Spending time in a sauna tends to make people happier and healthier versions of themselves, and that’s a New Year’s resolution worth keeping! Let’s look at ten ways to make you a better “you!”

The New Year is right around the corner, and every day up until the ball drops provides us with the opportunity to make positive and healthy choices in life. From emphasizing the concept of mindfulness in all you do to focusing inward and making self-care a priority in your life, there is no doubt that the connection between being a “better version of you” and taking care of yourself is real. Let’s take a look at how to be a better you in the New Year, including 10 unique ways to boost your health, wellness, and vitality on a daily basis.

10 Self-Care Tips for the New Year 

1. Learn to Meditate
   Practicing this ancient art of mindfulness has proven to calm the mind and soothe the soul. Meditation relaxes the body and mind from the inside out and has been proven to minimize stress, boost weight loss, sharpen emotional processing, and even effectively quell depression. This is an excellent way to improve mental wellness.

1. Get a massage
   It’s called massage therapy for a reason! Scheduling regular massages help relax the muscles, eases joint pain, lowers stress and even acts as a motivation for “good behavior” in other areas of your life. Though massage has therapeutic benefits, it also feels terrific and can be quite relaxing… what other motivation do you need?

1. Spend Time in a Sauna
   Seriously, is there anything more relaxing or therapeutic than a sauna? The warm air, soothing lighting, and calm interior of a top-quality infrared sauna act as a veritable meditation chamber that gently yet effectively detoxifies the body and relaxes the mind and spirit. Spending time in a sauna is a terrific way to improve your health and wellness this New Year, and the latest in IR saunas on the market today make it incredibly easy and convenient to enjoy the benefits of a sauna at home.

1. Schedule a Nap
   Think it sounds impossible to squeeze in a 30-minute nap each day? Well, according to a recent NY Times article, the average Facebook user dedicates about 50 minutes to the social media platform every 24 hours. Try limiting your social media time and instead use the time to catch up on a bit of sleep. Getting enough sleep is one of the most powerful self-care routines you can adopt.

1. Read a Book
   Put aside the e-readers and cell phone for a bit and cuddle up to a good old-fashioned book (yes, we mean the kind with paper pages). Reading not only helps boost your ability to think, analyze and create concept connections, but it also helps you sleep when you spend time with a real book and not an electronic version of one.

1. Focus on Positivity
   While this might seem easier said than done, being negative about situations – especially those that are out of our control – does little to boost our sense of happiness and empowerment. Instead, try to coax your thought processes to identify and react to negative situations with a one-two-punch approach. Start by recognizing the negative situation, then find a way to introduce a positive aspect. For example, if someone at work is annoying you, focus instead on three people whom you do get along with.

1. Disconnect for Two Hours Per Day
   We live in an interconnected world, but that isn’t always a good thing. In fact, recent research has shown a disturbing correlation between constant connection (via your cell phone, tablet, email, etc.) to a heightened risk of depression, anxiety and disrupted sleep patterns. If you’re committed to being the best possible version of you this New Year, schedule time to disconnect each day. This might mean putting your phone on silent while you clean the kitchen, going for a walk and keeping your phone on silent, or any other realistic way you can unplug from the world for a bit.

1. Learn to Say “No”
   When it comes to creating the best version of you, it pays to know who “you” are! Turn down one invitation to a social engagement per month, and take the time you’d have normally spent getting dressed, commuting to and from the gathering, and the event itself, and allocate that time to doing something for yourself. Use the money you would have spent on the event and mindfully treat yourself. Obviously, you’ll want to use discretion here (don’t skip your sister’s wedding!), but even saving a few hours a month can help you reinvest in yourself.

1. Create a Daily Gratitude List
   Think you’re totally aware of all the great things going on in your life? It’s made that much more apparent when you think about and catalog a short list of daily gratitude items. You don’t have to compile a lengthy list of super-intense items – just include simple things like “I’m grateful for the rain” or “I’m grateful for these new jeans I bought.”

1. Stop Trying to be Perfect
   One of the most freeing feelings you can introduce into your daily routine is the concept of “I’m going to aim for perfection, but be content with really good.” Don’t beat yourself up if your diet falls off the rails a bit. Don’t stress over a missed day at the gym. Skip the feelings of remorse over a night out that went a bit too late. You’re human, and your goal should be to be the best version of yourself… not a flawless example for all of humanity.

