A New Approach to Resolutions, Choosing Softer Habits That Actually Stick
January, Without the Noise
January always comes in loud.
New year, new habits, new expectations, new pressure.
And if I’m being honest, most of us are already tired by week two and wondering why we agreed to change everything all at once.
Here at Salt & Rind, working out of our little bungalow in La Jolla, we decided to skip resolutions this year. Not because growth doesn’t matter, it does, but because forcing it has never really worked. The moment something turns into a chore you didn’t even want to volunteer for, the energy shifts and now you’re pushing instead of choosing.
What I believe in instead is simple goals. The kind you can actually keep. The kind that feel good in your body instead of impressive on paper.
One Goal at a Time
This year I’ve been talking to clients about trying something different. One goal a month. Just one. One habit you can live with. Then you let it build naturally instead of demanding everything from yourself in January.
So if I were to suggest just one place to start this year, it would be this.
Contrast therapy.
Why I Keep Coming Back to Contrast
If you’ve been in my treatment room lately, you already know I’m still talking about it. I’m not done and honestly I probably never will be.
This isn’t a trend or a wellness phase. It’s timeless, simple, and rooted in how the body already knows how to function.
I always come back to Budapest when I think about this. Thermal bath culture there isn’t treated like a luxury experience or something you have to earn. It’s just part of life. People move between hot water and cold air without overthinking it. No pressure, just ritual and respect for the body.
A Different Way of Thinking About Temperature
In the U.S. we tend to approach temperature extremes a little differently. Ice baths, cryotherapy, timers, how long you lasted, how tough you were about it. Athletic, intense, and focused on pushing limits.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but that isn’t really the point here.
Contrast therapy doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. It isn’t about punishment or proving anything. It’s simply about giving the body temperature change so circulation stays active and things don’t get stagnant.
This way of living isn’t just cultural, it’s also tied to longevity.
Longevity, Skin, and the Nervous System
In Finland, where sauna use is a regular part of life, long term research links consistent sauna habits with improved cardiovascular health, nervous system regulation, and overall lifespan. From a skin perspective, that matters, because the same things that support longevity, circulation, regulation, and recovery also tend to show up as calmer, clearer, more resilient skin.
Very hello blue zone lifestyle.
Nothing extreme. Nothing performative. Just daily practices that keep the body adaptable and supported over time.
That’s why I’ve been recommending sauna time to so many of my facial clients lately. Not as a challenge. Not as a rule. Just as quiet support.
Where I See Stagnation Show Up
I see a lot of stagnation, especially with busy San Diego lifestyles. Long workdays, lots of sitting, even people doing all the “right” things but rarely changing pace or temperature in a way the body can actually respond to.
The body needs contrast, but not intensity for the sake of intensity. Just enough stimulation to wake things up, paired with enough calm to let the nervous system settle afterward.
That same balance shows up in the way I work with skin. We stimulate circulation. We move lymph. And then we down regulate the nervous system so the body can actually receive the work. It’s not about forcing results. It’s about creating the conditions for the skin to do what it already knows how to do.
Skin does better when the body feels supported. Your face isn’t separate from the rest of you. She’s listening, and she responds best when things are moving and the system feels safe.
A January Goal That Feels Doable
So if you’re looking for a January goal that actually feels doable, this is where I’d start.
Once or twice a week, spend time in a sauna, even ten to fifteen minutes counts, end your shower cold for a moment, take a walk after dinner, let your body experience change.
That’s it.
No overhaul. No performance. No pressure to do it right.
The Salt & Rind Approach
This year doesn’t need to be louder or stricter. It just needs to feel better in your body.
At Salt & Rind, holistic skincare has always meant looking at the whole picture, skin, nervous system, movement, ritual, all working together. Never just a facial. Never just a product. Always the environment you’re creating for your skin to age well, recover well, and keep up with you.
Supporting that feeling of confidence and glow that comes from within.
One goal a month. One habit at a time. Let it build.
Your skin already knows what to do when you give her the right conditions.
And yes, we’re still channeling Budapest, a little Finland, and a very unbothered approach to longevity this winter.
Always.