NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

A fresh year is a chance for a fresh start, and X-Press’ beauty correspondent ANNETTE GOHL has plenty of ideas for kicking off 2012 in healthy and happy style, with a bunch of New Year’s Resolutions that are good for the body and soul. While it's a well known fact that a lot of people have trouble sticking to their resolutions, even if you pick just one of the little life enhancing habits below, you will definitely be rockin’ an added glow in 2012.

• Ditch one mainstream beauty product in favour of a more natural/organic alternative.
This is getting easier and easier thanks to the beauty industry embracing the “good for the planet, good for you” ethos. My newest top tip is to dab some Tisserand ethically harvested lavender oil (available from echolife.com.au) on any type of spot and watch it magically disappear in a day or two! If you need inspiration for some more luxurious face and body alternatives, head to peachyclean.com.au or bathingbeauty.com.au and be amazed at their gorgeous natural beauty offerings!

• Spend more time with friends who make me happy.
We all have busy lives, and I've found over the past year I've often neglected lovely friends in favour of getting more work done, in 2012 I aim to catch up with one different friend one-on-one each week. This will create laughs, smiles, memories and be sure to keep my spirits high.

• Do a 10 day yoga challenge.
This has already been locked in. Ten days, Monday-Friday, 90 minute classes, 6am starts. To say I'm terrified is an understatement, but I know this will be an incredible journey in self-discipline and hopefully I'll come out the other side feeling inspired and capable of tougher challenges. Not to mention how healthy and peace-filled I'll feel, that in itself is worth the 5am wakeups. If you've ummed and ahhed over the idea of beginning a yoga practice before, maybe diving right in with a challenge like this is the right way to start? Come join me... Namaste!

• Drink a green smoothie or eat a giant salad every day.
I may sound like a broken record, and I could talk about green smoothies and fantastic salads ’til the cows come home, but there is a reason for this! If you have a green smoothie (think spinach, kale, watercress, cos lettuce, banana and your choice of frozen fruit plus any other extras you'd like to add) every day, I can guarantee your life will change. You will feel energised, happier, healthier. You will be on your way to radiating with health and people will notice.
Yummy salads are a great way to get a heap of nutrients as well and are deliciously light and easy during summer. Don't just think lettuce, tomato, cheese and cucumber either. Experiment with dried cranberries, kalamata olives, fetta, papaya, strawberries, pumpkin seeds... anything healthy that your heart desires can be thrown in! Smoothies and salads, watch out, every day you will be mine.

• Be in bed by 11pm most weeknights.
This may sound boring to some, but I'm personally a giant ball of cranky if I don't get enough sleep and when I stay up past 11pm my wellbeing is severely compromised the next day. My plan is to get those much needed 8 hours a night and feel nice and rested each morning, which will mean less bleary eyes and “you look tired” and more shining peepers and “damn girl, you lookin fly”. Maybe.

• Use a targeted facial serum to treat my skin at night.
Following on from the last point, this is a resolution to nourish my skin with beneficial essential oils and serums so that I wake up with bright skin. Those in the know have long been massaging 2-3 drops of rosehip or jojoba oil into their skin at night, and the difference the next day is very noticeable, these oils even help clear up pimples and scarring! So if you've not tried them, I heartily suggest you do so. For those with cash to spare, you'll want to get your hands on some of the locally made Franc Serum ($72), it smells gorgeous, feels divine and contains an incredible array of nourishing oils including macadamia, carrot, avocado, apricot kernel and more. Mmm food for the skin!

• Have a massage once a month.
This one may be a bit of a pipe-dream since I'll be studying next year, thus poor, but it would be my absolute dream to be able to afford a relaxation massage every month to help combat stress, swoosh toxins out of the body and generally improve wellbeing. This one’s a wish as well as a resolution!

• Take up dancing again.
…And I don't mean the 3.30am Carnegies beer fuelled shame-a-thon variety that used to haunt my younger years when the line to Amps was too long. No, I'd like to get back into some ’50s and ’60s style vintage dances c/o the gals at Sugar Blue Burlesque. I took these classes a few years back and the improvement in my confidence, cardio fitness and calves was phenomenal! I'd also like to learn to swing dance/lindy hop as well, and there are heaps of classes around Perth so anyone that wants to get their swing dance on can.