23 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions You Can Actually Keep
Each new year brings a fresh start! For many, it also brings new health goals and resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, and improve health and wellness. The unfortunate truth is the health and wellness resolutions people make tend to be highly restrictive and unsustainable and lead to inevitable failure. This is why so many the same resolutions year after year.
To help break that cycle, it is important to make resolutions that not only improve your overall health but also enable you to succeed! So we are sharing 23 New Year’s resolutions you can actually keep!
1. Eat more whole foods
One of the easiest and most sustainable ways to improve overall health is to eat healthier. And one of the best ways to eat healthier is to incorporate more whole foods into your diet. Whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fish, contain a plethora of nutrients that your body needs to function at an optimal level. Research also shows that following a whole-foods-based diet may significantly reduce heart disease risk factors, body weight, and blood sugar levels, as well as decrease your risk of certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Start by adding one serving of fresh fruits or veggies to your diet every day.
2. Get up and move
Whether it’s due to having a sedentary job or simply being inactive, people often sit more than they should. This can have negative effects on health as sedentary lifestyles have been linked to an increased risk of overall mortality. Making a resolution to sit less is an easy and attainable resolution that can be tailored to fit your daily lifestyle. If you have a desk job that requires long periods of sitting, make a resolution to go for a 15-minute walk at lunch or to get up and walk for 5 minutes every hour. If you’re unable to walk during your shift, opt for a walk during your break or schedule time before or after work where you can move your body.
3. Cut back on sweetened beverages
Sugary drinks are linked to an increased risk of obesity, fatty liver, heart disease, insulin resistance, and cavities in both children and adults. In the coming year, gradually begin minimizing how many sweetened beverages you drink and replace them with water. Before you know it, you may kick your sugary drink habit for good.
4. Sleep well
Sleep is an essential part of overall health! Sleep deprivation can lead to serious consequences such as an increased risk of weight gain, heart disease, and depression. To help improve your sleep, it’s important to focus on your schedule and lifestyle. Decreasing screen time before bed, reducing light pollution in your bedroom, cutting back on caffeine, and getting to bed at a reasonable hour are some simple ways to improve sleep and help you get the recommended 8 hours a night.
5. Exercise
Each New Year, people purchase expensive memberships to gyms, workout studios, and online fitness programs in hopes of shedding excess body fat and achieving better health. And while most people start strong, the majority don’t make their new routine into a lasting habit. To help you achieve your fitness goals, opt for an exercise activity you enjoy and one that can be incorporated into your daily routine. Also set realistic expectations for yourself. For example, taking a half-hour walk, jog, or bike ride before work, or swimming at a gym that’s on your way home, are simple and sustainable exercise resolutions. And designating a few days a week for your workout, rather than aiming for every day, can enhance the chances of making your new routine last, especially if you’re new to working out.
6. Prioritize self-care
Taking time for yourself is not selfish. In fact, it’s imperative for optimal health and wellbeing. For people with busy schedules and limited time, making a resolution to engage in self-care may take some planning. The good news is self-care doesn’t have to be elaborate or time consuming. It can simply mean taking a bath every week, attending your favorite weekly yoga class, preparing a healthy meal for yourself, going for a nature walk, or getting an extra hour of sleep.
7. Eat in more
Research shows that people who cook more meals at home have better diet quality and less body fat than people who eat more meals on the go. Start by making one meal a day, then increase the frequency over time until you’re making the majority of your meals and snacks at home.
8. Enjoy the outdoors
Spending more time outdoors can improve health by relieving stress, elevating mood, and even lowering blood pressure. Taking a walk outside during your lunch break, hiking on weekends, going camping with friends, or simply soaking in the beauty of your backyard or local park are all ways to incorporate nature into your daily routine.
9. Limit screen time
Many people depend on their phones and computers for work and entertainment. However, spending too much time on electronic devices — particularly on social media — has been linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness in some studies. Setting a resolution to cut back on the time you spend scrolling through social media, watching TV, or playing computer games may help boost your mood and enhance productivity.
10. Start meditating
Meditation is an evidence-based way to promote mental well-being. It may be particularly helpful for people who have anxiety or depression. There are many ways to meditate, and it’s easy to find books, podcasts, and apps that teach you how to start a meditation practice. Peloton also offers meditation classes.
