A new year is your chance to start fresh and rekindle motivation for changes you’d like to see. Ideally, you’ll make permanent changes each year to see continuous improvements over time. The trick is to choose things you can stick to, which means you’ll need to set sustainable, realistic goals.
This guide highlights the top five lifestyle changes you can implement to make this year your best year. Keep reading to find some goals you’d like to set for yourself.
New Year, New You: Top 5 Lifestyle Changes
Here are some tips for success:
- Track your progress: Keeping track of your progress with a bullet journal, app, or calendar may increase your chance of success. To compare, 33% of people who fail to keep their new year resolution don’t track their progress.
- Reward yourself: Consider giving yourself a small reward each month you continue focusing on your resolution and successfully implementing your changes. Then, set up larger rewards at the six and 12-month marks. This can help you stay motivated.
- Don’t add new goals: If you decide to make changes for a new year, focus on those changes without getting distracted by new goals. Remember that 23% of people who forgot about their resolution? It’s easier to become one of them if you add to your plate.
1. Good Sleep Hygiene
Here are some things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene:
- Follow a consistent sleep schedule: Set times when you want to go to bed and wake up that will allow you to get seven or more hours of sleep. This usually requires around eight hours in bed. Stick to your schedule and try to limit any variation from it to less than 30 minutes.
- Create a bedtime routine: Following a relaxing bedtime routine (that doesn’t involve your devices) can help your body prepare to sleep each night. Soothing music, gentle stretching, meditation, or reading a book are good places to start.
- Get moving: Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes during the daytime to promote restful sleep at night. On busy or tired days, this can be as easy as walking your dog for 30 minutes (dogs need a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, so this will benefit both of you!).
- Drink less caffeine: If you drink caffeine from coffee, tea, energy drinks, kombucha, or anything else, try to have less of it. And stop drinking your caffeine as early in the day as possible to prevent sleep interference.
2. Daily Meditation
Just five minutes a day is enough to provide science-backed benefits such as:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Reduced depression
- Improved moods
- Lower levels of cytokines (chemicals that contribute to depression as well as inflammation, and chronic pain)
- Higher mindfulness and self-awareness
- Longer attention span
- Reduced age-related memory loss
- Better sleep
- Decreased pain levels
3. Talk Therapy
- Improved communication
- Lower stress levels
- Improved stress management
- Better decision-making skills and healthier choices
- Feeling empowered
- Helpful insights about your life from an unbiased outside party
- Identifying and treating potential mental health conditions
You might find that you enjoy weekly meetings with someone you can talk to about anything and everything in your life. In addition, you’ll never have to worry about what you say to your therapist; their focus is solely on helping you improve your life.
4. Socialize
Here are five ways to socialize that you can do either online or in person:
- Regular get-togethers with friends or family
- Regular hangouts with people who share your interests
- Group classes to learn things you’re interested in
- Book clubs
- Support groups
5. Exercise Regularly
Only 23% of Americans get enough exercise – the remaining 78% are missing out on benefits like improved brain health, reduced disease risk, and stronger bones and muscles.
This doesn’t have to be as hard as it might sound. For example, if you walk your dog for 30 minutes a day, every day, you’re getting more than the recommended 150 minutes a week. If you’d like to do more, you can reap additional health benefits by adding up to 75 minutes of strength training each week (that’s just 15 minutes a day, five days a week).
BONUS! 6. Manage Chronic Pain
Disclaimer: Kailo should not be used if you have a pacemaker or are pregnant. Always consult your doctor or health care professional before using Kailo.
