You know you need to do it. It’s one of your New Year’s resolutions. It’ll make you feel better and all that stuff. Why does it have to be so hard to gain some workout motivation? If you are having trouble getting to the gym, read on for ways to pump up your workout mojo.

Working out not only keeps us in shape, it reduces stress and triggers mood-boosting endorphins. What’s not to love? Maybe that whole part about actually getting started.

A new workout regimen can seem daunting at first. After all, it a takes a good couple of weeks to see any benefits and get past that super tough phase. Some experts say all you need is 21 days is to establish any new habit. Seem like years? Let’s get you some fitness inspo that’ll have you ready and willing to get this thing started!

9 Workout Motivation Secrets

1. Set your clothes out: Getting up and putting on your workout clothes is an almost surefire way to get your buns moving. It is pretty hard to beg off the treadmill when you are already wearing your runners.

2. Don’t overthink it: This works with almost anything in life we don’t love doing. If you are coming up with reasons why working out today isn’t in the plan, you are not only wasting time that could be spent working out, you are less likely to follow through. Don’t think about how tough it will be or how much better tomorrow works or if you have time. Like Nike says…just do it!

3. Put PMA to use: Yeah, yeah. Positive mental attitude feels good and gets you motivated. But it can be hard to dig up a PMA on a cold, dark morning before the sun has even come up. Experts recommend visualizing your desired outcome as a way to ramp up workout motivation. Say, imagining yourself with Jennifer Aniston’s abs or how great you’ll feel about yourself later in the day.

4. Reward yourself for real: If conjuring up a positive attitude about working out is a bit premature, try giving yourself an actual reward. A spin through your favorite coffee shop or a stop in the steam room post-workout may be all it takes to get you going.

5. Get paid to workout: Ever think you’d be able to get paid for working out? Pact is an app that helps you commit to your fitness goals by staking money on it. You decide how much and, based on your commitment, get paid when you follow through. Skip a workout and you get fined. Yikes! Talk about fitness inspo.

6. Invest in yourself: Going on a workout clothes shopping spree or buying some new kicks will help to get you in the exercise zone. Not only do you not want your new items to go to waste, it’s always exciting to wear new stuff.

7. Identify your exercise persona: Are you a team player or more of an independent exerciser? It matters. If you prefer social over solitary, try buddying up at the gym or joining a team sport. If you’d rather go it alone, purchase a workout DVD or hit the running trail solo. You’ll be more likely to workout if you are enjoying it.

8. Create a decent playlist: Don’t disregard the effectiveness of a great playlist to inspire a workout. Thirty uninterrupted minutes of your favorite jams doesn’t sound so bad, right?

9. Make it your top priority of the day: This one can be tough. There are so many things that crop up in any day that can seem more important than going to the gym or hitting the trail. Think of it like this: working out clears the mind, makes you work more efficiently, uplifts the mood, and makes you feel good about yourself. Put it on your calendar and schedule time out of your day to make sure it happens.

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What is it about the New Year that makes us want to throw out, clean up, and organize our lives? Whatever the reason, let’s take some tips from Marie Kondo’s best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” (with a realistic spin) to declutter your home.

Maybe it’s putting away all of the holiday décor that makes us want to refresh our space. Or finding places to store our newly acquired stuff that leaves us with a deep desire to purge.

Did you make a resolution this year to declutter your home? If your decluttering tactics started strong only to fall flat time and again, it may be time to employ some new strategies. Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” holds several nuggets of wisdom to help make tidying a way of life. If you’ve read the book and were left feeling overwhelmed, you are normal, and may just need to tailor her tips to work for you.

Unless you are an extreme organizer, in which case you most likely don’t need this book, Kondo’s tactics will seem, um, borderline ridiculous. I consider myself an organized person and love a clean house, but Kondo is far more committed to tidiness than I will ever want to be.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take what you want from the book, make it your own, and leave the rest. While Kondo firmly states that varying from her tidying plan will only lead to sure failure (reverting back to your old ways and ending up with a cluttered existence), those of us who are a bit less neurotic about our organization can likely find a balance.

7 Tips from “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” (and some totally doable counterpoints)

1. A tidying marathon doesn’t cause rebound: Marie poo-poos those articles you read on doing a little decluttering at a time, and recommends going whole hog and doing the whole job at once. She feels that taking a do-some-everyday approach leads to never getting ahead of the clutter.

Doable idea: What if you tackled one small area at a time and got that whole (smallish) task finished to completion? You’d feel accomplished without the sinking feeling of taking on a tidying marathon.

2. Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination: Are you uncomfortable living in an ultra decluttered environment? Most of us probably are not. In her book, Kondo stresses the importance of getting to the root of your inner clutter and anxiety so you can learn to dwell happily in a tidy space.

Doable idea: Live in the level of tidiness that feels right to you. How much does it suck to feel like your home has to be as completely flawless as your friend with the perfect-at-all-times house? Can you live up to these standards? Probably, yes. Will you feel fulfilled and happy doing so? If the answer is no, shoot for what makes you feel at home.

3. Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem has been solved: Marie feels that if you are sticking items away somewhere, you will eventually have another mess you need to clear out.

Doable idea: For someone with slightly above average storage skills, this doesn’t sound all that bad. Isn’t having a storage room/closet/cupboard for this very purpose? To store the stuff you don’t use every day? Hit that baby up with a good purging once a year and be thankful you have it the rest of the time.

4. Tidying up by location is a fatal mistake: Fatal? Yikes! Kondo admits she is ashamed that it took her three whole years to realize this huge error in judgement. Rather than tackle one area at a time, she advocates decluttering by category – books, clothes, dishes, etc. This is because we tend to store the same items in a variety of places in our home and we all tend to have way too much stuff.

Doable idea: I actually like this idea of sorting by category. After having recently moved, I can definitely cop to the having waaaay too much stuff deal. Still, do you really want all of your books in one place? It may be easier to handle and make more sense to sort by category per area (see #1).

5. Don’t change the method to suit your personality: Oops. That is exactly what this whole article is about. Marie says if you stick to her method, you can’t go wrong with decluttering and will be a lifelong tidy person. Sounds great, but after a month of folding our clothes into little sausage shaped logs (which does make for a lot more storage space, actually), we couldn’t keep up the maintenance and reverted back to the regular way.

Doable idea: If it stresses you out, takes up too much of your time or doesn’t fit into your lifestyle, you are going to hate it and probably won’t do it. Read the book. It’s short and sweet. You are sure to come away with tidbits that do work for you. One I love is to not let your family see items you are throwing away. Old stuff no one needs does not need to make its way back into anyone’s closet.

6. Clearly define separate storage spaces for each family member: Enough said. Love this!

Doable idea: The pitfall? You know there are going to be things (probably lots of them) that fall into the “everyone” category. Adding a communal storage area is inevitable when dealing with family stuff.

7. Empty your bag every day: Seriously? I should clean out my purse every day? Don’t know about you, but cleaning out my purse is an event all its own. One I try to avoid until absolutely necessary and certainly do not have time for every day.

Doable idea: Unless you have loads of time on your hands or a seriously empty purse or backpack, clear that thing out on your commute or while waiting to pick up the kids.

Which approach do you see in your future? Marie’s all or nothing clear out, or a gentler approach to declutter your home?

Have you read the book? Those of you who stick to Marie’s method, we’d love to hear from you. Chime in with a comment.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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The most uttered New Year’s resolution ‘round the world is most likely the desire to stay in shape. Sure, that resolution isn’t hard to keep, but it sure is a lot easier when you’re armed with cute workout wear.

1. Get Movin’ Smooth Turtleneck

Let’s face it – it’s cold outside. When it’s cold, it’s even more difficult to convince yourself that staying on the couch is a very bad idea. Help combat the desire to feel eternally snugly by getting a workout shirt that can be layered. This turtleneck can easily serve as a base top — great for layering and moving outside. Priced at $78.

2. Shimmered Performance Bra

Never underestimate the power of a great sports bra. While this bra doesn’t have mystical powers, it sure shimmers like it does. In addition to featuring sparkle and sass, it also has nylon, spandex, and a supportive lycra lining, as well as removable padding. Wear it on the trail or the treadmill. Priced at $73.

3. Aquaflora Leggings

Want your workout wear to resemble the season that’s known for life, rebirth, and budding flowers? Then these leggings are for you. This pair of leggings is covered with a beautiful floral print. Perfect for the gym or the yoga studio. Priced at $98.

4. Banjees Wrist Wallet

Not every piece of workout wear is a bra, jacket, pant, or legging. Case in point: This useful wrist wallet. It’s perfect to wear whenever you’re going to get active because it’s lightweight. Fits most large smartphones (as well as a key, cash, and cards), and has a buttonhole for headphones.

5. PrAna Active Tank

If you want cute workout wear but hate the price tag most items carry, this is a great piece to consider buying. It was originally priced at $54 but is now $13.49 (and it’s in excellent condition).