11. Eat less junk
Many people rely on convenience foods, such as packaged chips, cookies, frozen dinners, and fast food, for a quick meal or snack. Though these items may be tasty and readily available, they can have detrimental effects on your health if eaten too often. To cut back on your consumption of convenience foods, make a resolution to prepare more meals at home using healthy ingredients.
12. Rethink dieting
Chronic dieting is harmful to both physical and mental health. Plus, most people who lose weight through restrictive dieting regain up to two-thirds of the weight lost within 1 year. Dieting can also make it harder to lose weight in the future. Rather than setting a New Year’s resolution to lose weight by using restrictive measures, such as a fad diet, try a healthier, more sustainable method of weight loss by focusing on increasing physical activity and eating healthier foods.
13. Grocery shop regularly
Having a well-stocked pantry and fridge is necessary to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals. If you’re not used to going grocery shopping, make a New Year’s resolution to go to the supermarket or farmer’s market more regularly to stock up on nutritious ingredients.
14. Use healthier household products
It’s obvious that what you put into your body can significantly impact your health. However, what you choose to put onto your body and what products you use in your home matter, too. Make a New Year’s resolution to decrease your toxic load by purchasing more natural beauty products, household cleaners, laundry detergents, and personal care products to create a healthier environment for yourself and your family.
15. Eat more fresh produce
Adding more cooked and raw vegetables and fruits to your diet can go a long way towards improving your health in the new year. Numerous studies have shown that eating a diet rich in produce helps protect against various illnesses, such as diabetes, heart diseases, certain cancers, and obesity, as well as overall mortality.
16. Cut back on alcohol
Though alcohol can certainly fit into a healthy diet, imbibing too often can negatively affect your health. What’s more, drinking alcohol frequently may keep you from reaching your health and wellness. If you think cutting back on alcohol may be helpful for you, set a reasonable goal to keep yourself on track, such as limiting drinking to weekend nights only or setting a drink limit for the week.
17. Be more present
Research shows that being more present may improve life satisfaction by decreasing negative thoughts, which may thereby improve psychological health. Making a New Year’s resolution to be more mindful and present may help you feel more content in your everyday life. Spending less time on your phone, stopping to notice your environment, and listening intently to others are simple ways to be more present.
18. Take a vacation
Taking a vacation, even a short one, may have significant and immediate positive effects on stress levels and may enhance well-being. Make a resolution to take a vacation with friends or family members, or on your own. Whether you travel to an area you’ve always wanted to visit or simply plan a staycation at home, taking some time for rest and relaxation is important for health.
19. Try a new hobby
Research shows that partaking in a hobby that you love can help you live a longer, healthier life. Make a resolution to try out a hobby that you’ve always been interested in or pick back up a hobby that used to bring you joy.
20. Eliminate negative self-talk
Make a healthy New Year’s resolution to engage in positive self-talk regularly and reduce negative body talk. This may not only help improve your mental health but also your relationship with your own body.
21. Schedule your annual exam
It’s important to visit your primary care physician for an annual check-up. During this appointment, they can help assess your health and complete regular blood work and screenings to help gauge your level of health and identify potential problems before they turn into something more serious.
22. Schedule a dental visit
Maintaining your oral health is equally as important as maintaining your physical health. While brushing and flossing your teeth regularly can help prevent oral conditions like gum disease and bad breath, most dentists recommend a checkup and cleaning at least once a year.
23. Opt for a nutritious, sustainable diet
If you are making a resolution to eat healthier or lose weight year after year, it’s likely because you’re prioritizing short-term changes over long-term health benefits. Rather than following a restrictive fad diet, make a resolution to break the dieting cycle and create a sustainable, nourishing eating pattern that works for you. The healthiest diet is one that’s rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods and low in heavily processed, sugary products.
These healthy resolutions offer sustainable ways to improve your physical and emotional health in the new year and beyond! By creating a healthier relationship with food and taking better care of your body and mind, you can create healthy habits that will not only help you achieve your immediate goals but also set you up for a healthier lifestyle you can sustain.