Easy Tips for a Healthy 2016

Life is short... so why not be happy? Make 2016 your best year yet.

It can be easy, in the wake and wash of time, to forget how to be happy. It often seems that we have too many priorities that don’t play well with our own well-being, and we ignore our physical and emotional needs to our own detriment. But as the new year opens, there are a few small things we can do to make sure we’re getting the most out of 2016. For a healthy, more rewarding life, think about some of these ideas and how they could improve your year.

 

Learn when to let go.

If you are like me, you sometimes ove-ranalyze things and hang on to them much longer than you need to. I want to stop doing that and find the right time to remove something from my thoughts. Remember that holding grudges and bearing ill will towards other people really doesn’t do anything—not for them, and certainly not for you. You can’t change other people and many situations are simply going to be outside your control. And that’s okay. If you find yourself becoming worked up about something that isn’t worth your energy, try focusing that energy on something positive: learn a new skill, write it down and throw it away, or engage in a creative outlet you enjoy. Just get it out!

 

Do more with your day.

As much as I hate to admit getting up early is a key to success, it is. To get the most out of the year, start with each day! Get up early and give yourself time to do chores, relax, read, or eat a good breakfast before you head out the door. Instead of lounging on the couch after work, do a bit of volunteering. You’ll have more time to get things done and you’ll feel less stressed about doing them.

 

Make time for the people and activities you love.

I need a lot of time to myself to feel energized, so I always try to schedule time to hang out with me (I’m very good company). I take myself to a movie or dinner or just relax and do other things I like to do, like read or cook a big meal. Those things might not be right for you, but think about what things make you feel energized and happy. Is it hiking? Is it video games? Whatever you like to do, leave yourself time to do them every week. It’s even better if you bring a loved one along or plan a time to catch up.

 

Eat real food.

There’s something tremendously rewarding about eating a meal you cooked yourself. Make a concerted effort this year to eat well. I don’t mean you need to cut out all junk food forever or force yourself to eat only Swiss chard, but stepping up your nutrition game and eating better will make you feel better. I could never give up my crispy Pop Chips, but I will supplement them with a side of garlicky spinach!

Why You Definitely Need More Sleep

Well, for one thing, sleep is amazing! It’s one of my favorite states of being. If you’re a busy person with lots of responsibilities and places to be, it’s likely that you’re not getting all of that delicious sleep you need. As we’re about to start a brand new year, now is a great time to put sleep higher up on your priority list. You’ll be glad you did in the long run: sleep helps heal you, body and mind; it helps ward off disease; and it’s an important part of aging well! Here are some suggestions about getting better sleep, and why you need it.

How much sleep is necessary? 
Depending on where you are in life, the amount of sleep you need may change. If you have school-age children, the Sleep Foundation recommends that they get between 9 and 11 hours of sleep per night. Teenagers should get between 8 and 10 hours, and for pretty much everyone over 18, the suggested range is 7-9 hours of sleep. But too many people just don’t get enough, and it’s estimated that 100,000 traffic accidents and 1,500 deaths are the result of sleep deprivation every year. Yikes!

What’s so great about getting enough sleep? 
Everything! The right amount of good sleep contributes to overall better health, better mood, and better physical fitness. Insufficient or poor sleep can sometimes lead to serious problems like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. More, getting enough sleep can help ease chronic pain because your body has more time to heal. Some researchers even think that getting good sleep can supplement medication for pain.

Personally, I’ve found this to be true as well. When I’m not getting enough sleep, the chance that I’ll wake up with a migraine is significantly higher—so getting in a full night of beauty rest ensures that my days are happier, less painful, and more efficient.

How can I sleep better? 
Getting enough sleep isn’t necessarily just about the hours: it also has a lot to do with the quality of sleep you’re getting. This is why it’s so important to make sleep a priority! Do your best to get a good sleep schedule going that allows you to go to bed when you’re tired, and stick with it. It’s also important that you find the right sleep environment for you: the right amount of light or darkness, sound, temperature, and your bed all play an important role. Be mindful of what you eat and drink before bed, too.

So start the New Year by deciding how much sleep you should be getting and creating a plan to make it work! Sleep is the great equalizer, so make sure you’re getting your equal share!

Sticking to Your Guns: Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions Going

We’re just a few days away from the end of January, which means we’re nearly a month into those New Year’s resolutions so many of us made. Did you know that about 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions—and that just 8% of those people achieve them? That fact brings a juxtaposition of emotions for me—it’s wonderful that so many people are proactive at the beginning of each year, making goals for how they want to live their lives for the coming year. But it’s really, really sad to me that such a small number of people actually live up to those goals.

People with clear, written goals accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them can ever imagine.
Image: Celeste Chua / Flickr CC

I’ve personally focused a lot in the past year on making goals and sticking with them. And you know what? It’s a lot harder than it sounds. There is so much going on in our daily lives that it’s easy to forget what we set out to do in the first place. Oh, you wanted to lose weight? Here are ten billion birthday parties, all full of delicious cake, cocktails, and food.

The universe is a master of distraction.

But sometimes, the problem is the goal itself. We unwittingly make these unattainable, or worse yet, immeasurable goals. There’s a difference between aspirations and goals, though. “I want to lose weight” is too broad. “I want to lose 150 pounds” is probably unattainable (and also an unhealthy rate of weight loss).

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of the 8%.

So how do I do it? How can you do it, too? Here are some tips:

Keep it simple, attainable, and measurable. Come up with concrete goals that you can measure. Give yourself sets of smaller goals and regular check-ins. For example, give up soda for a month, then add on going to the gym once a week beginning in February, then in March make at least half your meals from scratch… and so on.

Go public. Shout your goal out. Tell friends and family, make a wall chart or vision board, or keep a personal journal to track progress. Don’t just make a goal in your head: write it down and tell others so they can help keep you accountable.

If you fall behind, don’t give up. We live in an imperfect world. If you fall behind, don’t abandon your goal—reassess. Can you still meet your overall goal? Did you overshoot it, slack off, or was the “speed bump” out of your control? It’s okay to adjust your goal if that means getting back on track.

Hold yourself accountable. It might sound childish, but it works. Give yourself small consequences for small mess-ups. Didn’t go to the gym on a morning you promised yourself you would? Take away your own morning coffee as a consequence. Drank a soda when you promised you wouldn’t? Go to the gym one extra day that week. You get the picture. Don’t make it painful, but do make it impactful.

Stay positive. If you’re always bashing on yourself, how can you expect to reach your goals? Give yourself consequences when due, but don’t beat yourself up over it. Learn from your mistakes and move on. This is the practice of life. If you fall down 100 times, get back up 101 times. And when you do a great job--don't forget to tell yourself how awesome you are!