6 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions You Can Keep

It’s a new year and time to make a new start, right? Rather than recycling last year’s resolution (and the one before that), why not choose a healthy New Year’s resolution you can actually keep? Instead of tackling a whole new diet or a long-term exercise plan, maybe it’s time to take smaller steps that will add up to a big impact throughout the year. This means setting goals you can stick with instead of giving up on.

Here are some achievable resolutions that will help you break the cycle of repeated failure—and let’s face it, we’ve all been there.

1. Move More and Sit Less

Less sitting means a longer life—literally. Researchers have connected a sedentary lifestyle with higher mortality rates. But rather than starting a full exercise program, try making a resolution to get up and move periodically or walk for short periods. This is easier to implement into your life than longer workout commitments.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t follow an exercise routine, but instead makes your daily goal more attainable.

2. Add More Whole Foods to Your Diet

You can easily improve health and nutrition when you add more whole foods to your diet. Whole foods include:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Seeds
• Beans
• Nuts
• Whole grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat groats, etc.)
• Fish
• Unprocessed meat

These foods are in a mostly natural state and haven’t processed or prepackaged like snack foods and other processed foods.

When you eat whole foods, you’re getting a wider variety and larger quantity of necessary nutrients that keep your body running at optimal health. A whole-foods-based diet reduces your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It also reduces body weight and blood sugar levels.

If eating more whole foods seems daunting, you can add more of them to your diet slowly. For example, you can add one serving of vegetables to your diet daily and continue to build as you adapt to the dietary change.

3. Get More Quality Sleep

If 2021 was lost in a blur of sleep deprivation, now is the time to make a change with a healthy New Year’s resolution. You can set a goal to get more of the quality rest you need. Sleep greatly impacts your overall health and depriving yourself of adequate amounts and cause weight gain, depression, and even heart disease.

Consider your lifestyle and schedule then try to pinpoint reasons you’re lacking in this area. Are you struggling with quality, quantity, or both? What obstacles are preventing the rest you require?

You can try decreasing your amount of screen time before bed, cutting the lights, reducing caffeine, and getting to bed earlier. Fore more helpful information, check out our article, Feel Like the Waking Dead? Get Better Sleep with These 7 Tips.

4. Drink Fewer Sweetened Beverages

While it’s true that sugar is everywhere, it’s sugary drinks that take most people by surprise. Most sweetened beverages are packed with high amounts of sugar condensed into a seemingly innocent bottle, can, or drink packet. Sugary drinks have been linked to increased risk of heart disease, fatty liver, obesity, insulin resistance, and of course, cavities. And that’s for both children and adults.

Even if you balk at the idea of giving up all your favorite sweet beverages, you can probably commit to drinking less of them each day. You can even slowly decrease the amount over a period you’re comfortable with.

5. Engage in a Physical Activity You Enjoy

If you want to be more active but feel like a gym membership won’t last past Valentine’s Day, consider choosing an activity based on what you enjoy and your schedule. You don’t need to commit to a gym to get healthier or lose weight—especially if you already dread going.

Try finding a sport or activity you enjoy and that’s practical for your everyday life. Maybe you would enjoy a thirty-minute walk before work or a yoga class on your way home. If your health allows, find a tennis partner and play a match in the evening if that’s more your style.

You’re also more likely to keep a healthy New Year’s resolution if you set realistic goals, like aiming for specific days per week rather than every day.

6. Cut Back on Screen Time (Especially Social Media)

Most of us are dependent on our devices for work and entertainment, and they have their advantages. But too much screen time—especially social media—can cause anxiety, depression, and even loneliness, according to some research.

But you can make a resolution to limit screen time, whether it’s scrolling through social media, playing computer games, or watching TV. You might notice a boost in your mental health and mood.

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