It. Is. 2020.

The beginning of a new year always calls for reinvention, change, transformation. I’m not talking about those hackneyed, old-fashioned plans to make new year’s resolutions.

The real question this January is … 

What does a new decade even call for?

It’s the roaring ‘20’s all over again. But what does that mean for such an advanced civilization? A new decade calls for more than just new behaviors, but new trends altogether. 2020 will be the year and quite possibly the decade of natural wellness and, guess what, sleep! 

The trend? Marion County is full of wellness – natural, experiential, weird and relaxing.

• Spa Oasis is certainly an experience. Soak in their salt pods and float your troubles away – physical or mental.

• Tuscan Sun Spa has the all-day experience you’re looking for with body wraps like green coffee or papaya pineapple yogurt, fancy facials like dermaplaning and anti-free radical, plus nutrition guidance and hormonal help.

The trend? But we all know that health trends stem from beauty trends. Why? Because healthy is beautiful!

• Thrive CryoSpa is the new kid in town. Get a cryo facial to lift and firm the skin with fancy cold air. Or go all out with the cryo treatments. They also do microblading and lash extensions for head-to-toe beauty possibilities!

The trend? Emotional Wellness!

• A hot new trend – thank you, millennials – is emotional wellness. It’s about being emotionally aware, taking care of emotions before they become mental, ya know what I’m saying? Calm your emotions and dig deep at Main Street Yoga. 

The trend? More sleep!

It’s finally happening. Sleep for so long has been considered a luxury and now it’s becoming one. Nap bars and fancy lemon detox drinks are popping up all over the country. Here in Marion, we like to keep it simple.

• Spa Oasis is full of magnesium – a mineral that most Americans lack and an essential nutrient for sleep. Get magnesium oil, but don’t forget about lighting and purer air. Snag a beautiful salt lamp for their health benefits and health ambiance.  
• Still struggling? Moon drops and more are available at Health Naturally.
• Main Street Yoga has also gotten in on the sleep trend! Take a night class to slow your nervous system down. Enjoy a peaceful stillness as you move your body to gently burn off excess energy. You can even personalize it: add Reiki or an essential oil to deepen the sleep experience!
• Set the mood with Assumption Records. A vintage sound with the slow-moving tunes of someone like Claudine Longet.

As weird trends are sneaking into the mainstream, it’s my personal prediction that earthing will be a cool new thing. 

The trend? Earthing or grounding is essentially being outside. Being around technology all day, we’re bombarded with positive ions that throw off our internal bioelectrical environment. We need negative ions to get our body back to homeostasis. Research shows that grounding has an effect on sleep, chronic pain and emotional health!

Go grounding in Marion:

• Rocks or dirt? It doesn’t matter! Lay out on the rocks and listen to the sounds of the falls or hike the trails at Valley Falls State Park.

• They’re a great mix of mountainous, hilly and flat (or as flat as you can be in West Virginia). Find some negative ions near you out on the rail trails! I guarantee there’s one near you!

Plants alone have been shown – even by non-hippie doctors – to have positive effects on the body. Remember that episode of Grey’s Anatomy with all the plants? In that one room? You know what I’m talking about?

Get plants at… 

• Grab some dried lavender (and accompanying lavendery smelling items) at Stone House Lavender.
• Grow something from Speedway Market like mums, asters, kale, and peppers. 
• Get perfectly pretty plants at Perennial Floral or dish gardens (look ‘em up!) at  Mountaineer Florist.

A new year calls for resolutions. Health doesn’t need to be a resolution, but how you treat yourself every day. So this blogger is choosing more objective resolutions, none of which are based on looks or appearance… 

• Get outside. All of the aforementioned places are perfectly scenic and perfectly outside. Mind you, this resolution isn’t about activity necessarily, but about being out in the negative ions and vitamin D. 

• Get local. Love where you live and live where you love. How? Get your grocery shopping done at Health Naturally. Buy your clothes at Britain & Brooks. Thread up at Savvy Consignment. 

• Get skilled. Joe n Throw has a great teacher to learn how to make great pieces from mugs to bowls to jewelry holders to gnomes. Become an artist with the help of an artist. Nativibes offers pre-drawn watercolor painting and plenty of great artworks to buy.

Learn to paint on canvas at Arts & Antiques Marketplace or get super practical with their furniture painting class. 

It’s not a year for resolutions but a decade for life!

The end… of 2019. 

What resolutions are you making for the new year?