It’s January so I guess that means we all have to start starving ourselves, dragging ourselves to the gym and trudging through the snow and sleet feeling cold, gloomy and miserable, huh? Well… maybe not. While many people view the new year as a great time to kick bad habits and embrace new and healthier ones (which it is), you can still put your best foot forward without making yourself miserable in the name of self-improvement.
Be Gorgeously Healthy in January
The trouble with New Year’s resolutions is that not only are we psychologically predisposed not to keep them, sudden and drastic changes to our lifestyles can exacerbate the dreaded January blues. In this post, we’ll look into some ways you can boost your mood while still looking gorgeous, naturally without starving yourself or squeezing yourself into an over-packed gym crammed full of sweaty bodies.
SAD- The struggle is real
Never mind the seasonal worries like Christmas debt, hangovers and reversing the damage of all that seasonal overindulgence, some people still have Seasonal Affective Disorder to deal with. SAD is a form of depression that comes with exposure to cold and dark weather. It can rob us of our motivation to hit the gym, cook healthy meals, and even go to work. It’s a monkey on most of our backs but it can be tamed. As hard as it may be, being physically active and exposing ourselves to nature is the best way to combat SAD. This doesn’t have to mean going for a grueling run. Just starting the day with a brisk walk in the park can make a world of difference.
Getting out among other people is the key and it’s much easier to do this when we’re looking and feeling great. Here are some ways to help enhance your fabulous from the outside in:
Smile More
Yep, even sometimes when you don’t quite feel like it. In this case, the advice to “fake it till you make it” is appropriate! Smiling more is not only a proven mood booster but we’re also at our most attractive when we smile more. The act of smiling is a natural mood booster that’s proven to reduce stress and increase happiness as well as making ourselves attractive and endearing to others. There are some, however, who are self-conscious about their smiles, so 2018 is the year to fix this, whether it’s straightening your teeth with adult invisible braces or whitening them with a new kind of toothpaste! As the saying goes, smile and the whole world smiles with you!
Eat Your Way to Healthy, Glowing Skin
The winter months have a habit of making our skin become dull, dry and lifeless. The good news is that you can achieve gorgeous glowing skin all year round without spending a fortune on expensive cosmetics. Load up on nuts and seeds which are full of skin-plumping omega 3 fatty acids, green leafy veggies which increase the flow of blood and nutrients to the skin, and berries which are rich in antioxidants that help to reverse sun damage.
After all, just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean that you don’t still need to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun!
Finally, Avoid Detox Fads!
Don’t join the herd of colleagues and friends scraping by on 1000 calories a day or less with tea detoxes or juice cleanses. These can do more harm than good, especially to your mood. Stick to a healthy balanced diet safe in the knowledge that your body detoxifies itself thanks to your liver and kidneys, and drink lots of water. I’m not opposed to including juicing or healthy smoothies to a balanced diet, just not as a liquid diet.
