Do you use the New Year as an annual health seminar with yourself? In the past, I would host my own personal white board session, creating resolutions and brainstorming all the ways I wanted to better myself in the coming year. These included exercising daily, losing weight, dining out less, reading more high-brow literature, analyzing business trade publications weekly and drinking less soda. I loved the idea of a new and improved me, but seldom made it past week two. According to Forbes, only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. I clearly was in the 92%. So now, after ten-plus years of living clean, embracing a plant-based diet, power-walking and using green products, I’ve comprised a list of 24 simple wellness tips to jump start your 2024 New Year and beyond.
24 Wellness Tips for Attainable New Year’s Resolutions
Salt Bath Health Benefits
When was the last time you took a salt bath or even a simple hop in the tub? And this doesn’t include dropping your feet in the bath to wash your child. I love curling up in a small pool of water with effervescent bubbles. I know the warm and calm is relaxing, but didn’t realize adding salts was a legitimate wellness aid. Using two cups of mineral Epsom Salt has been shown to reduce arthritic pain, decrease stiffness in joints as well as soothe bruises and sprains. It can also be used to draw out splinters, remove stings of insect bites and deep clean pores. A salt bath (filled with a few cups of Epsom Salt) can also help improve absorption of nutrients, oxygen use and formation of brain tissue. Some doctors also recommend it to prevent migraine headaches.
DIY Sugar and Salt Scrubs
Looking for last minute stocking stuffers or gifts for your teachers, friends and colleagues? Give the gift of clean beauty by making your own exfoliating sugar and salt scrubs. It’s easy. All you need are a few items and a few minutes. Check out our simple steps below or watch the tutorial from our latest WTNH-TV wellness segment on how to make a basic skincare scrub.
Five Non-Toxic Green Beauty Products for Spring
Being a northern girl my whole life, spring excites me. After months of spending time indoors, swarms of people run, walk and laugh outside, just because there’s a warm breeze and clear blue sky. The new season ushers in bright clothing, less bulky shoes and new makeup. Now that I focus on living a healthy lifestyle, I limit the cosmetics I use. I’m also really careful with the ones I select, making sure they are clear of hormone disrupting chemicals. Studies have proven these toxins can lead to various diseases especially breast cancer. I also verify that the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database rates my selection of green beauty cosmetics low in toxicity. I still love to doll myself up and have found many non-toxic products that work well. Continuing this series, “What’s in My Bag Now,” here are my favorite non-toxic, green beauty picks for spring.
Non-Toxic Beauty: What’s in My Bag Now
Late spring makes me happy. Seeing all the radiant flowers in bloom and bright colors of nature everywhere excites me for summer. It’s also a time that I revamp my beauty bag. I love buying new seasonal products. I’m outside more, so like skincare items with sun protection. Spring also reminds me to rid my everyday items and refresh with newer ones. I still use products that are largely organic, vegan and rate low in toxicity in the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. Here’s what’s in my bag for late spring.
Green Beauty Drugstore Cosmetics
Do you know how many products you use in a day, from toothpaste and shaving cream to fragrances and hair gels? I used to own a variety of cleansers and makeup and fooled myself thinking I used quality beauty items. I assumed since I often bought cosmetics and hair products from high-end salons that I didn’t have to worry about toxic chemicals.
I was wrong.
Like many, I believed if a product was for sale at a drugstore, supermarket or boutique cosmetics counter, it must be safe. And even worse, I didn’t understand that every product I put on my body soaked into my skin and was absorbed into my bloodstream within minutes. I’ve read that women use between 10-20 cosmetic items daily. This is equal to absorbing about five pounds of makeup per year that includes carcinogens, pesticides and hormone disrupters.