Simple Ways to Turn New Year’s Resolutions into Long Term Solutions

Simple Ways to Turn New Year’s Resolutions into Long Term Solutions

This year, we’re focusing on simple swaps you can make to turn your New Year’s Resolutions into long term solutions. While lofty New Year’s resolutions may seem like something to strive for, they can quickly become overwhelming. This New Year, we’re providing you with a roadmap of simple swaps and real solutions to reach your goals. We’re covering small steps to channel new habits into a brighter future for you and the planet.

1. Zero Waste

There are lots of things we’re hoping to leave behind in 2020, and at the top of the list is single-use plastics. That’s why we’re sharing some simple swaps to help you ditch single-use plastics for good. We’re giving you three simple swaps for three rooms in your house to help you change your habits piece by piece. First up is the kitchen. One of my go-to essentials is the Kindhumans x To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensil Set. Whether you keep it at home or pop it in your bag on the go, it’s a great alternative to single-use plastic utensils and a lifesaver for your on-the-go snacking needs. Whether you’re eating lunch on the trail or grabbing a quick bite between classes or meetings, this great, plastic-free solution fits compactly in your bag and goes wherever you go.

Next up is your restroom. After moving apartments this summer, I found myself pausing when I went to restock my bathroom essentials. Many of our personal hygiene products, from our shampoo and conditioner to our toothbrushes, are made of single-use plastics. So I made it my mission to keep my toiletries plastic-free, and one of my favorite swaps has been HiBar Shampoo Bars. Rather than plastic squeeze bottles that are difficult – if not impossible – to recycle at the end of their life, HiBar Shampoo Bars are plastic-free and guaranteed to leave your hair feeling amazing. For our final swap, we head to the laundry room. You might have heard growing talk around microplastics and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but microplastics don’t just come from plastic water bottles or straws. When you wash your clothes, tiny microfibers come off and enter the sewage system when your washing machine drains, eventually making their way into the ocean. LEUS Eco Wash Bag helps catch these microplastics before they make it to the ocean.

2. Self-Care

In this tumultuous time, self-care is more important than ever. We’re sharing three of our favorite (and easiest) self-care strategies with a sustainable twist. First up is face masks. In recent years, face masks have become all the rage, and for good reason. Not only are they good for your skin, but they also create space for a much needed moment of pampering and relaxation. Earth Tu’s Face Mask offers all of the relaxation, without the single-use waste produced by many sheet masks. Another one of our favorite self-care strategies is journaling. In a time when it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, journaling is a great way to work through your thoughts. Made from sustainable and recycled materials, Onyx and Green’s Hard Cover Journal is the perfect place to jump-start your journaling practice. Our third self-care suggestion is the time-tested practice of simply staying hydrated. Drinking more water doesn’t just make you feel better, it also plays a critical role in many bodily functions, allowing you to be your best self. Yet as important as it is, remembering to hydrate can seem like an uphill battle. A helpful way to stay hydrated is carrying a reusable water bottle everywhere. Having a reusable water bottle, like Kindhumans x Miir Vacuum Insulated Bottle, sitting on your desk or packed in your bag serves as a visual reminder to hydrate throughout the day.

3. Spend Time Outside

A co-worker recently shared with me their family’s goal to spend a thousand hours outside this year, which breaks down to roughly three hours a day. This may not seem like a lot, but a study from Harvard’s School of Public Health found that the average person spends less than 5% of their time outdoors. In children, this has been linked to anxiety, childhood obesity, and academic underperformance. However, with many of us still working and learning from home and the limited hours of light during the winter, it can be hard to find time to get outside. Since transitioning to working from my bedroom, I catch myself letting days slip by without catching a glimpse of sunlight. As I watch the sunset during my four o’clock meeting, I find myself wondering where the day has gone. That’s why a few months ago, I made it my mission to spend some time outside every day, whether that’s paddleboarding, hiking, or just a walk around the block. At first, it seemed impossible to pull myself away from my screen when I had more work and less motivation than ever. But as I spent more and more time outside, I ended up being more productive, and quite frankly, happier. So, how did I carve out time from my busy schedule?

For me, it all comes down to making a plan ahead of time. If you leave it to the day of, the warm sheets or unexpected flood of tasks are likely to win out over your morning run or afternoon stretch break. Whether it’s a sunrise hike or a stroll through your neighborhood, it’s important to set your intentions ahead of time. First, I evaluate my schedule, pick a time, and put it in my calendar. Running from meeting to meeting, it’s easy to let the day slip away, but scheduling a time to step outside helped me make it a priority. It also ensured that I’d remember the commitment I’d set for myself. Second, I picked an activity and made sure it was one I would enjoy, whether that was taking the book I was engrossed in outside to read for fifteen minutes between meetings or hitting up my local hiking trails on the weekends, I made sure my outside time was always something I would look forward to. Finally, I prepared ahead of time. If I was squeezing in a quick jog between conference calls, I made sure to lay clothes out ahead of time, fill a water bottle, and even set out a post-run snack. If I was setting out for a sunrise hike, I made sure to load up my pack with the ten essentials the night before. This helped ensure that when it came down to it, I was ready to go. It also made me feel committed since I’d already put in the work of preparing ahead of time, making me more likely to stick to my plans. The Kindhumans Outdoor Category makes preparing easy and ensures you have whatever you need for your next outdoor adventure.

Citations:

Dockery, D. W., & Spengler, J. D. (1981). Personal exposure to respirable particulates and sulfates. Journal of the air pollution control association, 31(2), 153-159.

Louv, R. (2015). The right to walk in the woods: children’s connection to the natural world should be considered a human right. Children and Nature Network.