So, you’ve made your New Year’s resolutions. How long do you think you’re going to be able to commit to them?
There are many methods people use to help things stick – habit stacking; breaking things down into small, manageable chunks; having a buddy to keep them accountable. These are definitely all helpful.
But we’ve got one more easy trick to add to your toolbox that you might not have thought of before. Though we gave the game away in the title – TOPICAL MAGNESIUM!
[Topical meaning you apply the magnesium to your body to be absorbed via your skin (transdermally) rather than having to take tablets or powdered drinks which are thought to be less effective as they have to pass through your digestive acids.]
First up - have a think about why your resolutions sometimes don’t last longer than a few weeks. Do any of these sound familiar?
You lose motivation
You run out of time
Stress or anxiety
Physical discomfort (pain/injury)
Lack of sleep leaving you tired and lethargic
No routine to keep you on track
Mental fatigue
Unforeseen circumstances
Now have a look at each of these in more detail, and see how your 20 second a day magnesium oil boost* can help combat them and keep you on track with your goals.
1 – Drop in motivation:
Your initial burst of enthusiasm wanes, making it challenging to keep up the commitment.
Think about going for an early morning daily walk as an example. That sounds easy enough to achieve.
And you do, for the first couple of weeks. It’s fun. You feel good about it. Then you have a tough day at work, or a poor sleep. You think to yourself - it’s better if I rest; it’s just for one day. So you skip the walk that morning. It actually feels nice to not have the alarm waking you up prematurely. So the next day you set the alarm a bit later, convincing yourself you’ll still make time for the walk. But you don’t. You justify it again – I’ll be too rushed, no point being late for work, it’ll add to my stress. Come the weekend you feel you deserve a bit of a lie in. Now the sun is blazing (we're pretending NZ summer has finally arrived) and it feels too hot to walk. So you miss another day. Soon your good intentions have dwindled and you think, ah well, walking a couple of times a week is still ok, right?
How topical magnesium can help you:
Magnesium plays a crucial role in energy production within your body. When you get that magnesium onto your skin every day, it can boost your cellular energy, helping fight fatigue and giving you the stamina you need to stay motivated. You should find your sleep improves too, making it easier to get up and get things done in the morning.
2 - Time Constraints:
For most of us, modern life is a juggling act between work, family, and personal time. Finding a balance that enables you to add new activities to your day can be difficult. Do you know what I mean? That sense of overwhelm of having too much on your plate increases the likelihood of giving up the new thing that could otherwise have been so beneficial.
How topical magnesium can help you:
Aside from the fact that adding magnesium to your day can be done and dusted in 20 seconds - a time-efficient solution for your hectic lifestyle - boosting your magnesium levels can give the effect of adding more time to your day: Because it calms your nerves and helps improve your focus and concentration, you might find you whizz through some tasks faster than normal, freeing up chunks of time in your day.
3 - Stress and Anxiety:
Daily stressors and anxieties can drain your energy and focus, making it harder to stay dedicated to your resolutions. The pressure to meet your new goals, no matter how beneficial they are, can exacerbate your stress levels. And yet another resolution bites the dust, in order to keep you sane.
How topical magnesium can help you:
Magnesium is a natural relaxant for your muscles and your mind. Applying magnesium topically can help reduce your stress levels by regulating cortisol, your stress hormone. If you feel calmer you’re less likely to take an ‘all or nothing’ approach. So ‘ugh I don’t have time to walk today, I’ve failed again’ turns into ‘I’ll feel better after a walk. I’m busy today so it’s great that I can get out early in the morning, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.’
As our stresses appear daily, so does our magnesium supply get used up (it’s necessary to support our adrenal glands that go into overdrive when we’re stressed) so applying magnesium oil every night before bed really helps keep your levels topped up.
4 - Physical Discomfort:
How often have you gone gung ho with a new gym routine, only to suffer from really sore muscles two days later that have you thinking, 'Nope, can’t lift those weights today'?! Or even worrying that you’ve done yourself some damage, so you skip a day. And then another one. Sore muscles and joints can be a real deterrent. And tight, tense muscles ARE actually more likely to suffer an injury, really setting you back.
How topical magnesium can help you:
Magnesium's muscle-relaxant properties make it a great solution for sore muscles and joints. Incorporating topical magnesium into a post-exercise routine can alleviate discomfort, making it easier to keep up your fitness goals. Plus, rested and relaxed muscles are less likely to sustain injuries. Try having a deep, warm bath with half a pouch of Salt & Oil soak after a big work out and see what a difference it makes to how your body feels the next day.
5 – Lack of quality sleep:
Poor sleep quality can sabotage even your best-laid plans. When you’re sleep-deprived it’s challenging to summon the energy and mental clarity needed to adhere to resolutions consistently. When you can barely keep your eyes open and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, how tough is it to summon the energy needed to go for a run/do a workout/attack the laundry pile? Or, if your resolution involved healthier eating, you know it’s SO hard to make ‘good’ choices when your exhausted mind and body are screaming out for comfort food that is quick and easy. 2 minute noodles anyone? Half a pack of cookies with a cuppa? Check! Lack of good sleep is the enemy of reaching your goals.
How topical magnesium can help you:
Magnesium is renowned for its sleep-inducing qualities. A relaxing magnesium massage or warm, soothing Epsom salt bath before bedtime can help you ease into a restful sleep.
