Each New Year is an excellent opportunity to adopt a healthy lifestyle, stop harmful habits, and enhance your wellbeing. Many Americans make resolutions when they ring in the New Year. The most common ones are to exercise more, eat healthier, and lose weight. Here are some steps you can take to boost your health in 2023. Be sure to make realistic resolutions to make sure you actually keep them.
- Eat a balanced diet: What you eat and how you eat are factors in healthy eating. It’s crucial to consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and fat, high in fiber, and a great source of vitamins and minerals. Fiber-rich foods make you feel fuller for longer, which helps weight loss. You risk overeating if you eat too quickly, so take your time and chew each bite thoroughly. Enjoy the meal’s textures and flavors by turning off the TV and putting your phone away. Stop eating before you feel full since it can take your brain up to 20 minutes after you finish eating for your stomach to send your brain the signal that you are no longer hungry.
- Move more and sit less: A realistic resolution is to just increase your physical exercise on a daily basis. Sitting less and moving more are simple ways to be more active. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from the grocery store’s entrance, and work out while watching TV. Find time to exercise because engaging in any level of physical activity comes with health benefits. It’s simpler than you would imagine to fit in exercise when you’re busy. Consider chair exercises if you have limited mobility. You’ll start to feel better as you exercise more, and reverting to your old habits won’t seem right either.
- Sleep well: Give your mind some time to rest and rejuvenate by getting good sleep at night. Sleep strengthens your immune system and encourages emotional wellness. You may improve your chances of getting the rest by creating a peaceful sleeping environment, establishing a soothing bedtime routine, and minimizing screen time before bed. Reduce your tension if you get insomnia.
- Taking action to minimize stress: Stress has a negative impact on health and wellbeing. Maintaining good overall mental and physical health requires learning how to manage stress. Simple things like practicing breathing techniques, taking a stroll, or listening to music can help you feel more at ease if your stress levels are out of control.
- Love yourself and others: Think about how you can sprinkle some positivity into your day and make it pleasant for others too. The best part is that keeping this New Year’s resolution is doesn’t need any effort on your part. It only takes a simple act of compassion. Send a text to a friend you haven’t spoken to recently. Speak to your parents. Prepare supper for your spouse. Indulge in your favorite food. Take a full day off from work and do something that makes you happy.
- Get you annual health checkup: Get routine examination and preventive screenings. This will allow your doctor to spot health issues before they develop into more serious ones. Early detection often results in more successful treatment. Even if you feel well, make sure to get your annual health check exam.
- Take Action to Protect the Environment: Try to go vegan or add one plant-based meal to your daily diet. According to a 2018 Oxford University study, cutting meat out of your diet could reduce your carbon footprint by 73 per cent. Other eco-friendly strategies to adopt: donate clothing when you can, use reusable shopping bags, buy a set of eco-friendly metal straws, and recycle as much as you can.
- If you smoke, quit: Smoking damages almost all body organs and is the number one preventable cause of death in the US. Smokeless tobacco can result in nicotine addiction and mouth cancer. If you smoke, develop a strategy to stop. Your doctor or other healthcare professional can help you develop a quit plan that is suitable for you.
The first step is to make a good New Year’s resolution that is focused on your wellbeing. Following the above mentioned strategies can ensure that you take the path to a healthier, happier you in 2023.
