The end of the year is approaching quickly, and with that comes a lot of New Year’s resolutions. “New year, new me,” is the popular motto starting January 1st that brings a flood of new diets, exercises, fads and trends. People try to take drastic measures to improve their health and well-being, yet 80% of people quit their resolutions come February. This can be for various reasons, including lack of commitment from the start, not feeling the drive for the goal they set or only setting the goals due to peer pressure.
Setting New Year’s resolutions should not be a short-lived phenomenon that lasts a person only a month. Part of the problem is people do not set goals that are sustainable for themselves. They tend to set goals without a plan of getting there that keeps them motivated to keep going. It takes 18 to 254 days to form a habit. The amount of time it takes is totally subjective to the habit and how much effort is needed. So, why don’t we take steps to develop healthy habits first, then gradually build on those to reach our long-term goals?
Here are five simple habits and how to start them to add to your everyday life and improve your overall well-being.
1. Drink More Water
The first wellness habit that is easy to incorporate come the new year is drinking more water. The average person should drink about four to six cups of water a day. An easy way to make this swap is by first having a glass of water with every meal. There is no rule against having two different drinks during a meal, so if you start your day with a cup of coffee, you can also have a glass of water.
Try swapping out a sugary soda for water at a restaurant. Not only does this save you money, but it helps your water intake as well. Taking a large glass of water with you to bed is also an easy way to drink more; drink what you can before you fall asleep, then finish what is left in the morning.
2. Exercise More
Do not go out and get that gym membership if you don’t want to go to the gym. Don’t spend a ton of money on protein and new workout clothes if you are not going to use them. If you are not a big exercise person to begin with, but want to get started, the best thing you can do is to start easy.
If your goal is to exercise more, start by simply going for a walk once a day. Getting out of the house and moving is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental well-being. Start with simple body movements if you want to do more than just walk. Push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, jumping jacks or any body movement can be beneficial. Only do five or ten the first day, and then gradually do more.
If you want to follow a routine or explore a new workout such as yoga, dancing, boxing or HIIT, try a couple out for free on youtube before committing to a gym. If you live in a warm area, try activities such as swimming, hiking or kayaking as fun ways to get in your daily exercise without ever stepping into a gym.
3. Eat Healthier
Eating healthy can be hard, so do not completely change your diet all at once. Making small changes at a time will be easier to adjust to. If you do not eat enough vegetables, try adding one vegetable to dinner three to four times a week. If you want to eat more fruit, try having one piece of fruit for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack.
If you want to eat less artificial sugar, try cutting pop out of your beverage consumption (like switching to water at restaurants as mentioned above). Even switching out unhealthy snacks for healthy alternatives as your first step to eating healthy can be a great start.
4. Read More Books
If you are anything like me, you were a huge reader until you went to high school. For some reason, my desire to read fell off the track although my love for reading never wavered. However, lately I have wanted to rekindle the fire for reading books that I once had. I realized I had to set a goal for myself to do this.
If the idea of reading a book feels daunting to you, start simple. I am a slow reader (no shame in reading slowly), so I set the goal to finish at least one book by the end of 2021. I did not pick up that book until June, but I finished it in August. Over Thanksgiving break, I decided to pick up another book and managed to finish it in only two weeks. My goal for Christmas break is to start and finish one more. If you think you can finish one book a month, great! Set that goal for yourself.
5. Take Time For Yourself
The biggest takeaway from the pandemic is to take time for yourself. Taking time for yourself can be as simple as going to bed an hour before you normally would, to have an hour to just be with yourself. In that hour you can do whatever you choose. Do a face mask, listen to a meditation podcast, read a book, write in a journal, listen to music, watch your show; the options are limitless. You can also take that time when you first wake up in the morning or the middle of the day. Carve out a time for you to just take care of yourself, physically, mentally and spiritually.
New Year’s resolutions do not have to be some daunting, overly optimistic proposal. Keep them simple and easy to stick to. Starting small and then building off of those stepping stones instead of drastically changing your whole routine will help you on your path to seeing the results you want.