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Make New Year’s resolutions that matter because you only live once.

With the new year approaching, you may be tempted to give into making lame New Year’s resolutions. Don’t do it. Losing weight, becoming more organized, and saving more money are just overrated. These are the kind of resolutions that we all are doomed to fail at because they are super boring and just don’t capture the imagination. Instead, choose alternative resolutions that are outside your comfort zone and inspire you to try something new. While there is value in saving money and getting healthier, the start of a new year is time for bigger stuff.

7 Alternative New Year’s Resolutions

1. Become an expert. Commit to beginning the journey of becoming an expert this year. It’s said it takes 10 years of practice and study to become an expert. Whether it’s gardening, playing chess, or beekeeping, take up something with the goal of making it to expert status in 10 years.
2. Literary travel. Follow the protagonist of your favorite book and make a pilgrimage to the setting featured in the book. Whether it’s Northern California from “Sideways” or Savannah, GA from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” travel to the place from your favorite book.
   
3. Learn to say “yes” more often. As a person who used to say no to plans and opportunities, I started saying yes more, and it’s changed my life. Learning to say yes can take lead you down unexpected paths. Give it a try this year and see if it works for you.
4. Reskill. Reskilling is about becoming a more resilient and self-reliant person, helping to create a more sustainable future and learning to appreciate “lost” skills, like home canning, gardening, beekeeping, home brewing, and more. Give it a try this year.
5. Give into your desire to become a crazy cat lady, within reason of course. If you have a living situation that allows you to have cats, why not add 1 or 2 more, as long you can afford to care for them. Be proud of your cat lady status. Own it.
6. Get involved. Whether you decide to fight City Hall or Congress, stop being an armchair activist, take up a cause, and get actively engaged in making a difference in your community or the world.
7. Try something new–every week. Whether it’s trying a new food, finally taking up yoga, reading a new genre, or volunteering at the local food bank, commit to giving something new a try each week in the new year.

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Do you have your resolutions lines up for the New Year yet? How to be happy may be the common thread between all New Year’s resolutions. But could we be overlooking an important factor in getting there?

We all want happiness for ourselves and those we love, right? Whether that means a thinner body, better skin, a new job, different city--it all boils down to feeling good about our lives.

It seems our world has become consumed with the idea of being happy. This “everyone wins” mentality kind of takes the oomph out of achievement and may be glossing over something more important.

One man believed there is more to life than simply being happy. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl felt that finding meaning in life is the key.

Frankl came to this realization early on in life and it was reinforced during the time he spent in Nazi death camps during the holocaust. The only member of his family to survive the camps, including his pregnant wife, Frankl observed the difference in people who were more resilient to suffering. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing,” Frankl wrote in his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning“, “the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Whoa. We are not talking a bad day at the office or nagging kids, here. This man figured out how to survive one of the most horrible situations a human can face for days on end. Through positive mental attitude. If that’s not an example for the case of PMA, I don’t know what is.

So, the question is, how do you stay positive in crappy circumstances? We may not be held against our will and tortured daily, but everything is relative and those daily grievances can get you down.

While in the concentration camps, Frankl worked as a therapist to other prisoners. He recalled two suicidal men he helped by getting them to focus on the idea that “life was still expecting something from them”. One man had a young child waiting for him in another country, the other was a scientist with books waiting to be finished.

“A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the “why” for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any “how.” ~Viktor Frankl

In everyday terms this could look like: focusing on playing with your children after a crummy day of work, or envisioning moving on with your life once the divorce is finalized. Keeping your eye on the ball, so to speak, is the way through hard times. And, inevitably, happiness.

Our culture is seemingly obsessed with the how to be happy. If you hop on Amazon and search “happiness” in books, 101 pages of results show up. Yet in 2008 the Center for Disease Control reported only 4 of 10 Americans felt they’d found their life’s purpose. And the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for those ages 15-44 is depression.

Does this mean we are going about seeking happiness all wrong? According to Viktor Frankl, that would be a yes. “To the European,” Frankl wrote, “it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to ‘be happy.’ But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy.'”

It may be to our advantage if that New Year’s rez looked more like finding meaning than chasing how to be happy. A good place to start? Adding Frankl’s book to your 2016 reading list.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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The post Learning How to Be Happy May Be More Meaningful Than You Think appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s that time of year again–when we resolve to make drastic and mostly superficial changes in our lives. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The New Year can be a time when we set smart goals towards meaningful changes in our lives that we actually keep.

