Making resolutions is a great way to bring positive change into your life.

Photo credit: Kjell Jostein Sivertsen via Unsplash

Making resolutions is a great way to bring positive change into your life. Wellness goals top the list of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, such as living healthier, getting happy, improving fitness, and exercising more. Wool is a natural partner in these endeavours, offering a host of natural benefits as well as comfort and style. The International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) explains.

Keep your New Year’s Resolutions – with Wool

Getting Fitter

 Merino wool has proven its worth in technical performance gear, from scaling the top of snow-covered mountains, to sailing the open seas and crossing the desert. But you don’t have to run a desert marathon to get all the good benefits of wool.

From natural odour resistance to UV protection and more, get your fitness ducks in a row by adding some wool gear into the mix.

Read Next: The Capsule Collection: Introducing the 100 Mile Jacket

Stressing Less

 Too much stress can lead to anxiety, depression and other health problems, even make you age faster.  Many experts suggest exercise, and research shows even just 10 minutes of yoga can be calming. Add wool blankets for comfort in savasana, or to fold and support in other postures.

Evidence also shows that knitting can be meditative and soothing. See our posts on Wool and Yoga and Knitting with Wool for more inspiration.

Sleeping Better

 Getting more and better sleep is often overlooked when it comes to resolutions, but it is one of the best ways to improve your wellness, says Sleep Foundation. Some of the most fascinating research is emerging about wool and sleep. Wool bedding and sleepwear have been shown to shorten the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, and to improve sleep quality and duration.

Wool and sleep is such a big topic, IWTO has an entire page devoted to it! Find out more on our Wool and Sleep page.

Greener Living

Adopting a greener lifestyle can be as simple as using more naturally sustainable wool. Cut down on all that laundry by bringing wool clothing into your wardrobe – wool garments can be aired between wearings, or refreshed by steaming or brushing.

Know too that when you choose wool garments, you’re reducing the amount of microplastic fibres that are released into the environment (by synthetic and polyester fabrics).

On the home front, bring environmentally friendly wool options into your life. Wool curtains or blinds will help keep rooms cooler when the weather’s warm, and cooler when it’s hot. So will wool insulation. Boost your garden’s productivity by using wool as fertiliser; encourage your local governments to use sheep to “mow” the grass in public parks and other spaces (show them these success stories from Turin and Montreal).

Drinking Enough Water

Drinking enough water may be one of the best things you can do for yourself –  staying well hydrated significantly affects energy levels, brain function, maximizes physical performance and can aid in losing weight. And just as water is good for us, we need to be good for our water.

One of the biggest threats to the wellbeing of water is microplastic pollution.  Scientific studies have shown that a typical 5 kg wash load of polyester fabrics can release as many as 6 million microplastic fibres. Wool garments also shed during wear and care, but crucially, wool fibres biodegrade. So if drinking enough water is on your list, help make a difference to the world’s water by choosing and using wool.

Now Read: 5 Surprising Uses for Wool