Step 1: Get comfortable
Sit or lie down somewhere safe and quiet. Make sure you will not be interrupted.
Step 2: Power breaths (30 to 40 reps)
Take 30 to 40 deep, fast breaths.
Inhale fully through the nose or mouth
Fill the belly first, then the chest
Exhale naturally, without forcing it
You may feel lightheaded, warm, or tingly. That is normal.
Step 3: Retention (breath hold on exhale)
After the last breath, exhale fully and hold your breath with empty lungs.
Hold until you feel a strong urge to breathe.
Step 4: Recovery breath
Inhale deeply, filling your lungs completely.
Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
Then release.
Step 5: Repeat
Complete 3 to 4 full rounds.
Why This Matters (Professional Benefit)
This practice helps retrain your nervous system.
Instead of staying stuck in constant stress mode, WHM breathing can shift you into a calmer, more focused state. Over time, it builds resilience, improves emotional control, and helps you show up with clearer thinking throughout your workday.
St. Louis Level-Up Resource:
To find support for integrating powerful breathwork techniques into your routine in the St. Louis area, seek out a certified local instructor. We recommend the mind-body work available through Bloom Mind Body Co for guided practice and overall well-being.
3. Level Up Your Energy: Glucose Management (Tips from the Glucose Goddess)
Energy crashes, brain fog, and intense cravings are often signs your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster.
Jessie Inchauspé (the “Glucose Goddess”) popularized simple, realistic habits that help flatten glucose spikes. The result is more stable energy, fewer cravings, and a better mood.
Here are three easy shifts you can start today:
1) Eat in the Right Order
The order you eat your food matters more than most people realize.
Start with: fiber (salad, veggies)
Then: protein + healthy fats
Finish with: starches, carbs, and sweets
Why it works: fiber creates a “buffer” in your gut, slowing down how quickly glucose from carbs hits your bloodstream.
2) The Vinegar Hack
Before a carb-heavy meal, try this:
Mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar) into a glass of water and drink it 10 to 20 minutes before eating.
Why it works: acetic acid supports better glucose control and helps reduce the size of the spike.
3) Post-Meal Movement
You do not need a full workout to make a big difference.
After eating, aim for 10 minutes of movement:
a short walk
light stretching
tidying up the kitchen
even folding laundry
Why it works: when your muscles move, they use glucose as fuel, helping clear it from your bloodstream and reducing the spike.
St. Louis Level-Up Resource:
For personalized nutrition coaching focused on blood sugar stability and sustainable eating habits in the St. Louis area, consult with a Registered Dietitian specializing in evidence-based nutrition. Reach out to local experts like The Tasty Balance to tailor these glucose management tips to your busy professional schedule.
4. Level Up Your Longevity: Fasting for Faith and Health (Dr. Mindy Pelz)
Fasting is not a trend. It is a proven health tool with deep roots in spiritual and religious traditions across many cultures. It is one of the clearest examples of how wellness and discipline can align.
Dr. Mindy Pelz has helped popularize fasting through a performance-based lens, focusing on hormonal balance, cellular repair, and long-term health.
When you fast, your body shifts from a sugar-burning energy system to a fat-burning system. This produces ketones, which can support steadier energy, mental clarity, and recovery.
Your Fasting Starting Line
You do not need extreme fasts to get real results. Start with the basics, then build.
The 13 to 15 Hour Fast (Your Daily Minimum)
This is the most realistic and sustainable starting point.
Fasting for 13 to 15 hours helps initiate metabolic switching and supports better insulin balance. It is also associated with growth hormone activity, which plays a role in fat burning and recovery.
Think of this as your “foundation fast.” Anyone can start here.
The 17 Hour Fast (Autophagy Focus)
When you push closer to 17 hours, you begin tapping into deeper cellular cleanup.
Autophagy is your body’s natural repair process, where old or damaged components are broken down and recycled. It is one of the major reasons fasting is associated with longevity.
This fast is not required daily, but it can be a powerful tool when used strategically.
Feast and Famine Cycling (The Long-Term Edge)
Long-term fasting benefits often come from variety, not perfection.
Instead of doing the same window every day, rotate between fasting lengths. This mimics the natural rhythm our bodies evolved with, helping avoid plateaus and keeping your metabolism resilient.
Example: some days 13 to 15 hours, occasionally 17 hours, and periodic longer fasts if appropriate.
The Bigger Goal
This year, using fasting as a tool is about more than weight loss.
It is about building a body that repairs efficiently and a mind that can tolerate discomfort, stay consistent, and perform under pressure.
You are not just starting a diet. You are building a more resilient, high-performing version of yourself.
St. Louis Level-Up Resource:
For integrating structured fasting protocols, cellular repair, and whole-body healing into your health plan, connect with a local expert in functional medicine in the St. Louis area, such as Wheeler Acupuncture & Functional Wellness. They can help you look at root causes and create a custom longevity plan.
Commit to the Change
The New You starts with small, consistent habits. Update your Professional Headshots in the St. Louis area, take 10 minutes for breathing, manage your glucose, and introduce a 13-hour fast. These simple, powerful steps are your formula for a high-performance, well-balanced year.
For an in-depth discussion on different fasting techniques and how they affect the body, especially for women, check out this video where Dr. Mindy Pelz discusses how to fast for maximum health benefits.
I would love to help you with maternity, newborn, milestones, or other custom sessions at my studio in Winghaven, MO.
I offer outdoor portraits in the greater St. Charles and St. Louis County areas.
Get in touch today to customize your dream session!
Sargent Photography is a custom portrait maternity, newborn, and family photographer in O’Fallon, Missouri serving the greater St. Charles and St. Louis area. Other services including senior sessions, business branding, and women empowerment sessions are also offered.
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