Top New Year’s Resolutions For A Healthy Life

Must Make Resolutions: Aim to be healthy

First of all – where did the year go? Let’s get serious about this upcoming year! No more quitting before reaching your goals. No more quitting when it gets hard. No more giving up on your dreams!

This is a new year. This is a new opportunity for a brand new you. This is the year where you get healthy – physically and mentally. Here are 10 must-make resolutions for this New Year!

Must Make Resolutions

1. Stay Active 45 Minutes a Day

Being healthy doesn’t mean exercising for 30 minutes and then not leaving the couch for the remainder of the day. If you really want to accelerate your results you need to stay active at least 45 minutes a day (on top of your exercise). It doesn’t have to be “normal exercise” either.

It can be hiking, raking leaves, shoveling snow, playing with your kids, and even walking.

In fact, briskly walking uphill for 45 minutes can have you burning over 450 extra calories… and for those trying to lose weight that is huge!

Being active every day needs to be at the top of your list of habits to form this New Year!

2. Consume More Fiber and Water

This is one of the must-make resolutions you need to constantly be thinking about! Snacking is the downfall of many people’s weight loss efforts. Next time that hunger urge hits, fill up on fiber and water. Fiber-dense foods and water keep you full longer – resulting in less snacking.

For water, take your body weight (in pounds) and divide by two – shoot to drink that many ounces a day.

Likewise, fiber plays a role in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and even your immune system. Try to consume at least 14 grams of fiber per 1000 kcal you consume daily!

3. Be Office Healthy

Your office is where you probably spend the majority of your day! These 8 hours of sitting can lead to your core going “soft”. A way to remember to get up, stretch, or even drink water is to set some alarms on your phone every 60 minutes that will tell you to get up do just that.

Every time the alarm sounds it will remind you to get up and stretch, walk down the hall and grab some water, go use the restroom, go bother the guy in the next cubicle… anything to get you up and moving periodically!

4. Get More Sleep

This is a must for the New Year if you are serious about your health because it is commonly overlooked! Sleep is vital – it helps with muscle growth, improves your cognitive functions, fortifies your immune system, helps in body weight maintenance, and is easily the best natural way to get over a common cold. So this new year, make sure not to overlook your shut-eye!

5. Strength Train

Maybe my favorite of the must-make resolutions! This is only the 2900th time I’ve mentioned this in the past year. 🙂 Strength training is absolutely vital for improving your strength, building muscle, burning calories, improving your cardiovascular health, increasing bone density, improving your overall quality of life…etc.

This is especially true for older individuals because it can help fight off osteoporosis and improves their functional strength.

This day-to-day strength helps improve your quality of life and lets you maintain your independence longer.

So the next time you hit the gym this new year and the cardio machines are simply PACKED, chuckle to yourself and head on over to the free weights!

6. Eat More Greens and Protein

When it comes to nutrition if you only change one thing this year, make sure to eat more quality green veggies and protein. Supplementing more of these nutritional gold mines in place of highly processed foods can really help you improve your health.

Try to eat half of each meal in veggies and a third in quality proteins.

When it comes to veggies, stick to non-starchy ones (the ones you can eat raw) like spinach, broccoli, carrots….etc. and when it comes to quality protein shoot for foods like fish, quality beef, and even whey protein! Replace the crappy processed foods with all-natural ones and watch your health improve!

7. Chew Slower

This year eat slower – it can help you enjoy your food more, improve your digestion, decrease your risk of choking (which is always good), and help you manage your weight! By chewing slower, your mind and stomach stay in sync and know when you are full.

When you wolf down your food you actually can overeat before your brain catches up to the fact – that stuffed, bloated, “OMG I’m going to burst” feeling! Chew a tad slower this upcoming year!

8. Live in the Moment

This upcoming year, go healthy but don’t go overboard! Don’t get hung up on eating exactly 1400 calories. Don’t hate yourself if you miss a workout.

That type of commitment is great but it can start to get in the way of your day-to-day life. This year skip a workout to go hiking. Skip a workout to kayak. Skip a workout to go fishing. Skip a workout to play backyard football…

You can skip workouts if you are still planning on being active. This will help you live in the moment.

It’s okay to live to workout but… More importantly workout to live!

9. Control Your Weekends

Weekends are another infamous diet killer! Working your butt off all week to lose 2 pounds only to gain 3 over the weekend drives a person absolutely insane! If you are serious about losing weight then you must live it 7 days a week, no just 5.

Sure YOU MUST unwind during the weekend but that doesn’t mean go crazy folks!

As with all things nutrition, remember moderation! Have a plan going into each weekend, find some friendly allies to help you along the way, and make healthy choices!

10. Love Yourself

This is definitely one of their must-make resolutions! Being physically stronger than the Hulk is useless if you are mentally weak. This year try to love yourself more and be gentle with yourself. Living healthy isn’t a sprint that needs to be completed in a month or even a year – it’s a lifestyle.

Find a workout and nutrition plan that fits your lifestyle. Likewise, remember to constantly be positive and personally build your own confidence.

Constantly tell yourself, “I can do this; I will reach my goals!” “I am capable of great things!” If you tell yourself that enough, you will eventually start to believe it.

This newfound confidence can propel you to heights you have only dreamed of!

Wrap-Up

This New Year it’s time to implement gentle, sustainable goals and practices that will set you up for a great life!

A healthy lifestyle is all about the little things: water, fiber, sleep, digestion, staying active, eating natural foods, and loving yourself.

Just remember: if you set your mind to it, truly commit, and believe in yourself then you can achieve anything – we believe in you!

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Josh Anderson

Founder at DIY Active

Josh is the founder of DIY Active - your at home fitness source! He enjoys blending the latest science and expert advice with health practices to help you exercise smarter at home!