We’ve finally arrived at the New Year and everyone is starting to make or practice their New Year’s Resolutions. A New Year’s resolution can be big or small, but it is something that you’d like to focus on this year and practice every day. Most people focus on working out or losing weight as their New Year’s Resolutions. Sure, these are great ideas but there are so many baby steps it takes to lose weight as an entire New Years resolution. You have to work out, eat healthier, cut out sweets, drink less alcohol, take in more water! With a large New Year’s Resolution like ‘losing weight’, you might actually lose sight on your goal without having one steadfast item to focus on.
So, instead of having a wide New Year’s Resolution, think of your wanted GOAL and consider 1-3 things you can do to achieve that goal. For example, if your goal for 2019 is to lose weight, then your New Year’s Resolutions could consist of drinking more water, going to the gym 3x per week, and walk 30 minutes each day. If choosing 3 of these focus items is too overwhelming, then start with one! Walking 30 minutes each day is a small task but sets you up for your overall success to lose weight as your end goal.
If you’re not sure what to focus on as your New Year’s Resolution this year, we’ve got you! Here are 5 easy New Year’s resolutions that you can easily work into your life that will provide you with a better year, overall health and happiness!
Drink 8 Glasses of Water Each Day
Instead of saying “I’ll drink more water” as a New Year’s resolution, give yourself a hard set amount that you want to drink each day. Track your progress by keeping tabs on your phone or counting the number of water bottles you drink each day. Drinking water and staying hydrated is essential to your survival. If you become dehydrated, it can affect your mood, reduce your cognitive and motor skills, you’ll be more sensitive to pain, and your memory can be impaired as well.
Your body is made up of 72% water, so you need to replenish with water frequently! Drinking water helps with your metabolism and encourages weight loss. Staying hydrated helps flush out toxins from your system and also will help improve your skin.
Pay X Amount Towards My Credit Cards Each Month
Sure, saying you’ll be debt free in 2019 is an easy task. But what will that really take? Instead of making a blind New Year’s Resolution, take a good look at your debt and assess the situation. See how much total debt you currently have and divide that number by 12.
This will bring you to the number that you need to pay each month to be able to achieve your goal of being debt free in 2019. Make a plan to stick to this number and make sure your partner is on board too. Discipline is key here, but if you set your mind to it, you can do it!
Be Active 30 Minutes Each Day
According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, adults should get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise for 5 days a week. This promotes a healthy weight, weight loss, as well as heart and lung strength.
If losing weight is your goal of 2019, then start easy by committing to 30 minutes of exercise for five days a week. This can be something as easy as walking, swimming, riding your bike, gardening or playing with your kids in the yard. You don’t have to run or take kickboxing to get that workout in. Keep it easy, make it simple and you’ll stay dedicated!
Eat (at least) 2 Servings of Vegetables Each Day
You know that eating your vegetables is important if you tell your kids to do it, so you should do it too! People who eat fruit and vegetables as part of their daily diet have a reduced risk of many chronic diseases. We suggest eating fruits and vegetables with every meal to make sure you’re getting the recommended daily intake amount. Try eating spinach and eggs in the morning, a greek salad with peppers, onions, and tomato in the afternoon and broccoli with your steak or chicken in the evening!
Vegetables are an important part of healthy eating and provide a source of many nutrients, including potassium, fiber, folate (folic acid) and vitamins A, E and C. The potassium found in fruits and vegetables help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Dietary fiber from vegetables helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
One of the healthiest and most positive things we can do in our lives is to express our gratitude to the people around us. Tell someone how much you appreciate them. Tell someone that something they’ve done mattered to you. When people make an impact, let them know.
We are usually too quick to point out people’s faults and ways in which they have wronged us, while slow to bestow recognition for good deeds and favors. Keeping a daily gratitude journal will encourage gratitude and thankfulness for the big and small things in our lives. You can find gratitude journals online, or simply keep one in a journal that you have at home. Each day, write down three to five things that you are grateful for and turn your ordinary moments into blessings.
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