8 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

By: Asma Shams
A new year often signifies a fresh start for many people. For some, this means setting health goals, such as losing weight, following a healthier diet, and starting an exercise routine. However, more often than not, the health and wellness resolutions chosen are highly restrictive and unsustainable, leading most people to break their resolutions within a few weeks. This is why many people make the same resolutions year after year.
To break that cycle, it’s important to make resolutions that can not only improve health but also be followed for life.
Here are 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 more whole foods.
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 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
What’s more, adding more whole foods to your diet can be done slowly and consistently. For example, if you’re not used to eating vegetables, start by adding one serving of your favorite veggie to your diet every day.
2. Sit less and move more
Whether it’s due to having a sedentary job or simply being inactive, many people sit more than they should. Sitting too much can have negative effects on health. In fact, it may be linked to an increased risk of overall mortality.Trusted Source
Making a resolution to sit less is an easy and attainable resolution that can be tailored to fit your lifestyle.
For example, 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
3. Find a physical activity that you enjoy
Every New Year, people purchase expensive memberships to gyms, workout studios, and online fitness programs in hopes of shedding excess body fat in the year to come. Though most people start strong, the majority don’t make their new routine into a lasting habit.
Still, you can increase the chances of making your fitness resolutions stick. To get started, choose an activity based on enjoyment and whether it fits into your schedule.
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.
Then, set an attainable goal, such as planning to walk a few specific days per week instead of aiming for every day.
Making a more realistic goal can enhance the chances of making your new routine last, especially if you’re new to working out.
4. Take more ‘me time’ and practice self-care
Taking time for yourself is not selfish. In fact, it’s imperative for optimal health and wellbeing. This is especially true for those in caretaker roles, such as parents and healthcare workers.Trusted Source16Trusted Source
For people with busy schedules and limited time, making a resolution to engage in self-care may take some planning. However, it’s well worth the time investment.
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 walk in nature, or getting an extra hour of sleep.
5. Cook more meals at home
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 (17Trusted Source).
In fact, a study in 11,396 adults found that those who ate 5 or more home-cooked meals per week were 28% less likely to be overweight, compared with those who ate fewer than 3 home-cooked meals per week.Trusted Source
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.
6. Spend more time outside
Spending more time outdoors can improve health by relieving stress, elevating mood, and even lowering blood pressure.Trusted Source
Making a New Year’s resolution to spend more time outside every day is a sustainable and healthy goal that can benefit most everyone, no matter where you live.
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.
7. 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.Sourc
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.                                                                                                               8 Try meditation
Meditation is an evidence-based way to promote mental well-being. It may be particularly helpful for people who have anxiety or depression Trusted Sourc23Trusted Source
Trying out this practice is a perfect New Year’s resolution because 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.
The bottom line
Though most New Year’s resolutions are only kept for a short period, the healthy resolutions listed above are sustainable ways to improve your physical and emotional health that can be followed for life.
Creating a healthier relationship with food and taking better care of your body and mind can drastically improve your health in various ways.
This New Year, try out a few of the resolutions in this article to help make this year — and the years that follow — the healthiest and happiest possible.
Email: asmashums@gmail.com