Try rosemary for better sleep quality
The familiar scent of rosemary is often recognized for its stimulating properties, but some studies are finding that this woodsy herb may also have beneficial properties when it comes to sleep quality.
Rosemary has a long history of use in folk medicine and has been used to treat headaches, depression, and mental fatigue, all conditions that are known to have a negative impact on quality of sleep.
In one study, rosemary was given to 68 university students twice a day over the course of one month. Compared to the placebo group, the students who were given rosemary reported improved sleep quality, reduced anxiety and depression, and improved memory.
So, what’s the best way to add rosemary to your bedtime routine? Try a rosemary tea, add it to a bath or mix it with a neutral carrier oil for topical use.
Give your skin a break with skin fasting
You’ve likely heard about fasting for weight loss, liver quality, and gut health, but what about for the skin? Skin fasting , a fad that’s recently risen in popularity, is all about taking a break—either partially or completely—from your current skincare product routine.
The idea—though not yet substantiated with research—is that giving your skin a break from products allows the skin to reset, strengthening the skin’s natural barrier and regulating the secretion of natural oils.
Another benefit to skin fasting? Cutting back on your product consumption—even by a little bit—means less packaging in the garbage over time and less product in our water systems, a phenomenon which, in high enough concentrations, can have a marked effect on the composition of municipal wastewater.
Whether you decide to skip one product or a combo, dermatologists don’t recommend skipping out on sunscreen, which prevents sun damage and may even reduce the appearance of existing sun damage.
Redirect rain with a rain chain
Rain chains might be a fairly new gadget to homeowners in the US, but they’ve been used in Japan for hundreds of years. Rain chains are hung from gutters or eaves in place of a traditional downspout, and use surface tension to slowly move rainwater to the ground or garden area.
The slow drip-down function helps to prevent soil loss and erosion, while easily directing runoff into rain barrels and gardens. Depending on the aesthetic you’re going for, rain chains can be as simple and inexpensive as a length of ordinary chain or as elaborate as a strand of small water-resistant sculptures.
For a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy, try making your own gutter alternatives out of chain, S hooks, and galvanized pails (or whatever your heart desires). But whether you buy or make, you can feel good about incorporating this eco-friendly and eye-catching mechanism into your home’s water management system.
Get walking
Walking may not seem all that flashy but adding this small habit into your weekly routine can have big benefits.
On the physical front, walking regularly has the potential to lower your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and blood clots, as well as strengthen bones and muscles. It’s also an effective weight management activity that’s easy on the joints (even relieving arthritis-related pain) and can be done anywhere!
As is often the case, what’s good for the body is also good for the mind. Not only can walking provide a dependable mood boost when you’re having a bad day, but studies have shown connections between walking and improved focus, productivity, cognition, and attention.
So, what’s new about this age-old activity? Recently, walking has seen a resurgence online thanks to influencers who’ve realized and promoted its positive impacts and how it can be paired with a bit of mindfulness each day (ever heard of a “Hot Girl Walk?”). No matter what you call it, we know walking is never going out of style.
