10 Awesome Health Resolutions To Make This Year!

The dawn of the New Year signifies a fresh start for most of us. Setting new goals for the year ahead is a regular practice. Some of us make new year health resolutions with great zeal, only to ditch them within a month or two. The moment the excitement fades, your resolutions dwindle.

Choosing health resolutions that are unrealistic, restrictive, and unsustainable will tend to demotivate you midway, and it’s only natural that you’ll lose interest in them. Here are some new year resolutions that can not only help maintain your health and fitness, but can also be sustained throughout the year.

Health Resolutions You Can Follow

#1. Be Physically Active

A sedentary lifestyle could be either because of your job or just because you are lazy by nature. You should make new year health resolutions that suit your lifestyle. If you have been a couch potato all the while, you make a resolution to engage in any form of exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.

If you have a desk job then resolve to take short breaks between work and walk for 5 minutes or walk for about 15 minutes after lunch.

Remaining seated for long hours will lead to several health issues which can become unmanageable in the due course.

#2. Cut Down On Sugar

Restricting sugar in your diet can be the first step towards keeping healthy and fit. Sweetened beverages can cause various health issues like fatty liver, diabetes, obesity, and cavities. You cannot stop intake of sugar overnight. You will have to do it gradually.

Substituting sweetened beverages with fruit juices or water infused with fruits and having sugarless coffee and tea are some ways of initiating the sugar restriction.

#3. Restrict Eating Out

Home food gives you a healthy diet option. People who eat home food are healthier and have the advantage of planning their diet much better than the ones who regularly eat out. You will be less prone to weight gain if you stick to home food.

If you are habituated to eating out or if you do not have the time to cook food, it may be difficult for you initially. Start with one meal at home and on realising the variety of food choices you can have with home food, you will zero down on eating out and eventually transform your eating habits.

#4. Indulge In Self-Care & ‘Me Time’

Carving out some ‘me time’ and taking care of yourself is as important as taking care of others. This is imperative to people who have a busy schedule, working women, and even homemakers..

If you resolve to take time for self-care it may require some rescheduling. But it is worth the effort. Self-care need not be a time-consuming spa session or hours of pampering in a beauty salon. It can just be taking some time for a leisurely walk in nature, an elaborate and relaxing shower once a week, attending meditation sessions, preparing a healthy diet for yourself, or getting some extra sleep.

All these are highly required for overall physical and mental health.

#5. Avoid Crash Diets

Crash diets are very restrictive even though they help lose weight fast. The weight loss achieved with crash diets will be regained faster and exponentially as well. Instead of trying these diets, you can make a new year health resolution to combine a healthy diet with any physical activity of your choice and lose weight the healthy way.

#6. Choose A Physical Activity You Enjoy

Let not the enthusiasm to stay fit and healthy lead to unrealistic health resolutions. You may get a gym membership or enrol for online fitness training sessions to shed the extra pound and remain fit. You start with great passion and may even be regular in the beginning, but may not be able to sustain it. It could be your work schedule or simply a lack of interest.

Instead make new year health resolutions like going for a walk, jogging, or cycling before heading to work. If not daily, you can resolve to engage in these physical activities a few days a week and you may stick to the new routine.

#7. Limit Screen Time

Spending more time on digital devices either for work or entertainment is linked to several health issues like depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Make a new year health resolution to limit screen time and spend more time socialising or enjoying nature which can improve your mental and physical health. You will become more productive with better cognitive health.

#8. Try Relaxing Activities Like Meditation

Destressing should top the list of your health resolutions. Stress can lead to several chronic health issues like increased blood pressure and sugar levels, depression, obesity, etc. Practising relaxing techniques like meditation will improve your mental well-being.

#9. Stock Up On Healthy Foods

Your new year health resolution should include stocking up on your grocery and other reserves for preparing healthy food at home. Keep aside one day a week for grocery shopping and refill your stock of nutritious ingredients for healthy food preparations at home. This is the best way to sustain one of your health resolutions i.e., indulging in a healthy diet day after day.

#10. Get Enough Sleep

Adequate sleep is the key to physical and mental well-being. Improving your sleep cycle will need a bit of reworking of your schedules and lifestyle to carve out the best way to get quality sleep.

Your resolutions to cut down on screen time, limit caffeine consumption, and adjusting the lighting in your bedroom are some ways to improve your sleep quality.

Conclusion

New year health resolutions are great only if you can get them through the whole year. Unfortunately, it is not so. The resolutions are so restrictive and unrealistic that they are abandoned midway. This year do not repeat the mistake. Take the clue and make healthy resolutions that are sustainable. It is very imperative to follow these resolutions for overall mental and physical well-being.

Try some of the resolutions listed in this article for a healthy and great year ahead.

FAQs

What are some common health resolutions?

Some of the most common health resolutions include:

• Shedding extra weight.
• Eating a balanced diet.
• Cutting down on smoking and alcohol.
• Engaging in physical activities regularly.

Is following a fad diet good?

If losing weight is the new year's resolution, then a fad diet is a bad idea. You will lose weight faster with fad diets but you will gain weight even faster when you stop dieting. Instead plan a healthy diet that does not deprive you of your favourite foods and you can sustain it.

Which are the healthy habits that can be continued long-term?

Some of the healthy habits that can be followed are:

• Eating healthy foods.
• Engaging in a physical activity that you like
• Keep yourself hydrated
• Get good sleep

How can you keep fit this new year?

You can keep fit by:

• Taking your fitness sessions seriously and regularly.
• Eating healthy foods.
• Setting a deadline to achieve your fitness goals.
• Staying hydrated! Drinking lots of water and electrolytes.