New Year Wellness Resolutions You Can Actually Stick To

It’s a ritual for most people to set goals at the start of every year. Some people attain these goals but most people give up on them in just a few weeks or a few months. If you are in the latter group, you’re definitely not alone. Whether you’re a self-proclaimed gym rat, a health nut, or somewhere in between, we all know that it can be easy to lose our focus on wellness. After all, there’s always something more important to do than exercise or eat right—and sometimes even those “important” things can get neglected when life gets busy.

The key is to set smaller, “bite-sized” goals that are easy to incorporate into our lifestyles. We have listed some “attainable” and “easily actionable” goals that would ensure that you improve your lifestyle this year.

Create a Sleep Routine

Sleep is one of first things most people tend to neglect when life gets busy, but it’s actually incredibly important for your health and wellbeing. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but research shows that most people aren’t sleeping that much—and even if you’re getting enough shut-eye as it is, there are ways to make sure you’re getting even better quality rest at night. One way is by setting up a good bedtime routine: prepare for sleep by winding down an hour before bed-time. This means no screen-time! Set an alarm and try not to snooze multiple times before you wake up fully. This will help regulate your body clock. You can read about more ways to improve your sleep here.

Enrich Your Diet.

Try adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Smoothies are an easy way to up your intake of your seven a day. Another trick that many health enthusiasts swear by is meal prepping where meals are prepared in batches and ready to eat when you need to.

If you don’t have the time to cook, there are some good tips for making healthier choices at restaurants. Try sticking to options that include whole grains, fruits and vegetables and lean proteins on the menu. As often as possible, request that your vegetables be steamed without butter, oil, salt and sugar. Trust me, your taste buds will adjust.

An alternative to eating out at restaurants is subscribing to healthy meal delivery services.

Get outdoors more.

Enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise. Walk, run, hike or cycle; it’s up to you! Studies have shown that being outside in nature can help reduce stress, sharpen your focus and improve your immunity.

You can even take a break from work to go for a walk on your lunch hour or after work. For those that live in colder climates, if possible, try getting outside during winter months when it’s cold out as there are fewer people around to distract you from enjoying the outdoors!

Self-Care

Set aside some time for self-care. Taking out some time each day for some self-care can make a world of difference. It could be as little as relaxing with your favourite book, meditating, praying or taking a relaxing bath.

Remember: You can motivate yourself without being mean to yourself.

Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do everything in one day. Don’t stress about the little things and don’t feel guilty if you don’t do something.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed, even if it means asking for help from someone else that might not be as good at it as you are (or vice versa). Be gentle with yourself as well—don’t worry about/dwell on what others think either; focus on doing your best at whatever task comes before you instead!

Achieving your wellness goals should not add more stress to your life. The process should be fun and something you look forward to!