Beauty New Year’s Resolutions for 2012

Every year when I was a little girl, I would make the same New Year’s Resolution. I’m going to stop biting my nails, I would swear. And every year I failed.

Finally one year, out of the blue, I stopped chewing on my fingernails. It wasn’t a New Year’s triumph–in fact, I didn’t even try to stop–it just happened.

I had reached a point in my life where I was truly happy and content with myself, and I was at peace.

Once in a while I still get stressed out and my nails turn into the nervous painful manifestations that remind me of my childhood.

That’s life, however; I have learned to try to take things one day at a time and manage my emotions, and my work load, more intelligently.

Maybe I’ll never reach a permanent Nail Nirvana, but my point is: it is never too late, or too early, for better self care.

Once you learn to love yourself, and put yourself as a priority, and view yourself with the kind of empathy and importance that you should also be showing to others, everything else will fall into place.

And although I’m quite certain that I will continue to fail at some of my goals, I’ll always persevere. I hope I can inspire you to do the same.

Now without further adieu, here are my New Year’s Resolutions, every one devoted to better self care. Like life itself, they are each a work in progress. Stay tuned to Beauty Shall Save the World for exciting updates in 2012.

It’s a total cliche–and that’s because everyone says this–but my first resolution is regarding diet and exercise.

Get ready to throw away your outdated conventions about nutrition and physical activity, because I am going to reveal a new way of thinking about these two platforms that will blow your mind.

The newest research proves that the healthiest diet is also the one that keeps you looking great–and feeling vital–well into old age. Plus, it can also taste quite yummy. You are going to love it.

I’ll be including ground-breaking evidence that debunks everything you’ve learned about what to eat, plus recipes and grocery shopping techniques that will streamline your life and simplify things, once and for all.

In addition, there’s new data surfacing regarding the types of exercise that are most beneficial, so you can spend less time in the gym, with greater reward.

My second resolution is to quit smoking. Any smoker will tell you that smoking is not glamorous. I wish I had never started.

Not only does smoking destroy your hair, skin, nails, and teeth…it also stinks horribly, costs a fortune, and kills you.

I have tried every smoking cessation technique available–from patches and gum and lozenges, to the hardcore pharmaceutical Chantix–and all with no success.

In fact, every time I relapse, it just gets worse. If you are as addicted to nicotine as I am…if you feel powerless, and like a slave to those cancer sticks, join me as I share the best way to quit smoking. I promise you will not be disappointed. It’s easier, safer, and more affordable than any alternative, and it is guaranteed effective or your money back.

They say that beauty is only skin deep. For some of us, that’s deep enough. Taking care of your skin and getting on a good regime now–no matter what your age–will pay off in the long run. So that brings me to my third resolution of 2012: better, more conscientious skin care.

My career and training has afforded me the luxury of experimenting with the best of the best in skin care products. I’ve routinely used creams that cost $200 an ounce, $300 an ounce, but more expensive is not always better.

I am thankful to know a woman who I consider to be one of the best dermatologists in the world. Her name is Dr. Kathy Fields, and she practices in San Francisco.

She and her business partner Dr. Katie Rodan are both Stanford-educated dermatologists who meet every skincare challenge with the utmost thought, precaution and integrity.

They became famous for their Proactiv solution skincare line made to fight acne. The regime is used by celebrities like Katy Perry, above, as well as Avril Lavigne, Julianne Hough and Justin Bieber, among just a few. These are people who can afford anything but choose Proactiv because it’s effective, gentle, and economical. It works, and it works fast. If you have acneic skin, check out the testimonials for Proactiv solution.

I remember seeing Jessica Simpson’s skin transform in front of my very eyes under the media spotlight when she started using Proactiv. You can hear what Jessica says about Proactiv in this youtube video.

The easy, three-step system is very reasonably priced and convenient. You can order Proactiv right off the television or the internet and have it delivered to your door.

If you have skin problems and can make it to San Francisco for a visit, I recommend Dr. Kathy Fields. If not, stay tuned to Beauty Shall Save the World for updates on the amazing products that Rodan + Fields have created for every skin type and condition.

The best part about Rodan + Fields products, by the way, is that their effectiveness is matched by their affordability, so no matter your budget–or your skin affliction–I guarantee you will get incredible results under the care of a Rodan + Fields product specialist.

I use Rodan + Fields products and love them. I’m always writing about them for this very website, and I found myself recommending them so often to everyone I know that I began offering them for sale here, on BSSTW. For a brief introduction to my dermatologist Kathy Fields, and her partner Katie Rodan, you can watch this 3-minute youtube video.

Anyone interested in bettering their complexion should subscribe to the fact-rich Derm RF, which sends the most entertaining emails regarding smart skin care, written by the doctors and their knowledgeable, compassionate staff. It’s one email list that’s really fun and worthwhile, and it’s free.

My fourth resolution is about dental care. I must admit, I really hate wasting time flossing and I absolutely detest sitting in the hygienist’s chair getting my teeth cleaned.

I get total panic attacks and have horrifying flashbacks of every bad dental experience I’ve ever repressed. Each time I get in one of those chairs, with my mouth agape, I’ll hear the maniacal buzzing of a dentist’s drill and feel helpless and terrified. I can’t stop thinking about Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors.

Now I go to Pacific Dental Associates in San Francisco. The highly capable staff attend to my every need with their comprehensive care…which reminds me, I am embarrassingly overdue for a checkup.

Honestly, it’s been a really long time since I’ve been in the dreaded chair. The longer I wait the more anxious I get, and the more ashamed I become.

Because good oral health is so much more than merely cosmetic, you should check out Dear Doctor, an insightful patient education magazine produced by the dental wizards at Pacific Dental, namely Garry A. Rayant, Editor-in-Chief. Subscribe to Dear Doctor online, or simply call 866.429.8188. A one-year subscription is four issues and costs $14.95.

Dear Doctor makes dental care fascinating–even to me–thanks to thought-provoking journalism and exclusive interviews with the likes of NFL legend Jerry Rice in Volume 3, Issue 4, which reports, for example, on sports and dentistry.

The issue talks about the importance of athletic mouthguards, what to do in case of a dental injury such as a chipped or completely knocked out (avulsed) tooth, as well as the health dangers of chewing tobacco, a seemingly omnipresent addiction in the career of professional baseball.

Dear Doctor offers solutions from esteemed experts, such as Jared P. Dempsey, Ph.D.–who has his doctorate in clinical psychology, and whose research focuses on nicotine dependent individuals.

Knowledge is power, and Dear Doctor equips you with the kind of information you need to have for, at the very least, a beautiful smile the rest of your life.

My fifth and final New Year’s resolution? I’m going to stop biting my nails, again.

Please follow my odyssey by subscribing to email updates from BSSTW. Have a Happy New Year everyone, and always remember to be kind to others, and also to yourself…because only beauty shall save the world. Cheers to you in 2012.