This New Year, keep the focus inward for a change. Act mindfully when it comes to your overall sense of well-being, and take steps to prioritize your own growth as you move into 2018. From spending time in a sauna to learning to enjoy the little things in life, you’re in for a terrific New Year.

The holidays are right around the corner, and today it’s easier than ever to dig up online holiday gift guides jam-packed with the latest in electronic gadgets, home décor items, jewelry and more. But ask yourself, do your loved ones really need the latest handheld gizmo or an overpriced ring from the local strip mall jewelry store? Probably not. Instead, consider the gift of health and wellness this holiday season and choose a sauna to show your loved ones how much they mean to you. Let’s look at how an infrared sauna can help you and your family stay healthy during the holidays, and why they make such amazing gifts.

Saunas Promote Weight Loss

The holidays can be tough on the waistline, which is one reason why our New Year’s resolution lists tend to include at least one bullet point about losing weight. Saunas promote weight loss by increasing your metabolic rate during use. When your metabolism is elevated during sauna use, your body will naturally burn calories – even if you’re simply sitting in the heated space.

Saunas Detoxify the Body

Saunas, especially infrared saunas, deliver serious detoxifying benefits when used regularly. You’ll sweat profusely while in the sauna, and that creates a veritable river of sweat that effectively channels numerous toxins and junk out of your system. If good health is important to you and your family, a sauna is one of the few ways to truly clean up your system from the inside out.You’ll Boost the Immune System.

Notice how the body responds to an infection or illness with a fever? This is exactly why an infrared sauna is so beneficial for the user’s immune system. By creating an “artificial fever,” the deep heating of the infrared rays tricks the body into exercising its immune response – thereby strengthening the overall immune system and boosting your general resistance to illness.

Provides Pain Relief

If you or your loved ones suffer from achy joints, muscle pain or other musculoskeletal concerns, a sauna can be a saving grace. Muscles tend to relax when heat is applied, which promotes greater range of motion and flexibility – especially important if you plan on doing Yoga or light exercise while in the sauna. The circulatory benefits of spending time in a sauna can boost the transportation of oxygen-rich blood to the muscles, helping speed up recovery.

Stress Reduction

What can be better than delivering a gift of less stress this holiday season? Even a short stint in a sauna can help you and your loved ones feel more relaxed and ready to tackle the stresses of life. And, a sauna in the home removes an added stress – visiting the health club or gym and having to share a sauna with total strangers. The immune system boost correlates with a better ability to stave off illness, which can also boost your overall sense of wellbeing and minimize stress.

Improves Skin Tone

By safely elevating the heart rate and boosting circulation, an infrared sauna can reduce the appearance of cellulite and help remove impurities in the skin. The profuse sweating wash away dead skin cells, leaving your pores purified and beautifully clean. The enhanced blood circulation balances skin tone and texture, and users often report significantly better results when treating acne, psoriasis, eczema and other skin conditions.

Helps Address Age-Related Joint Issues

The joints tend to tighten and stiffen with age, but infrared saunas have been used for years now to treat this debilitating condition. Having a sauna in the home can promote frequent use, and that may be therapy enough to help you or your affected family member feel better. Saunas have been used to treat muscle spasms, sprains, bursitis, neuralgia and other joint concerns.

Makes Exercise More Effective

Yoga is terrific, but have you ever tried hot yoga? Better yet, have you ever experienced hot Yoga in the comfort of your own home – without having to get in the car and drive to the fitness center? If you haven’t, consider this a huge benefit of having a sauna in the home. Yoga is amazing for the mind and spirit, and works wonders in creating a healthy body, and hot Yoga takes the entire thing and cranks it up a notch. Even simple exercises and stretching routines are more effective when performed in a sauna.

So infrared saunas make terrific holiday gifts, but which model is right for you and your family? The answer isn’t so simple, but there are a few questions to help you before ordering your personal relaxation chamber:

• What are your size constraints?

It will save you time, money and hassle if your new sauna integrates easily into your allotted space. A compact unit like the Sanctuary 1 from Clearlight might be the answer.

• What’s your budget?

Decide ahead of time what your budget is.  Remember, though, that you’ll save your family time and money by installing a sauna in the home and foregoing that expensive fitness club membership.  A high quality infrared sauna will last you a lifetime.

• What features are important to you?

Have you considered the benefits of chromotherapy (light therapy)? Maybe a reservation mode is important to you. Or, specific cabinetry and glass designs are something you’ll want to consider. Today’s infrared saunas offer a variety of unique models with a range of diverse features.

