7 New Year Resolutions to Make For A Healthier You In 2022
Another year is upon us, which means it’s time for some new New Year resolutions. Here are 7 incremental changes you can make to help you develop healthy habits that actually last!
1. Start the day with a glass of water.
This one healthy habit is really simple: wake up, grab a cup that holds at least 16 ounces of water, fill it, drink up, and repeat these steps the next day. Your body loses water when you breathe, sweat, and digest food, but it’s only while you sleep that this water goes unreplaced—leading to the infamous “brain fog” you experience in the morning. Reaching for a glass of water in the morning can help nip this dehydration in the bud and help you start your day more energized.
2. Incorporate exercise into your daily life.
Have you heard? Sitting is the new smoking. Even if you don’t feel like going on a 5 a.m. jog or a three-hour weights session, you can always make time to add movement into your life. If you work at a desk 40 hours a week, try and make sure you stand up and do some stretches or other quick exercises every 45 minutes. March in place until it’s your turn whenever you find yourself in a queue or take the long way to the copy machine or bathroom. Incorporating these healthy habits into your daily life may lessen your expectations of what exercise should look like, and maybe one day, you may find you have the urge to turn that five-minute neck stretch into a 50-minute morning yoga practice.
3. Create more time for whimsy.
Think of this as “funifying” your daily activities. Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to take repetitive, everyday tasks and make them enjoyable. This can be as simple as yelling, “Well, there she blows!” every time you find a missing sock, or making it a point to tell jokes or pull funny faces that make at least one person smile every day. Tap into your inner child and you’ll find there’s a lot of whimsy to be found, even in your grown-up life.
4. Take it one meal at a time.
If you’re coming off an indulgent season—as most of us are during the start of a new year—it’s tempting to swear off baked goods, sugary drinks, and high-carb meals altogether. But that’s one resolution you may not be able to keep for very long. Instead, try to take it one meal at a time. For instance, you can start with what you should eat for breakfast. Create a list of healthy options to choose from, stock your fridge and shelves with those foods, and try to stick to your list of meals. A good way to ensure success is to prepare your meals ahead of time. People tend to choose fast foods when they know there’s nothing good at home to eat or don’t have the energy to rustle something up from scratch. Preparing your meals beforehand means you’ll always have healthy meal options waiting for you, encouraging you to skip the queues and get right to your kitchen.
5. Always be learning.
Quick—when was the last time you did a how-to Google search, enrolled in a course, or let your teen teach you the Ski Mask The Slump God dance routine? It’s easier to keep doing the things you’re already good at, but your brain needs regular “exercise” to keep your mind healthy and clear. Learning new things can do that for you. So for this coming new year, one of your new healthy habits can be trying to always be learning.
6. Practice mindfulness.
You’ve heard it said—most likely many times before—that it is important to live in the moment, and you’ve probably thought, “Aren’t we all doing that?” No, we’re not. You’ve probably noticed how some things in your life have become so habitual that if someone asked you at the end of the day if you did them, it may take you longer than five seconds to answer “yes.” In this crazy, demanding world we live in, almost everything you do is on automatic pilot, so you’re rarely consciously aware when you’re engaged in an activity. Stopping after one or two different activities and going for a short stroll, feeding the dogs, or even doing a couple of house chores can help bring awareness to whatever you’re doing. That’s what’s known as practicing mindfulness. So as you’re building healthy habits, think about adding this one as well.
7. Check in with your dentist.
Better health is often at the center of most people’s New Year’s resolutions. While this often relates to losing weight, exercising more, and breaking unhealthy habits, perhaps this year you can add your oral health into the mix of healthy habits you’re building. With benefits like improving the overall quality of your life and the confidence boost you’ll get from having fresh breath and a beautiful smile, there’s little downside to taking better care of your teeth and gums. Book regular dental appointments with us and our dentist in Ada, OK, will work with you to make sure you start the new year with the best oral health possible.
