It’s hard to dispute that the start of a New Year is a time for new beginnings and an opportunity to set new intentions for taking care of yourself. While I’ve abandoned New Year’s Resolutions, which often end up seeming difficult once we reach mid January, these days I’m leaning towards more simple and achievable goals which are easier to stick to and more achievable. For this first blog post of 2019, let’s kick things off with a slightly more mindful post focusing on skin care intentions. And before you think I’ve gone all woo woo on you, we’re still going to be discussing skin care but looking at it in a slightly different way.
While there are companies that meditate over and bless their products while chanting and playing music before they are packaged and shipped to customers and retailers, I’m not convinced that’s the path for Apothekari. (However, never say never!). Our intention at Apothekari is to cut through the confusion, simplify the process and deliver skin care treatments formulated with ingredients that have scientific proof to back them up. Nevertheless, I recognize that what we put on our skin not only nourishes our skin, but also can play a role in our emotional well-being. The sensory experiences of aroma and touch associated with skin care have a connection to our inner beauty that cannot be discounted. When we approach skin care as part of our self care, we accept it as a way of feeling good about ourselves rather than as a chore or as an indulgence.
3 Skin Care Intentions for 2019
For 2019, I’m focusing on 3 ways to be more mindful when it comes to the care of our skin:
- Think About What You Eat. As the body’s largest organ, our skin reflects what we put into our mouths. I’m not sure about you, but after consuming way too much sugar, an abundance of heavy dinners and alcoholic cocktails, my skin often reflects the culinary abundance by the time the New Year rolls around. My body craves warm bowls of nourishing soups, crisp vegetables and leaner fare. I find that a structured eating plan makes perfect sense for the New Year. I’ve embarked on the Whole30 Challenge in past years, but this year I’m focusing on being more mindful about what I eat and appreciating the impact that this has on the health of my skin and overall wellness. Whatever works for you – a juice cleanse, calorie counting – it’s about paying attention to how your body reacts to your food choices.
- Get Moving. In a previous post I’ve discussed a study that showed that it’s not just our hearts that benefit from exercise. Researchers have demonstrated that premature aging in nearly every organ in the body, including the skin, was completely prevented in mice that ran on a treadmill three times a week for five months. My ‘thing’ is hot yoga, a practice that I took up nearly six years ago and which has helped me to build strength and flexibility and also to find calm. “Exercise truly is the fountain of youth.”
- Stick to a Routine. Despite how tired you may feel when you fall into bed, establishing and STICKING to a skin care routine is paramount to success. As with most things in life, consistent action produces results – one can’t expect to try a product just once or twice and expect to see a dramatic transformation. You’ll achieve far more benefit from a long term plan than you will with a week-long “miracle treatment.”
It’s not just topical products that have an effect on your skin’s health, it’s about investing beyond that in a nurturing and intentional way. This year, by telling and showing your skin (and the rest of your body) that you care via your actions, you may find your skin responding in ways you didn’t expect. And if that’s a bit woo-woo, well then so be it!
