10 Healthy and Easy New Year's Resolutions

It is entirely understandable that people want to make their New Year’s Resolutions challenging and exciting, but sometimes making them too hard, too unachievable can be as much harm as they are helpful. My advice to you would be to make sure you’re creating something that is motivational, creative but also gives you a huge amount of excitement and fulfillment. It’s a new year, so you want it to be a new you, not a harsher version of your old issues. Take a look at 10 resolutions to keep you happy and challenged in the right ways.

Read More Books

When we talk about healthy, we don’t always mean physically. Last year, my resolution was to read more books, to grow my vocabulary but also challenge me mentally. I stated that I would read more books that the year prior, which wasn’t exactly hard. But saying that, I made sure I always had a book on the go. It excited me mentally and helped me learn new things, take on new perspectives and feel great that I had improved on a prior year. It was competitive, challenging and great fun.

Plan Your Meals

This is healthy, but it can also allow you to eat and drink things that you like more but aren’t the most healthy. All things are great in moderation, but this is only true if you compliment the rest of your diet with fresh, healthy dishes. If you start a meal plan for a couple of weeks, it helps you plan shopping trips but also lets you know, in advance, what you’re eating. Cooking for yourself means that you’re aware of exactly what is going in your meal, so you know it’s healthy. If most of your meals are healthy, then you know that the odd treat here-and-there was well earned.

Take Up Running

Yeah, OK, it’s pretty standard but sometimes the classic things are always the best. Running can be a little boring, but if you set yourself weekly challenges and milestones, it becomes competitive and even forces you to become fitter and move forward in your health plan. Running 3 times a week, increasing your distance and speed slowly over time with help your physical health, but also give you a purpose and aim across the months you run. Find a motivational running playlist and crack on.

Give Up Social Media

Social media and mental health are intertwined. We’re all so bothered with what others think (me included!) that we often forget to take a little time for ourselves. ‘Me time’ is a must, it helps you recharge your batteries, relax and think more about what you want from life. Which last time I checked, was most important.

New Year's Resolutions: Pick Something That's Easy to Stick To

Sleep Earlier

If you’re anything like me, tonight you’ll be up until way past 12am checking the scores, playing games or just staring into the general abyss. But why not break that spell? Going to sleep earlier and waking up fresher will be one of the most beneficial things you can do this year. Be sure to understand how important a good sleeping pattern is in your day-to-day life. If you can go to bed earlier, and combine this with the sleeping resolution above, your eyes will grow tired and you’ll sleep much better for longer. Some studies confirm that lack of sleep increases your chances of making you fat. Learn why and what you can do about it.

Take Charge of Your Work

There’s nothing less healthy than working too much, for too long, too hard. I know it’s easier for me to say than it is for you to do, but put down the laptop, step away from your phone and make sure that you’re properly in check with how much you’re working. Working from home is a bad idea, too. I understand that sometimes it is necessary, but not weekly and certainly not daily. If you find yourself working from early morning to late night regularly, make sure you bring this up with a line manager or superior, because they have a responsibility to you as well as their business.

Turn off the TV

Do you find yourself looking at a computer screen all day only to come home and turn on the TV. Yeah, me too. That’s why I’m trying to move away from the TV, even if it’s to going for a walk, or chatting to a friend on the phone, leaving behind the screen is a good bet. This doesn’t mean every day. Hell no. We all have that one (or two..) TV show that we just can not miss, but if you’re watching every day you might well want to tone it down a notch.

Take Up A Hobby

Taking up a hobby can be one of the best things you can do for your mental health. I believe that inactivity is one of our worst enemies, and that using our brains can help up massively in being happier, and in turn fitter and more fun, too. If this hobby involved getting physically fitter, then great! But if it’s something else, collecting items or maybe even writing (that’s how I started!) then that’s awesome too.

Join A Gym

OK, so this is kind of similar to the resolution above where I talk about going for a run, but hear me out. A gym has a vast array of different pieces of equipment, which can help you tone up and get fit in many different ways, which stops you from getting bored. You can also meet new people, form new relationships and make great friends, and fitness clubs are a great social hub. Give it a try! You don't have time. You need to optimize your time in the gym. 

Deep Clean!

One of the best things you can do, and another that I spent doing on New Year’s Day - do a deep clean. Getting out the duster and cleaning away all of the cobwebs and dust from the areas of the house that only get attention once a year will help your health, especially if you suffer from breathing problems or skin issues. And as well as this, you’ll get a great sense of purpose and happiness knowing your home is completely spotless.