This 5 Step Guide of smart goals forces you to look a little deeper at why you makes the life decisions that you do especially when they don’t serve you.

5 Smart Goals for Making Meaningful Changes in 2014

1. Change only one thing at a time.

Pick one area of your life in which to focus. If you try and change too much at one time you’ll end up frustrated and exhausted. In my own life, gradual changes have really been the only ones that actually stick. Whether it be vegetarianism, eating organic, yoga, or meditation–all of the lasting changes in my life have been gradual.

2. Identify why you want to change.

Superficial changes are much less likely to stick. Why do you really want to change? Why is a particular behavior not working? What aspects of drinking too much are bothersome? Why does eating too many sweets hurt you in the end? Take a closer look at why you would like to give a behavior up.

3. How does a current behavior help you?

Just because you find a certain seemingly negative behavior helpful doesn’t mean that it’s good for you. But even still, there’s a reason why you’re doing it. What benefit does your current behavior serve in your life? This way you can find a substitute for the feeling this behavior provides.

4. Don’t run away from discomfort.

Now that you’ve identified both the good and the bad reasons why you do something, be mindful when you get the urge to submit to a bad habit. Can you sit with the discomfort that giving up a habit brings you? Maybe you overeat when you’re stressed or have a glass of wine. Instead, can you just sit with the feeling of anxiety or stress?

5. Avoid the naysayers.

If you’re trying to make meaningful changes in your life, stay away from the naysayers–those who prefer that things stay at homeostasis. Certain people around you may benefit from the way things are even if your bad habit is a part of it.

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Step into 2014 with a fabulous, fresh and eco-chic closet!

Does your wardrobe need an update or a bit of pizzazz for the New Year? We’ll we’ve got some advice for you – this year’s resolution can start in your very own closet, and turn into one of the most enjoyable, creative and chic New Year’s commitments you’ve ever made. Read through our 10 fantastic and simple tips to turn your closet into an eco-friendly fashion phenomenon.

1. Get ready to sift through it all
First things first, which means you’ll have to actually know what’s in your closet before you can deal with it. We recommend setting aside a free day or evening dedicated to closet cleaning, and gathering some boxes for anything you are planning on taking to the local thrift store or charity shop.

2. Take it all out
This means taking everything (and yes, we mean EVERYTHING) out of your closet. Make sure you have enough room in your room to do this, cleaning up and putting things away before gutting out your closet.

3. Organize all your clothes into sections
Organize your clothes in away that makes sense to you, but doesn’t get too complicated. Place t-shirts in one place, pants in another, dresses in another, and so on. If you’re really into organizing, you can even color code your clothes, but do what works best for you to save time in the mornings and keep clutter at bay.

4. Use the 20/80 rule
This means that you’ll have to evaluate which clothes and accessories you actually wear, and the ones that spend most, if not all, of their time in your closet. The average American wears about 10 to 20 percent of their clothing, so do yourself a favor and set aside anything that you only wear 20 to 0 percent of time for the boxes.

5. Arrange a clothes swap with friends
Your unused or discarded clothes might be  treasures for your best friends, and you may find the perfect party dress or office shirt in their thrift store box,  so set up a swapping party. Make it a girl’s night with some tunes, drinks and delicious snacks!

6.  Upcycle!
Maybe you just can’t part with that favorite, old tee or pair of jeans that you never wear because they’re so worn out. Refashion them into a stylish new addition to your wardrobe with one of the several online upcycling tutorials, or play around with your own designs to come up with something completely unique.

7. Learn how to make do and mend
In our consumption oriented, throw-away culture, fixing our torn or holey garments isn’t a pastime many aspire to. But learning how to sew a tear or patch a hole can be so rewarding, and well worth the effort to repair your favorite sweater or pretty dress. You’ll probably save some money too!

8. Blend simplicity with great accessories
Basics like black trousers, simple tees, A-line dresses and sweaters are fantastic staples for your closet, since they can be dressed up or down with quirky, decorative or bold jewelry, scarves, belts and cover ups.

9. Go for the eco-chic alternative

Is there an essential garment of accessory you need to top off your 2014 look, or maybe your missing some basics for layering? Skip the Zara’s and H&M’s and choose an eco-chic alternative that’s good for you, the planet and the people that made it.

10. Learn how to make your own
This is probably the coolest New Year’s resolution you could make for your closet, and a very eco-friendly and rewarding one. The best thing about making your own clothes is that no one else will have one like it, and you can make it fit your body perfectly.

Image: Mr. X

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