“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Make it a good one.” – Brad Paisley

A New Year is a time for promises—the promise of a fresh start and a blank page, and the promises that you make to yourself to ensure that this year will be better than the last. These promises are also called new years resolutions! In order to make the most of your fresh start and the New Year, most resolutions should be centered on how to make you the best version possible of yourself. According to the American Institute of Stress (AIS), 44% of Americans report feeling more stressed out today than they did 5 years ago. Also according to AIS, stress is one of the major factors in all human illness and disease. Lets make 2015 an opportunity to unwind and relax: your body and brain will thank you for it! Here are some examples of resolutions that every modern woman can easily incorporate into her life to positively take control of her mental and physical health and well-being.

Relax

1. Make time for yourself. A modern working woman has so much to balance in her life—a job, a family, managing a household. Juggling all these can make it a challenge to find time to pamper yourself, but a Hydromassage or a session in the Dreamwave Massage Chair at your local Planet Beach can give you the affordable and time-effective relaxation you need so that you can better balance that juggling act with a clear and focused head!
2. Don’t let work consume your life–Spend more time with family and friends! According to AIS, over the last twenty years there has been a 60% increase in productivity and relatively stagnant wages—meaning most people are working harder for less money. They also report that work-related stress causes 10% of all strokes. Do yourself a favor and spend more time with the people in your life that love and care about you. I guarantee, these memories with loved ones are what you will look back on and smile.

3. Limit social media. The social media craze has become somewhat of an addiction—and not a healthy one. Constantly checking in on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc is the opposite of relaxing. According to non-profit organization Anxiety UK, pressures from social media can act as a tipping point for anxiety, making people feel more insecure and more overwhelmed. Instead of wasting your time attached to your smartphone, unplug and get off the grid—and use this time to spend with your family, catch up on a hobby, or read a book!

Glow

1. Exercise and eat right. The vast majority of women in America probably resolve each year to exercise more and change their eating habits for the better. But keep in mind–its easy to decide that a New Year is the best time to make some rather drastic and ambitious changes in your life, but to truly ingrain these healthy routines its better to be realistic about what you will actually be able to accomplish—that way you are more likely to stick with them and not have given up on that extreme diet and workout regime by mid-February! It’s generally a good idea to start with baby steps and go with the momentum from there. Combine a healthy diet and workout regimen with a membership at a local Planet Beach and take advantage of the SlimCapsule or Sauntatox—these will amplify the results you see from your healthy new lifestyle and help you accomplish your weight-loss goals.

2. Take care of your skin. To get that glowing complexion, it’s important to eat right and wash your face (of course), but take advantage of the services offered at your local Planet Beach Spa, as well. If you haven’t tried them out yet, check out Planet Beach’s red light therapy facial or try a session in one of our hydration stations. These treatments, combined with a healthy diet and one of our skincare regimes, are guaranteed to give you a fresh face and a “glow from within” look.

3. Drink More Water. This is probably the easiest resolution on this list, and one of the most effective. Staying on top of your hydration has a myriad of positive health benefits, including improved mood and energy and lowered risk of some diseases. It also has a tremendous effect on your skin—according to Kenneth Ellner, a dermatologist in Atlanta, “Dehydration makes your skin look more dry and wrinkled, which can be improved with proper hydration.”

Renew

1. Take advantage of the clean slate of a New Year to eliminate some of your unhealthy habits. For example, quit smoking and drink less alcohol—your mind and body will thank you for it! While it can be admittedly difficult to cut some of the unhealthier vices from our lives, try to take control of some of these unhealthy practices by utilizing the benefits of mediation in the New Year. If self-control is still a challenge and you find meditation to be difficult to achieve on your own, treat yourself to a few sessions of guided meditation at your local Planet Beach—the power of positive thinking, combined with a little external guidance is an affordable and realistic way to improve and renew your health.

2. Save Money. RIP to all the money I spent on eating takeout and buying things I didn’t need. Try to save money in 2015 by making your own meals and packing your own lunches to take to work. Hold off on buying that impulse purchase, or take advantage of flash sale sites such as gilt.com or ideeli.com. If you want to splurge on an item, wait 48 hours before purchasing—if you still cant get it off your mind, then it might be worth buying, but more often than not, you’ll forget about that item and save yourself money hard earned. Who knows—if you save enough by the end of 2015 by trading in your Starbucks beverage for a homemade latte, you might be able to treat yourself to something huge you deserve—like a vacation, or an expensive treat that you’ve been coveting.

What are your New Year Resolutions? Do you have any tips for our fellow readers? Share them in the comments below!