Most people start a new year with a goal like weight loss or to learn a new skill, only to give up in frustration months or even weeks later. But making lasting and sustainable changes is possible, whether you start on January 1st or at any time that works best for you.
1. Start Small to Stay Motivated
Many New Year’s resolutions fail because people set unrealistic goals, or take the sprint over marathon approach to making lifestyle changes.
Most people are familiar with the essentials for feeling good and staying energized throughout the day:
- Get enough sleep
- Drink enough water
- Eat a healthy diet rich in fruit and green leafy vegetables
- Get in some vigorous exercise a few times a week
- Manage the stress
But as anyone that has tried and failed to lose 30 pounds or sign up to train for a marathon at the start of a new year can attest, knowing and successfully doing are two different things!
The good news is that you don’t have to overhaul your entire life and routines overnight. In fact, small changes that you can repeat on a daily or even weekly basis are more likely to lead to long term healthy habits.
2. How to Get More Sleep
According to Harvard Health, experimenting with your sleep routine and adding small increments (10-15 minutes) at a time will help improve the quality of your sleep better than napping or superficial sleep.
3. How to Stay Hydrated
Drinking less coffee and alcohol is a common health goal for many people, but trying to quit cold turkey or even cut back drastically can be difficult in the beginning and lead to failure. Instead, try chasing each cup of coffee and alcoholic beverage with a glass of water, and figure out how much water your body personally needs in a day (pro tip: it may not be eight glasses per day!)
4. How to Eat Better
You don’t have to become a vegan – or even a vegetarian – overnight. If you struggle to get enough fruits and greens, challenge yourself to add at least one helping of each every day and work up from there. If you think in terms of adding things to your diet rather than depriving yourself, it’ll feel less like a chore.
5. Exercise and Stress
Finding a physical activity that you actually enjoy is a great way to stay motivated and keep stress in check. If you hate cycling and yoga, don’t force yourself to go with the flow – find something that makes you feel good and excited to be there (and go back), even if it’s just taking a walk through your favorite neighborhood!
