With the new year inevitably comes time for looking over our shoulders at what 2012 held (what challenges, growth, surprises, changes?), and also forward to what we hope the new year has in store….and often, we hope for healthier habits and selves.

If you’re like me, the holidays are a time of temptation: sweets and lazy afternoons by the fire seem to be the most inviting options – so I always feel a special urge to set myself on a strong course for health and wellness – for my body, brain, and skin! – for the new year. Here are some tips for starting the year off right, compiled by Tata and myself. Read on!

Incorporate meditation or peaceful mindfulness into each day. As we’ve said on the blog before, stress is a leading cause of premature aging – it breaks down our healthy skin structure, gives us wrinkles, and wreaks havoc internally by spurring on damaging free radicals. Check out No More Dirty Look’s useful article here with eleven easy tips for mastering daily meditation, so that you can successfully find mental peace for at least ten minutes a day. It works wonders: you’ll feel your mood, sleeping habits, and stress levels all find a new balance. Plus, we could all use a few more minutes a day of casting good vibes out in to the world for those around us to encounter.

Liquify your food! This sounds strange – but it may indeed be time to invest in that juicer or Magic Bullet (I honestly can’t imagine my kitchen before it – what did I do for breakfast?). Drinking juiced fruits and vegetables or smoothies is great for you – it’s easier for your system to digest foods that are already liquified (saving your body energy in the long run) and it’s easier for your body to extract nutrients, minerals and vitamins: they’re more readily available in liquid foods. Plus, you can mix a lot of different foods into a singular smoothie: when else would you be able to enjoy raw coconut, avocado, cinnamon, spinach and fresh almond milk at the same time than in a delicious smoothie blend?! I sound like an infomercial here, but truly, it’s never been easier to diversify your diet!

See what type of daily exercise works best for you – try some different options! Running three miles every morning isn’t the perfect workout solution for everybody, nor does everybody have gym machinery in their basement or a local club at walking distance. How else can you get movement into each day, while maybe exercising some new parts of your body and brain? Here are some ideas: a membership to your local pool – swim laps! Sign up for salsa, swing or modern dance lessons – you’ll be surprised at how fast you break a sweat. Practice daily gentle stretching and yoga plus a vigorous sport or activity twice a week – tennis with a friend, hit up the local squash court, or get involved with a group spinning class. Take a walk every day – and explore new parts of your neighborhood or city with each stroll. Get creative with it!

Involve the family in a home-detox hunt: You’ve detoxed your beauty cabinet, so tackle the household! Use the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database to find out what’s hiding inside products like your sunscreen or baby powder, and use Good Guide’s database of household cleaning products to learn more about the ingredients used in detergents, air fresheners, antibacterial wipes, and the like. Controlling toxic exposure for children is key to ensure healthy physical, brain and reproductive development, and can also help control allergies or immune issues in adults that may be linked to repeated allergen or toxin exposure. While detoxing your whole home can seem overwhelming, go bit by bit, room by room – and you’ll feel in control again.

Give your skin a fresh start with a 100% natural facial or body treatment to deeply cleanse and renew for that healthy new-year’s glow. Try a Pure or True facial from Exhale Spa – both involve our products for nourishment, regeneration and antiaging. Their spas are located all over the country – learn more about their facials and treat yourself to one here!

Above all – treat yourself with love and care!