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New Year’s Resolutions: Happiness. Wellness. Beauty. The triumvirate.

Helen Jon 2019 written in sand

New Year’s Resolutions for happiness, improved wellness, and beauty from three of our team’s favorite experts.

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Happiness

When tasked to determine how to be happier in 2019, the very first person we thought to ask was happiness expert and four-time New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and speaker, and creator of the Four Tendencies framework Gretchen Rubin.

We have loved and learned so much about happiness and establishing good habits from Gretchen over the years. She distills the big ideas into actionable realities. Her strategy focuses on making simple, small, reasonable changes instead of getting lost in the hugeness of less tangible, more philosophical ideas. Read below! 

Gretchen Rubin 
Give warm hellos and good-byes to everyone in your householdWhen someone comes or goes, make sure that person gets a real moment of attention and affection.

Create order on your smartphone screen. Delete any unused or soul-sucking apps. Use folders to save space (for instance, create “travel” folder for airline and hotel apps). Organize apps by color or function to make it easier to navigate. Keep only the most useful apps on the first screen; move rarely used apps to later screens. Turn off notifications whenever possible.

Make a stack or library list of five great books that you’re eager to read. Be honest! Don’t include books you “should” read, only books you’re actually dying to read.

 

Wellness

Wendy Zoog, co-founder of KALOS, Lululemon ambassador, and one of Helen Jon’s most beloved spirit-sisters, shares her thoughts on mindfulness and wellness goals for 2019.

Wendy Zoog Photographer: Cameron Gee

 

Wendy does not personally believe in the construct of “resolutions.” They don’t work for her. Instead, she has found a different strategy that helps her frame her best intentions for the year ahead. She chooses three words or special phrases to live by for the year. The process of reflecting and landing on her three top phrases or words allows her to sift through what matters to her most. Read on for her 2019 phrases:

 
Be consistent with daily movement. Simply put, move daily; find something sustainable that you can be accountable for and stay with it. It can be anything from a morning stretch routine to a lap around the block with your dog. Discover and become more aware of your body, find joy in how your body moves, acknowledge your body’s imbalances without regret, and work towards smoothing these out and/or accepting them. Consistency is key!

Pamper yourself. Create a pampering ritual that works for you. This could be a whole slew of things: monthly facials, Tuesday night baths, a weekly Epsom salt soak, a Sunday restorative yoga class, using a dry brush on your skin in the morning before showering to stimulate your body and lymphatic system, foam rolling. Whatever you choose, know that this is an opportunity for you to indulge in a self-care way – it really needs to be weekly, monthly, or something that can be calendared to ensure that it does not get lost in the shuffle of life. Taking better care of ourselves has a ripple effect on how we take care of those around us.

Forecast for each week, top to bottom, and commit to what you are going to accomplish. I make my list and create my weekly calendar Sunday mornings. There is always a nutrition component, which includes meal prepping. I also make the bubbles on my calendar for when I can get my own yoga practice in. Essentially, I figure out what matters to me for that week, whether it’s having breakfast with my Dad, taking my son to his basketball game, or deciding to meet a friend for coffee. This list-making helps me be intentional with my time, maintain boundaries, and not get carried away by momentum. Of course, my list is never set in stone, as life dishes up surprises, but it definitely helps me soak up the best parts of my week instead of wondering “where did that week go?”

 

Beauty

Beauty, as we all know, springs from within. We believe that Clémence von Mueffling exquisitely represents both inner and outer expressions of beauty. The author of Ageless Beauty the French Way and founder and editor of website Beauty and Well-Being shares her three “beauty” resolutions for 2019. Her resolutions reflect grace and honesty, rather than superficiality. You will love what she has to say.

Clemence von Mueffling

Taking care of myself means taking care of the environment. I am going to make sure that I only use clean beauty brands (like LOLI beauty and Soapwalla) that are eco-friendly and sustainable in 2019. Environmentally conscious beauty products with compostable or organic packaging help to ensure that you aren’t introducing harmful toxins to your precious skin surface— or to the fragile earth surrounding you.

      There is nothing wrong with wrinkles. This year I have decided to embrace the age-positive philosophies of fashion icon Iris Apfel and wear my wrinkles like “badges of courage,” to stop trying to turn back the clock and fight the aging process. Love the skin you’re in, and let it breathe and shine.

        Dry brushing. I’ve recently purchased myself a new brush— which means I’m ready to get back into dry brushing for the new year! Dry brushing isn’t just for smoothing the skin; it stimulates the lymphatic system, improves circulation, helps reduce cellulite, and can even boost your energy and immune system. From India to France to Morocco to the US, dry brushing is a tried and true practice that works its way up from the tips of your toes all the way up to the center of your heart.

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        A big thank you to Gretchen, Wendy, and Clémence! We hope their ideas inspire each of you to be your best self, to live intentionally, and to create a most-wonderful year ahead. From us to you, all of our best wishes for a happy, joyous, and peaceful 2019!

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