5 Simple Ideas for a Healthier New Year

With the New Year comes new resolutions. As I’ve written before, and as Steve Errey so eloquently explains in his recent blog post, there are certain problems inherent in resolution-making. It’s no wonder that most of us have difficulty keeping our resolutions. I invite you, instead, to ask yourself, “What do I truly want?” And once you’ve figured that out, “What are the choices I can make to achieve what I want?” Are you ready to commit to those choices?

In some ways, the hardest part is figuring out what it is that you want. Once you’ve gotten past that first step there are usually people and resources available to support you in recognizing the choices you have and to guide you along your path to achieving what you want. For example, let’s say you want to be healthier. Let’s be even more specific … let’s say there is a history of heart disease in your family and you want to prevent yourself from suffering the same. You could go it alone – there are numerous books out there about the subject, you know you need to exercise and eat right, etc. – but the wiser (and I hope more obvious) choice would be to seek guidance from a health practitioner who could order the appropriate lab tests, put together a treatment plan that would suit you best and refer you to other resources. The difficult part is not necessarily recognizing the choice, but rather making the commitment to the choice. Does it matter enough to you to make the commitment?

My hope is that your health does matter enough to you to make a commitment towards a healthier you this new year. To get you started, here are some simple ideas you can incorporate into your daily life:

Green your meals.
Choose to have a salad with each meal. Everyone knows how important vegetables are and salads are probably one of the easiest ways to get vegetables/leafy greens into your diet. Salads can be quick and easy to make. There are numerous recipes that require little preparation.

Go Local. Go Organic.
This point really ties in with eating according to the seasons. Take advantage of farmers’ markets in your local area. When shopping at the grocery store choose to buy organic produce, grains and meats. It’s not only healthier for you and the environment, but with each purchase you voice your opinion. If enough people change their buying habits the stores have no choice but to listen to the consumers and offer more organic options.

Drink clean water.
It doesn’t take much to become dehydrated and most us can probably contribute symptoms we suffer from, such as headaches and constipation, to low water intake. In addition, water helps to detoxify our bodies. Help to ensure your water is clean by using a filter.

Daily movement.
Any type of movement is better than nothing. Do something you enjoy that will get you moving on a daily basis. Whether it’s sports, hiking, gardening, swimming or even just walking up and down your stairs.

Breathe.
Breathing is something most of us take for granted. Take a moment each day to focus on your breath. Is it fast? Is it shallow? Are you breathing from your chest or taking nice deep breaths from your gut? You may call it meditation or not, but take at least 10 minutes each day for yourself to relax and be conscious of your breath.

The above are only suggestions. There may be other ideas you choose to incorporate first, that matter more to you. The most important point is that you make that commitment to yourself. Choose for it to be more than just a resolution this year.

Related Posts:

• 8 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Workout and Eat Healthier
• Do You Have Enough Thiamin?
• Guest Post: An Interview with the Producers of Food Matters by Kali Gray