The Herb Stop Blog

As we say goodbye to 2021, we enter a new year, and many of us are excited to get started on our New Year’s resolutions. 

We’ve all heard the statistics on New Year’s resolutions over the years. Statistics like: 

• According to one 2016 study, 41% of Americans make resolutions for New Year, but only 9% feel successful by the end of the year in keeping their resolutions. 
• Around 35% of New Years’ resolution makers said they failed due to unrealistic goals, 33% of those who failed did not track their progress throughout the year, and 23% forgot about their resolutions entirely. 
• 1 in 10 people that failed to achieve their goals said they made too many resolutions. 

We share these statistics with you not to discourage you but to encourage you to make realistic and achievable goals for the New Year. 

Tips for Keeping Your Resolutions

According to UAB Medicine and Johnson Memorial Health, some of the best tips for keeping your resolutions include: 

• Start with realistic goals. If you’ve never consistently worked out, starting with the goal of working out five days a week in January will likely quickly burn you out. 
• Make micro-goals. We encourage you to make your big, exciting New Years’ resolutions, but take it a step further and break your resolutions down into micro goals. For example, if you want to eat healthier, start by changing one habit, such as making a healthy morning smoothie (we have many fantastic shake options here!) or swapping your afternoon frappuccino out for an energizing healthy snack or yummy caffeinated tea. 
• Have an accountability buddy. Many successful goal makers have an accountability buddy. This may look like a friend or your spouse that you check in with once a week on how you’re doing with your goal or having somebody join a fitness or art class twice a week with you. 
• Slow down and embrace self-care. Many of us charge into our goals excited during the new year but end up burning out. Take things slow and steady while working towards your goals, and make sure you are taking care of yourself - mind, body, and soul. This could look like taking a hot, relaxing bath once a week or reading a good book while using relaxing essential oils in your diffuser.  
• Track your progress. Many of us are optimists, which is a fantastic trait, but this can lead to overestimating our abilities or how much progress we have made. Find a way to track your progress so that you have a definitive idea of how you’re doing. We recommend marking days that you work out, meditate, or practice your goal on a calendar or habit tracker. 

Now that we’ve touched on some of the most critical steps to take to set and work towards your goals, we want to break down some of the most common New Year’s resolutions.  

These are some amazing micro-goals that you can use to work towards them so that you don’t overwhelm yourself, but make strong, sustainable habits that you can keep up with. Try incorporating one to two micro goals into your life at a time, then add another micro goal or two once you’ve made the first goal into a solid habit. 

Healthy Micro-goals

Eating a Healthier Diet

• Learn to cook one new, healthy meal each week (Check out our piece on Delicious Beet Recipes and Mushroom Dish Recipes for ideas on some amazing foods to start using more.)
• Track how much water you drink and encourage increased hydration by carrying a reusable water bottle with you. 
• Cook with less salt (Our piece on How to Add Flavor Without Salt is an excellent resource for this)
• Incorporate more vegetables into your diet (learn more about mushrooms’ many benefits here.) Try adding one more vegetable a day into your diet, then move up to two more, etc. 

Exercising Consistently

• Enjoy “exercise snacks.” This idea from the New York Times is a great way to incorporate small bursts of exercise throughout the day. Make it a habit to do jumping jacks, stretch, or do a lap around your house every time you’re on the phone, get up to refill your water, etc. 
• Make a plan with specific times for when you’ll work out. Choose a day each week that you’ll make your weekly plan. 
• Have a recovery plan. Sore muscles are no fun! Try using our Muscle Balm to soothe your tired muscles.  
• Take a short daily walk. It’s a great way to break up the workday on your lunch break or try a post-dinner stroll with your children, spouse, dogs, or while listening to a great audiobook. 
• Support your body with a delicious power shake. We recommend our Super Women Power Shake and Fuel Source Power Shake. 

Sleeping Better 

• Try different herbal remedies for improving your sleep
• Turn off your phone and devices at least 30 to 60 minutes before bed. 
• Increase daily activity (This doesn’t have to be extensive, even a daily walk will help!)
• Decrease caffeine intake in the afternoon and evening (we recommend our delicious herb & fruit teas as a great alternative. 

Improving Your Mental Health and Reducing Stress

• Use essential oils to boost your spirits (aroma is powerful!) 
• Take time to be present and stop multitasking (i.e., stop to take a walk with no headphones, enjoy your favorite TV show without distraction, talk to your spouse or friends with no phone out)
• Identify stressful triggers. We can’t control many stressful things, but some triggers are avoidable. For example, social media or the news may stress you out, so you can set a goal to limit your time or unfollow stress-inducing social media accounts. Other stressful triggers you may be able to limit include distancing yourself from a toxic friend or replacing watching stressful television with an enjoyable book. 
• Spend more time with your pet. Take a dedicated walk or plan something special, like a hike or special playtime with your pet once a week. 
• Give yourself a facial massage - this is great for your skin and very relaxing. For a demo and more information, click here. 
• Set aside five minutes a day for mindfulness to meditate, journal, or simply take a few deep breaths. 

Self-Improvement

• Compliment others (it’s free, and we guarantee you’ll make someone’s day)
• Improve your focus with herbal nootropics for improving your memory and mental clarity
• Finish that one project you always put off by making a plan and executing it (this could be your messy garage, decluttering your closet, throwing out old spices or toiletries, etc.) 
• Read from an inspirational book, self-improvement book, or even a religious text daily. Set this book by your nightstand and commit to just five minutes a day before bed. 
• Learn something new (If you’ve ever been interested in learning more about herbs and botanicals, you’ll love our books section and our online classes.)
• Cut down on gossip
• Try inspirational essential oils to promote happy new beginnings. We recommend our New Beginnings Roll-On Oil Blend and New Beginning Essential Oil Blend. The uplifting scents of orange, grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, and more are sure to perk you up and create more balance in your life. 

We wish you a very happy 2022! 

Warming Wishes, 

Natalie and Leilah

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