Everyone wakes up New Year’s Day with their resolutions firmly in place and a strong determination to reach them, but often they only last for a few weeks or if you are lucky a month at best.
Typically, this is due to setting far-reaching goals like ‘lose 30 lbs in two months” or “be happier everyday” all of which are great, but take time, patience and a disciplined process.
Big goals are great and should be part of everyone’s resolutions, but small, quickly achievable goals can help you feel more successful and aid in keeping your long term resolutions!
To help you along the way, we have put together ten steps to help you jump start your get healthy New Year’s resolutions:
1. Getting More Fiber in your Daily Diet
Adding soluble fiber to your diet has many benefits. Aside from improving your digestive system, it also regulates blood pressure and drops cholesterol. Inexpensive and easy to add to your daily routine by tossing a spoonful in your morning coffee or a bottle of water.
2. Adding More Green(s) in Your Life
Greens are good for you! Maybe you aren’t a fan of kale, but hiding it in a smoothie is pretty easy. Looking for an easier way to do greens? Eat more salads. Make a big bowl every 2-3 days and just portion out what you need to add to lunch or dinner to give yourself more greens each day. The high amounts of magnesium help reduce stress and improve sleep.
3. Practice being thankful
Gratitude is free and as long as it is heartfelt, you will notice a drastic change in your mood each day. You can do this in the morning or at night, brushing your teeth or folding laundry as examples. Being thankful increases the happy endorphins, making you more cheerful which in turn will improve your mental health.
4. Stretch More
Stretching in the morning is a way to stay limber certainly, but it also gets your blood flowing in a gentle manner. Waiting for your coffee to brew? Do a few stretches and feel yourself wake up even before your morning coffee.
5. Improve Your Daily Skin Routine
6. Work to Improve Your Sleep and Get More of It
Getting enough sleep affects so many aspects of your health. It is important for your immune system, stress reduction, heart health, and your ability to function each and every day. Start by going to bed half an hour earlier each night which is easy to do for most people. Anything that you are doing that late in the evening can always wait till tomorrow. Also, limit your screen time right before bed. The internet will still be there in the morning!
7. Drink plenty of water!
This is such an easy thing to change, especially if you wish for better skin and a stronger immune system. You should be drinking half your body weight in ounces each day. So if you weigh 150 lbs, 75 ounces is a good measure for how much you need. Water flushes out our system and makes our skin clear and glowing.
8. Make Time For Hugs, Everyday
Hugging actually reduces stress and makes us happier overall. It is like a dose of medicine to embrace a loved one for 30 seconds or more. It helps with heart health and mental health, aside from it being an enjoyable act!
9. Take Time To Laugh
Laughter is the best medicine is truer than you may realize. Laughing has shown to help with immunity, reduces heart attacks and strokes. It is said that a good laugh can add 7 minutes to your life, increasing your longevity. Rent that comedy movie tonight, or even just search comedy on Youtube and watch a few short clips!
10. Cut sugar from your diet.
This may sound hard but it really isn’t and the benefits are huge. You will have fewer mood swings and your blood sugar will even out. There are links between sugar and obesity and by dropping sugar you will automatically lose weight. It is also connected to skin problems which can be cleared up as well.
There are so many small steps you can take to improve your overall health in 2018. Take time for self-care and watch how it improves your well being in the New Year!