The new year is almost upon us.
And a decade is coming to a close.
Crazy, right?
If you love setting New Year’s resolutions, now is the time to start planning how to kick-off a fresh decade. Whether you want to eat healthier, plan smarter, or get stronger, your New Year’s resolutions are yours to decide upon.
Not sure where to start?
Here’s a list of healthy New Year's resolutions anyone can stick to:
Book Your Yearly Appointments
Start your year off right by setting up all your health appointments in advance. It will make it less likely you push it off until next December. Check-in with your primary, dentist, eye doc, dermatologist, cardiologist, and any other specialists who keep you healthy.
Stick with it tip: Pull out your calendar and make all the calls in one day. Don’t call on Mondays as offices are notoriously busy playing weekend catch-up and you’ll be on hold forever!
Opt for a Good Health Challenge
There are so many great free health challenges you can participate in to meet your wellness goals. Whether you decide to go it alone or ask a friend to join, plan out 30-day challenges ahead of time for the best success rate. It can be as simple as drinking a half-gallon of water daily or taking a 30-minute daily jog. A few of our favorite challenges: 6 Easy Fitness and Wellness Challenges For Any Workplace; Invest in Yourself, and the Water Challenge.
Stick with it tip: Plan an office-wide health challenge at the start of every month. It offers built-in accountability and excitement for everyone to work toward a common health goal!
Take a Walk
The benefits of walking are well documented. Aside from being a free form of exercise, the flexibility of being able to change your scenery can benefit you, too. If you’re stuck in a creative rut or you need to improve your heart health, walking is the way to do it. Add in hand or ankle weights for an additional challenge and cardio boost.
Stick with it tip: Fit in your 30 minutes of exercise by breaking your walk into three different sessions. A walk with your dog in the morning, a post-lunch walk with a coworker, and an evening stroll with the family will help you meet your quota.
Eat Veggies Daily
Get your daily dose of necessary nutrients by incorporating veggies into every meal. Toss a handful of spinach into your smoothie. Make a huge salad for lunch topped with protein. Create a colorful veggie stir-fry for dinner. The more colors, the better!
Stick with it tip: Pre-chopped and frozen veggies make it a cinch to toss together a veggie-filled meal.
Drink More (Water, That Is)
One of the easiest healthy New Year’s resolutions is to drink more water. The human body is around 60% water, which means it needs a steady replenishment throughout the day. Anytime you’re feeling sluggish or hungry, down a glass of water first. Aim for the 8X8 rule: Eight ounces daily at eight times per day.
Stick with it tip: Fill your reusable bottles up the night before. Pop them into a drawstring bag and take it with you when you head out the door.
Start Your Day Inspired
Starting your morning on a positive note helps set the tone for the rest of your day. Consider waking up with a calm alarm tone, turning on your favorite music, or listening to an inspirational podcast. You might even start your day with a meditation or prayer to get going. A morning routine will help you feel less frazzled and more inspired to tackle your day.
Stick with it tip: Switch up your morning reading material, guided meditation, or even your flavor of tea to give you an exciting perk to look forward to daily.
Sanitize Often
The average work desk has more than 10 million bacteria on it. To keep yourself healthy throughout the year, make sure you're keeping your desk germ-free. Daily, wipe down your computer mouse, keyboard, phone, and tablets. Above all, be sure to wash your hands often to avoid spreading germs!
Stick with it tip: Put a sticky note on your computer to remind yourself to wipe down your desk area each evening before you leave.
Move Your Body
This is perhaps the most popular New Year's resolution every year: Exercise more. In order to stick to it, you have to create a disciplined routine. One way to do this is to work with an accountability partner. Ask a fellow co-worker or friend to join you in the pursuit of a stronger, healthier body in 2020. Whether it’s a daily walk, yoga class, or spin session, mark it on the calendar and make it happen.
Stick with it tip: Plan out your exercise days just like you do any other appointment. Toss your gym bag in your car the night before so you don’t have an excuse to skip the gym.
Volunteer
There’s something rewarding about giving your time back to an organization you really believe in. Not only is volunteering good for your community, but it’s also good for your health. Studies show volunteers have a lower risk of depression and reduced stress levels. Aim to volunteer at least once a month at a local nonprofit near you.
Stick with it tip: Sign up to volunteer with a friend. Or create a document or journal entry titled “Why I Serve” to list reasons you enjoy volunteering to keep yourself inspired to show up.
Healthy New Year’s Resolutions Are Yours to Make
With 2019 coming to a close, now is the time to plan your healthy New Year’s resolutions. If you haven’t been great at sticking to your goals, that’s okay. We all fall off the wagon sometimes.
It could be you were setting non-tangible, difficult goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are the way to do it, by the way.
No matter what healthy New Year's resolutions you set, each one has to be important to you.
Resolutions often fail if it’s set with the intention of impressing someone else. If you create your 2020 goals with self-improvement in mind, it makes it easier to stick with your goals.
Don't be fooled, while the above resolutions are simple, it doesn't mean it's easy to continue on with these goals past January. When the novelty of the new year fades, you might find yourself right back to your bad habits.
Backsliding happens, but you can fix that, too.
Try to envision what your new and improved life will look like when you achieve each new resolution. Consider writing down your daily and weekly goals by setting reminders on your phone to take the action steps needed to achieve them. Reflect at the end of each week, too.
This list above is just a starting point for your own New Year’s resolutions list. You can’t make changes if you don’t have a place to start. If you’ve had a hard time sticking to them in the past, ask an accountability partner to make a list with you — and hold you to it.
Now, pull out a notebook and a piece of paper and get writing. Your healthy New Year’s resolutions are just within your reach.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Share in the comments below to inspire and encourage others!
