Top 8 Resolutions for a Happier, Healthier New Year

The start of a new year is an excellent time to reset your health. “However, when we set the bar too high, we inevitably fail, blame ourselves, and return to the status quo,” explains nutritionist Dana Sturtevant, R.D., co-owner of Be Nourished in Portland, Oregon.

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Avoid Extremes When Creating Health-Related Goals

Consider trendy diets such as juice cleanses: We’re driven to them because they promise great results with little time and effort, and they seem to work - for a time. Because, of course, if you just drink spinach water, the number on the scale will go down (temporarily)! But as soon as you return to eating real food- as people should- you’re right back where you started, not to mention feeling hungry, low on energy, and guilty for not being able to stick with it (although it’s not good or practical to live solely on fruit juice). Working out is the same way. “People exercise every day for the first two weeks of the year, then totally taper off by February,” says Sturtevant. “That level of commitment just isn’t feasible in the long run.” In short, when it comes to creating health-related goals, avoid extremes.

To help you succeed, we sought experts for goals that seem so achievable that you might wonder if they are even worth pursuing. You might not be ready for the marathon or a Zen master by tomorrow, but we guarantee you will make considerable progress toward a happier, healthier you.

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Upgrade Your Dessert with Fruits, Nuts

“If you’re craving something sweet after dinner, you should have it!” says Willow Jarosh, RD, a cofounder of C&J Nutrition in New York City. “But if you want to cut back on sugar and still satisfy that craving, dilute the sweet stuff with something like nuts or seeds.”

Instead of a chocolate bar, try chocolate-covered almonds, frozen banana pieces dipped in chocolate or chocolate chips mixed with popcorn, pistachios, or both. In addition to lowering your intake of added sugar, which has been linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other health issues, you’ll also get some heart-healthy fiber.

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Improve your Posture

It can be difficult to sit less, especially if you work at a desk. “Most people sit in a C shape, which puts pressure on your spine and can cause lower back, neck, and shoulder pain,” says Jenn Sherer, the founder of the Spinefulness studio in Palo Alto, Calif. “And when we try to sit up ‘properly,’ we tend to suck in our stomach and stick out our chest, contracting our muscles in a way that can make us even more misaligned or stressed.”

However, sitting better is simple. Simply pop your booty: Pretend you have a tail and flex your hips slightly, so you aren’t sitting on it. “This can help untuck your pelvis and extend your spine, so your vertebrae stack up straight,” Sherer explains. Also, position your chair such that your feet are flat on the floor (or on a footrest) and your thighs are parallel to the ground.

Get 7 Hours of Sleep Every Night

More than a third of us do not receive the recommended seven hours of sleep each night.

While you probably cannot sleep in later, you can go to bed earlier- the best method to do so, according to Holly Phillips, M.D., author of The Exhaustion Breakthrough, is to set an alarm 45 minutes to an hour before lights out. When it turns off, begin your wind-down routine, which could include having a shower, preparing your children’s lunches for the next day, or preparing overnight oats.

The alarm can also act as a reminder to switch off the television, close your laptop, and put down your phone, because the blue light emitted by these devices can delay the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Dim the brightness of your reading gadgets if you want to read before bed. Install dimmer bulbs or activate blue-light-limiting features in your bedroom.

Be Physically More Active

The more physical activity you can incorporate into your daily routine, the better. “If something is within a one-mile radius, I try to walk instead of drive,” says Michele Stanten, a walking coach and certified fitness instructor based in Coopersburg, Penn. “Even if your neighborhood isn’t walkable, you can still walk from store to store within a big shopping complex or park at the bank or the drugstore and walk from there to your other errands.”

Walking instead of driving can help you live longer, feel better, and lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Another helpful micro resolution is to move your feet whenever you have your phone in your hand. “If you’re tethered to a landline or need to stay still, simply march in place or step side to side,” Stanten advises.

Eat Mindfully

“Dieting is unsustainable, especially when you make restrictive, unrealistic rules about what you can and can’t eat,” says Sturtevant.

Learn to recognize, rather than dismiss, symptoms of hunger for long-term health. Sipping water between bites can help you slow down and eat more consciously, as can pausing halfway through your meal for a gut check to note how you are feeling physically, taste what you are chewing on, and ground yourself inside the present now.

Sturtevant proposes putting down your fork, taking a deep breath, and asking yourself how full you are and how much more food you think you need to be content. “When we eat with awareness, we get more joy out of our food and without that joy, it’s difficult to feel nourished.”

Have a No-Phone Zone at Home

Setting physical boundaries is easier than limiting how much time you spend on Instagram or checking your email (again). Research from the University of British Columbia discovered that diners who had their phones out during dinner enjoyed it less than those who put their phones away, while another study indicated that having your phone within reach hinders cognitive performance—even if it’s switched off. Keep your phone in your purse or avoid using it at the dinner table. If your family objects, start with a trial run.

“When you suggest doing something for just three days or even a week, it’s easier to get buy-in,” says BJ Fogg, Ph.D., founder, and director of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. “Hopefully you’ll have a really great discussion at dinner that gets everyone onboard with making this a more permanent policy.”

Eat More Veggies

Breakfast is sometimes neglected as an opportunity to incorporate veggies, which 91% of us do not consume enough of. Try mashed avocado on toast or a handful of baby spinach or sautéed grated sweet potatoes in your scrambled eggs. Vegetables do not have to be savory in your morning meal; add grated zucchini to pancake batter or shredded carrots to porridge.

“We have specific ideas of what breakfast foods are, when in fact breakfast is just a meal like any other,” says Sturtevant. “I love roasted vegetables with sunny-side eggs on top for breakfast, but you could even have leftover pizza with vegetables on it.”

Exercise to Improve Metabolic Health

Every week, you should get two and a half hours of moderate-intensity physical activity, or about 30 minutes five days a week. But do not let such figures scare you into doing what you can. According to experts, you can divide the time into 10-minute increments while still reaping the physical and emotional benefits of exercise.

And research backs up the effectiveness of short workouts: One study discovered that 13 minutes of weight training three times a week is sufficient to improve strength, while another discovered that just five minutes of running each day is sufficient to lower your risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.

“Some studies suggest that merely standing is good for metabolic health,” says Tamara Hew-Butler, Ph.D., an associate professor of exercise and sports science at Wayne State University in Detroit. “The bottom line is that any exercise is better than none at all.”

Source-Medindia