Ordering a new infrared sauna this holiday season not only represents an incredible gift for your loved ones, it is also an investment in the health and wellness of your family. For more information about Clearlight infrared saunas, contact the sauna experts at Infraredsauna.com today!

While common belief is that yoga has been around for almost 5,000 years, today’s popular yoga styles – Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram and Hatha, have come into prominence over the last 1,500 years. Little has changed in terms of the individual poses and their intrinsic benefits, but the popularity of yoga as a healthy art form has done nothing but explode in prominence over the past thirty years. Yoga is good for your mind, your body, and your spirit. Let’s look at some of the ways yoga can help you feel your best from the inside out.

What Are the Physical Health Benefits of Yoga?

Flexibility

Yoga poses gently force you to stretch, twist and bend your frame – and then hold each pose for a specific time. Do it right and you’ll quickly see better flexibility. This can translate into fewer injuries, pulled muscles and overall discomfort throughout your daily routine.

Muscle Tone

Yoga is a toning exercise – one that creates long, lean muscle tone that can more effectively support the musculoskeletal system. Yoga can make you strong, too. Think of the advanced yogis who perform headstands or handstands; that takes incredible strength and balance.

Weight Loss

Yoga, especially hot yoga, can burn serious calories and can be a cornerstone cardio activity for anyone looking to trim a few pounds. Though various yoga poses create a wide range of calorie burning situations, experts indicate that yoga burns between 180 and 600 calories per hour or an average of about 400/hour. Compare that to the 363 calories a 160-pound individual burns throughout the course of a one-hour, three-mile run, and you can see how great yoga can be for weight loss.

Enhanced Fertility

Yoga is a proven stress reliever, and in recent years the practice has been used by fertility experts as another infertility-fighting tool in their arsenal. Since stress has been linked to fertility problems, yoga can help in numerous ways. According to Bethany Grace Shaw, the founder and president of YogaFit, Inc. “Yoga allows the mother-to-be to relax, de-stress, and open up energetic channels, thereby improving chances of conception.” Yoga may also allow for better blood flow to reproductive organs, improving organ function and improving hormone function.

Reduced Risk for Heart Disease

Yoga helps individuals lose weight, improves circulation, boosts capacity for cardiovascular exercise, and keeps the heart at an elevated (but safe) rate during yoga sessions. Yoga helps foster a decrease in arterial plaque, and that minimizes the chance of heart disease becoming increasingly serious for the individual.

 Reduced Risk for Arthritis

There are numerous medications designed to help ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but they certainly aren’t without their side effects. Yoga can help rheumatoid arthritis patients better manage their pain, as well as lower depression levels and increase self-efficacy. Hot yoga is increasingly popular among arthritis sufferers, as the slow, controlled movements and heated environment can be quite beneficial for the joints.

What Are the Mental Health Benefits of Yoga?

Promotes Emotional Health

Exercise, in general, has shown to aid those afflicted by depression, and yoga is included under the wide umbrella of “exercise.” Yoga is often practiced in a group setting, which promotes oxytocin production – the love and bonding hormone. If practiced alone, it helps boost serotonin levels high enough to make virtually anyone feel happier and more positive about life in general.

Helps with Insomnia

Yoga can be quite helpful for those who find getting a good night’s sleep a challenge. Yoga helps improve circulation, calms the mind, and there are even poses that can be completed at night, before bed, or even during bouts of insomnia to help calm your head. There are a few specific poses that can help you sleep better.

Improves Memory

Research shows that yoga can help improve memory in individuals of any age. By lessening mental stress and tension, yoga helps improve cognitive functioning and allows us to use our mental faculties more effectively and efficiently.

Provides Support for PTSD

Individuals suffering from PTSD may find yoga to be a truly beneficial therapy tool in the fight against their debilitating condition. Studies have shown that yoga can help center and calm those with a PTSD diagnosis, and may be a solid option for PTSD sufferers who have found little relief from traditional psychotherapy methods.

Practicing yoga is a terrific way of improving your mental, physical and emotional health, and a lot of attention has been focused recently on the topic of hot yoga. Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or you’re just starting out and learning basic poses in a group setting, you may see an even greater spectrum of health and wellness benefits by incorporating hot yoga into your fitness routine. Either way, make yoga a part of your life, and you’ll almost certainly look and feel your best in no time.