It can be a rejuvenating – and challenging – tradition to identify New Year’s resolutions. Finding meaningful ways to improve ourselves, add to our list of accomplishments and achieve incremental success can be rewarding.
For many of us, however, the stress of everyday life often prevents long-term progress and our new-found resolve goes right out the window in a matter of days or weeks.
If one of your resolutions is to improve your overall health, consider these ten resolutions to help you feel as if you are on top of the world.
- Get physical. Explore rigorous, fun exercises like running, Barre classes, Zumba™, CrossFit™, rock climbing or swimming that can increase your heartrate and metabolism. Invite friends or family members to join you!
- Reboot your diet. Snack attacks are inevitable as you begin your journey to healthier eating, so be prepared. Think ahead, plan your meals, buy snacks you are likely to enjoy and take healthy foods with you on the go.
- Try meditation. Learning the basics of mindful meditation and utilizing them as part of a regular routine have been proven to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
- Get some sleep! A healthy lifestyle is incomplete without the proper amount of sleep, so make time for naps and overnight rest. Keep a pulse on the times of day when you feel tired and determine ways to slow down when you can.
- Eliminate tobacco products and mood-enhancing supplements. These products not only alter your state of mind, they alter your body’s chemical composition. To relieve stress, consider therapy, meditation or exercise instead.
- Honor your scheduled doctor’s appointments. Monitoring and maintaining your physical health is critical for physical and emotional well-being. Plan your appointments as recommended, show up as scheduled and be sure to follow doctor’s orders.
- Learn to say ‘no’. After you have defined your personal and professional priorities, know that it is acceptable to decline opportunities or obligations that overextend you – or those that do not align with your lifestyle or preferences.
- Spend some quiet time alone. Allowing time to decompress, reflect and rejuvenate can help improve your overall physical and mental health when it becomes part of a regular routine.
- Read more books. Skimming articles online or listening to podcasts are certainly worthwhile and entertaining, but nothing beats reading a good book. Reading stimulates the mind and improves mental aptitude.
- Reward yourself. Set healthy lifestyle goals, and when you achieve them, reward yourself. Treat yourself with options like a favorite dessert, a Netflix binge of your favorite show or a night out with friends. Giving yourself a pat on the pack for good behavior can help maintain focus for the long haul.