NB – re the food choices. Sugary and processed foods are a double whammy of ugh because they deplete your magnesium supplies. Conversely, the better your magnesium levels, the LESS likely you are to crave sweet foods. Keep using your magnesium oil spray daily and see if you notice the difference to your sleep patterns AND your food cravings.
6 - Lack of Routine:
Establishing new habits requires a consistent routine. Like brushing your teeth. You need good new behaviours to become something you do regularly without having to think about it, to help keep your resolutions on track.
How topical magnesium can help you:
This solution is a bit tenuous to be fair! But if you can get into the daily habit of using your magnesium oil spray, which takes less time than brushing your teeth, it’s a good reinforcement that you CAN succeed with new routines. Plus the fact that your brain will be more switched on because you’re topping up your magnesium levels daily, means you’re more likely to stick to a new routine.
We’ve found the best way to get into your daily mag oil routine is - when you make your bed in the morning (or is that also a new habit you need to start?!), put your magnesium oil spray on your pillow. That way, at night, when you’re tired and not so focused, you don’t have to REMEMBER to use your spray. You’ve got no option but to pick it up – it’s in your way on the pillow! While it’s in your hand, use it!
7 - Mental Fatigue:
Don’t you find that sometimes it’s so hard after a busy day of dealing with problems at work, argumentative children, or idiot drivers, to even have the brain capacity left to make lifestyle changes? Isn’t it just easier to treat yourself to a glass of wine, get into your PJs and chill on the couch? But then next day your mental exhaustion feels just that little bit worse, because you know you ‘failed’ the day before…
How topical magnesium can help you:
If you use your topical magnesium regularly, it helps to regulate the neurotransmitters that make you feel mentally more clear and focused, and able to plan ahead of time. It helps to reduce decision fatigue. No getting home from work to figure out what to have for dinner but you forgot to defrost anything so you just get takeout instead. Nope – you remembered this morning to take some salmon out the freezer, and you gave the kids instructions to have the salad ready prepared. Ah, if only it was that easy! Sorry, we can’t make promises that magnesium will make your children more helpful in the kitchen!
8 - Unforeseen Obstacles:
Life is unpredictable. Unexpected challenges can throw a spanner in the works of even the most capable and motivated people.
How can topical magnesium help you with things you don’t even know are going to happen?:
Regular top ups of your magnesium levels can enhance your resilience by keeping your physical and mental wellbeing tip top. Its calming nature can help you deal with stresses and challenges with a more composed and adaptable mindset. You’re more likely to benefit from good sleep patterns, and less likely to experience physical stress like tension headaches.
So, if you want to keep up your good habits, and smash those New Year's resolutions, first get in the habit of boosting your magnesium levels with a little help from Salt & Oil magnesium oil spray and/or magnesium baths soaks.
* Using your Magnesium Oil spray every day is great, but we also recommend having a bath or foot soak with one of our Salt & Oil bath soaks once or twice a week for an even more mind, body and soul soothing way to get your magnesium top up.
'Isn’t this yet one more thing I have to fit into my schedule', you might say? Well, yes, but it’s a blooming nice relaxing one with so many benefits for such little effort. The half hour ‘lost’ to the bath actually gives you back MORE time in your week, as a rested, refreshed you, with a clearer mind and more energy, focus and motivation, will make more out of the remaining hours you have!
If you’re looking for tips to make the bathing habit stick, I’m not sure, sorry! Maybe ...
You could add it to your diary/weekly planner – like a date with yourself.
In the morning you could grab your SO bath soak pouch and put it in the doorway of your bathroom as a physical aide memoire for when you get home from work.
Or, say you put the jug on for a cuppa after dinner. Tell yourself to fill the jug to the brim. Then you have enough to add to a tub of Epsom salt for a blissful 10 minute foot soak while you catch up with your favourite soap / social media scrolling etc. Unless, of course, your NY resolution was less screen time!
How Salt & Oil was able to help these customers achieve what they wanted to:
"Wow, this stuff really works! I was very sore after a physio session yesterday, right through to this morning. I chucked half a bag of Salt & Oil into the bath, had a relax and now the muscle pain is all gone - worked better than I expected, smells nice too."
"I’ve always struggled with sleep! Getting to sleep seems ok but can never get back to sleep if woken. I treated myself to the relaxing salts and magnesium spray!! A life changer! Love both of these products and will definitely be coming back for more!!"
"Lovely smelling product. When you need a get up and go these salts were just what the body ordered and needed. The packaging is lovely too, not a product you need to hide away. Thanks."
"Lovely smelling products. Whenever I need a boost I pop them in the bath and relax. Have helped ease my tight muscles and soothe my anxious mind. Thank you."
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
If you want to use the topical magnesium life hack to help you achieve your goals, buy your natural bath soaks or magnesium oils from us today. You can choose from unscented or ones with added essential oils in a variety of blends.
If you’ve stumbled across this blog before 24.01.24 – great news – use code NEW YEAR at checkout and you’ll get 24% off your order.
(If you’ve missed this date, have a quick look at some of our other blogs because there are a few other discount codes that might be useful, depending on what you’re after.)
One last habit you might like to try: Why not join us and receive The Weekly Soak - aka our email updates? There's a welcome offer for you in your first email (though you can't use it with the above offer, you can save it for another day), and you'll be added to our monthly draw to win a bath soak for you and one for a friend as our Random Act of Relaxation.
Dionne x