Happy New Year!

While the clock ticking over from one year to the next is really more symbolic than anything else, the New Year period does usually give us a little more breathing space for self-reflection. Time away from work and the break from our regular day-to-day routines offers a valuable pause from the usual rinse-and-repeat model of busy modern life. Instead, we’re spending time with people we love, catching up with friends and family, and reconnecting with ourselves. This is the perfect time to set some clear intentions — an opportunity to take stock and think about what things we would like to continue, adjust or implement for the year ahead. What are you most proud of in 2018? What lessons have you learnt? What would you like to let go of? And what would you most like to achieve in 2019?

Need a little inspiration? Here are three great wellness resolutions we’ll be implementing in 2019.

Daily mindfulness
Rather than waiting for a stressful period to arise and using mindfulness techniques as a solution, this year we’d like to get on the front foot and implement a daily practice. Mindfulness meditation has been linked to a number of proven health benefits, like lower stress, increased focus levels, improved sleep, protection against depression, and can even help you maintain a healthy weight. Mindfulness is a practice of paying attention to the here and now. It is not attached to any particular spiritual belief, nor does it require any special equipment — all you need is a quiet space to observe your breathing, and to let the whirl of your thoughts pass by without judgment. There are plenty of great podcasts, apps and audio tracks you can listen to for guided mindfulness meditation, like the headspace app.

Ditch the plastic
Plastic is so passe. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’re probably already pretty aware of how important it is that we reduce our consumption of plastics. In 2019, we’re committed to making the switch away from single-use plastics in our day-to-day. Here are a few of the changes we’ll be making:

• Reusable coffee cups.
  Thanks to a plastic lining, those disposable coffee cups take up to 30 years to decompose. Instead, we’re going to invest in a quality reusable coffee cup like this little beauty from our friends at Fressko
• Eco food wraps.
  We’re going to replace our plastic cling wrap at home with a reusable eco food wrap, like these great beeswax or cotton options from eco food wraps
• Shopping bags.
  As supermarkets phase out those gross plastic grocery bags, it’s time we get a little smarter with carry options. We love the Baggu reusable grocery bags because they’re super compact and light enough to always carry in your handbag for whenever you need them.
• Better packaging.
  As a producer of consumable food products, we take our environmental responsibility very seriously. While we are proud of our sustainable farming practices, and of our fully recyclable Chia PodⓇ cups and spoons, our goal for 2019 is to find a more environmentally friendly packaging solution for our chia seed range. Stay tuned!

Sleep more
As the work pressures begin to mount, and our daily to-do lists stretch ever longer, we can all be guilty of sacrificing an hour or two’s sleep to stay up late and get those last few things done. But, the sleep you skip now could be making a serious impact on your productivity and performance tomorrow! Research shows that regular, good quality sleep is important to keep our brains functioning, for our emotional and physical wellbeing, and for optimum daytime performance.  This year, we’ll be setting clear boundaries with our nighttime commitments and making sure we’re prioritising our sleep, aiming for at least 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.