Welcome to Beauty Is Wellness, a column about the link between nutrition, lifestyle and beauty based on my health coaching practice of the same name. I’m thrilled to share information about my favorite beauty foods, original recipes for beautiful skin, hair and nails and nutritional tips for beautifying from the inside out in the months to come. If you have specific questions about the beauty and nutrition connection that you’d like to have answered in this column, contact me at jolene@beautyiswellness.com.
As the new year rushes in, we take a fleeting moment to reflect on the past 12 months and set goals for the year ahead. We call them resolutions, and rarely (if ever!) do they stick. Studies show that most of us ditch our resolutions around mid-January—so what can we do that will truly make a more lasting change in our beauty and health this year?
One of the most inspiring messages I’ll take away from 2013 is the power of intention. Rather than creating a specific goal—like exercising for an hour every day—that you might miss once and give up out of frustration, make this year’s intention a feeling.
In 2013, my beauty intention was to feel RELAXED. As I wrote last year, not only is our daily stress a burden on our mental and emotional clarity, it’s a powerfully aging force on our outward beauty, laying the groundwork for wrinkles, weight gain around the middle, digestive issues, and more serious health problems down the road. In 2013 I worked on mindful breathing, setting work-life boundaries and developing a less stressed attitude when dealing with the little things in my life. “Don’t sweat the small stuff” was a year-long theme! Not only did I feel less controlled by stress this year, I felt more successful in my resolution, since I only had one word, relaxed, to focus on.
What’s in store for 2014? The coming year feels bolder, bigger and full of momentum. I want it to be a year of doing, of creation and of movement—and the feeling I choose is vital, “having remarkable energy, liveliness or force of personality.” This year I will tap into that energy to do more, and delay less.
What word sums up your beauty and health goals for 2014? How do you want to feel in the year ahead?
A few words that might inspire a lifestyle that supports your beauty, youthfulness, energy and health are…
- Nourished. (Literally well-fed, with beauty foods, and full of inspiration)
- Creative. (Ready for experimentation, fresh ideas, new looks and healthy habits)
- Open. (Willing and excited to share your talents and seek help from others)
- Peaceful. (Accepting and trusting of your body and your health)
If you need help finding the word that fits you this year, or you need support in getting to your beauty and health goals, you might find a Beauty Is Wellness health and beauty coaching program to be a powerful tool this year.
For more beauty nutrition news and recipes, check out beautyiswellness.com.
Text ©2013 Jolene Hart. All rights reserved. Image ©Andy Graulund