For most people, a new year represents the start of a new chapter in their lives. Many people start a new year by writing a long list of resolutions they intend to accomplish. Well, the idea of starting a new year with a fresh perspective is fabulous.
However, not everyone gets to practice what they put in writing. While some people can make immediate changes at once, others take time before they can forge an alternative path. It may be hard to maintain your enthusiasm after several months, but it is not impossible to follow your resolutions.
You only need to find a strategy that best works for you. So, what is your new year’s resolution?
For some, it is about leading a healthy lifestyle. What this means is sticking to a set diet, exercising, and having clear health goals. But many times, people cannot complete their health and wellness resolutions, since the resolutions they choose can be very restrictive and sometimes unsustainable.
To avoid falling into such a cycle, you need to set goals and resolutions that can improve your health and ones you can stick with throughout your lifetime. So, if you are ready to start the New Year with a positive outlook on your health, here are some realistic resolutions you should accomplish.
Focus more on Whole Foods
Being healthy does not mean you have to give up on all your favorite foods. Nutrition experts agree that you should focus more on eating unprocessed, whole foods. Whole foods mean the dish is fresh, vibrant, has plenty of nutrients, and is rich in fiber.
Your overall health improves every time you eat fresh foods that are rich in color by including vegetables in your diet. Any meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes can be whole foods as long as they are in their natural form.
Anytime you shop for your grocery, only purchase items that are not boxed or sealed. Only then can you avoid filling your pantry with food products that contain chemicals.
Whole foods play an essential role in the fight against heart disease. They also play a significant role in your body weight and blood sugar levels. You do not need to change your diet immediately. You can slowly but consistently incorporate whole foods into your current meal plan till you grow accustomed to eating them daily.
Reduce your Sedentary Behavior
An average adult spends up to nine hours sitting while a school going child sits for more than half their day. Sitting is not bad, especially since it allows your body to rest and recover. However, there is enough evidence to show that too much of such sedentary behavior has links to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
You can improve your health by breaking up the time you sit and engaging in physical activity. The American Cancer Society and other health organizations recommend engaging in moderate exercises for 150 minutes or highly intensive exercises for 75 minutes every week.
Some examples of moderately intensive exercises include walking, dancing, cycling, and yoga. Some highly intensive exercises you can engage in include swimming, running, soccer, and fast cycling.
Get More Quality Sleep
Sleep is very important, as it can directly affect your physical and mental health. When you have less of it, it will affect your daytime energy, emotional balance, productivity, and weight too.
Your lifestyle choices and unhealthy daytime habits are the leading causes of inadequate sleep.
However, there are several factors that can interfere with your sleep such as illness, work stress, unexpected challenges, and family responsibilities. While you may not have control over all the factors interfering with your sleep, there are certain practices you can adopt to improve your sleep.
For example, you can create a sleeping schedule, be mindful of what you eat or drink, create an environment that is ideal for sleeping, and manage your stress levels.
Practice Focused Breathing
Learning how to control your breathing is an effective way to manage your feelings and emotions. There are certain neurons in the brain that control the different breaths. They also check your breathing pattern and relay the information to the part of the brain that enacts a psychological response.
When you feel anxious or stressed, your breathing shortens and becomes shallow. The neurons relay the information to the brain, which responds by launching a fight-or-flight response. Therefore, you can have better control over your state of mind by learning how to control your breathing. When you practice slow, controlled, and focused breathing, you can send a signal of calmness and relaxation to the brain. It can also help you increase your concentration, creativity, and energy levels.
Cut-Back Screen Time
Today, screens are a part of our everyday lives. An average adult spends about 10 hours in front of the screen. However, there is enough evidence that it has negative impacts on the health of users. Staring into a screen for long hours can cause headaches, blurry vision, or dry eyes.
The blue light from mobile devices can also suppress the production of melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone. It can increase the risk of gaining weight, diabetes, and heart disease in adults.
Detach yourself from technology as much as possible to help improve your health and productivity. You can visit an ophthalmologist if you continue to experience discomfort in the eyes, even after cutting back the time you spend in front of a screen.
Prioritize Yourself
Always put yourself first before everyone else. Through self-care, you can better take care of your health. You cannot achieve anything when you are burned out, and grumpy. If you find that you are going at a quick pace, slow down, and find an activity that can help you relax.
It can be anything from exercising, practicing breathing to meditation. Do the things that make you feel better about yourself and find things to appreciate about yourself every day. Introduce some of these self-care practices into your life and practice them until they become a habit.
Summing Up
Most people follow up with their new year resolutions for a short period only to cast them aside afterward. If you want to stick to your resolution till the end, break them up into doable tasks. The simpler the tasks, the better and easier they’re to execute. When your resolutions are too vague, they can become too overwhelming. You can make 2021 your year of improved health by following the health resolutions listed above.
