Truth to a lot of people, turning over a leaf for the new year means taking on new challenges and cutting out bad habits. Making such a decision can be life altering as you push through another year, but it is with keeping them that people find incredibly challenging. As life’s obstacles take its toll on us, so does our resolve to keep our resolutions.  Having a goal is a great first step, but it means nothing without the tireless pursuit of achieving them.

According to Statista, the most common new year’s resolutions in the US back in 2018 were to eat healthier, get more exercise and save more money.  It is of no surprise that people’s top 2 priorities are related to health and well being.  Having a healthy body immensely increases your level of happiness and your overall outlook in life.

What comes after determining your goals should be a detailed plan on how to achieve them.  Only by overcoming individual battles can you win the war.  Change does come with difficulty, but it is only impossible if you say it is.  If you are resolving to be healthier this year, here are a few resolutions for the New Year that will leave lasting results to your health.

#1 Minimize Sugar Intake

According to UCSF, growing scientific evidence shows that eating too much added sugar is linked to serious diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and liver disease. Liquid sugar, such as sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks, is the leading single source of sugar in the American diet. (Source: UCSF)

Action Plans:

• Systematically reduce your consumption of liquid sugars throughout the year.

Tip: Old habits are hard to break.  If you abruptly take out your favorite sugary drinks from your diet, you are more likely to fail and go back to your old ways.  A slow consistent change is more effective.

• Replace them with healthier and more natural equally refreshing drinks like ice cold water with a slice of lemon, or maybe some carbonated bottled water.  Do not, however, replace them with “diet” beverages sweetened with artificial sweeteners.

From Experience:

I used to indulge in sugary drinks simply because I enjoy them.  Research shows that sugar is so addictive, that it triggers a pleasure response to the brain similar to cocaine.  After a few weeks or maybe months, I no longer crave them. Even when I consume some, I am repulsed by the sweetness overload.  Same is true with sugary treats like cakes, cookies or brownies.  Give it a try.  You’ll be surprised at how less tempting those sugary treats will become over time.

#2 Eat Less Chemically-Processed Foods

According to the British Medical Journal, increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods — such as soda and sugary drinks, instant noodles, packaged snacks, and some reconstituted meats — may be linked to a proportional rise in cancer risk. (Source: BMJ)

Action Plans:

• Learn to read nutritional labels.  As a rule, look for artificial colorings and additives.  There’s a difference between mechanically processed foods versus chemically processed ones.  The latter is engineered to make food look and taste better.
• When at a grocery store, shop for items on the perimeter of the store.  This is where most natural foods are located (with the exception of cured meats).
• Learn to cook from scratch.  If you prepare your own food, you have full control on what gets added to it.  Ready-to-eat microwaveable meals are just the opposite.

From Experience:

Chemically processed foods are products of hours of meticulous research to enhance the visual appeal and palatability of food.   Beyond that, nothing good comes out of it.  It is quite challenging to totally obliterate processed foods from your diet.  You can, however, control what you buy at the grocery store, and ultimately what you’re putting into your body.  Shop and eat wisely.

#3 Eat More Fiber

Higher intakes of dietary fiber are linked to less cardiovascular disease and fiber plays a role in gut health, with many effective laxatives actually isolated fiber sources. Higher intakes of fiber are linked to lower body weights. (Source: NCBI)

Action Plans:

• Increase your consumption of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Take soluble and insoluble fiber supplements
• Make your own fruit and vegetable smoothies at home.  Even if you are not a fan of the green stuff, you can mask its taste with delicious fruit combinations.  It is a good way to get more much needed micronutrients in your diet to boost overall health.

From Experience:

We tend to focus on macronutrients like proteins, fats and carbohydrates that we totally miss out on much needed micronutrients in our diet. I do love my green smoothies for its deliciousness and uncanny health benefits.

While increasing your intake of soluble fibers are known to improve cardiovascular health, increasing your intake of insoluble fibers can help regulate your bowel movements and overall gut health.  Only downside to it is the higher incidence of bloating and eventual flatulence.  You can take in natural enzymes like Beano to reduce gas production and bloating.

#4 Have A Positive Outlook

There is no longer any doubt that what happens in the brain influences what happens in the body. When facing a health crisis, actively cultivating positive emotions can boost the immune system and counter depression. Studies have shown an indisputable link between having a positive outlook and health benefits like lower blood pressure, less heart disease, better weight control and healthier blood sugar levels. (Source: New York Times)

Action Plan:

• Take the time to read motivational books or online articles that encourage positive thinking.
• If you feel stressed, take some time off for yourself and practice medication, yoga, or even light exercises like walking.

From Experience:

We are constantly bombarded with both positive and negative situations in life.  How we react to such situations defines us personally and socially.  The way we achieve positivity is unique to each and every one of us.  What is similar is the choice to be more positive and to reduce overall stress levels.  Easier said than done, but it is achievable.

#5 Be More Active

The benefits of low-intensity physical activity, such as standing, walking or doing household chores, can be more health beneficial than once thought. According to a study from Karolinska Institute published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology, replacing half an hour’s sedentariness a day with everyday activity reduces the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease by 24 per cent. (Source: Science Daily)

Action Plan:

• Join a gym membership or invest on a treadmill for home use
• Add more walking to your lifestyle.  Even little things like mowing your lawn on a push mower, parking at a spot where you have to walk a bit to get to the entrance, or taking brisk walks during your break time at work.
• Do some light exercises when you wake up in the morning.  Even spending 5 minutes doing stretches or body weight exercise like push-ups, sit-ups or planks can add positive benefits to your body.

From Experience:

There’s no such thing as not having enough time.  It’s all about prioritization and making time for something you truly believe in.  Being more active doesn’t always equate to a gym membership or spending an hour at the treadmill.  There are tons of exercises you can do without needing any equipment.  It might take a bit of a push and a great sense of “sacrifice” at the start, but over time you will find yourself more energetic and feel more motivated.

#6 Travel More

According to a joint study from the Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association, traveling actually keeps you healthier. The study found that women who vacation at least twice a year show a significantly lower risk of suffering a heart attack than those who only travel every six years or so. (Source: NBC)

Action Plan:

• Open up a bank account and start a travel fund
• Plan specific goals and make travel happen

From Experience:

I love to travel.  I adore new discoveries, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and widening my culinary horizon.  And one thing I’ve learned, travel doesn’t have to be expensive.  You can click here to read our guide on how to make travel more affordable. 

Bottom line is this.  Don’t wait until you retire to travel.  With all the health benefits of traveling, now is the time to start packing up and spend quality time with your family and friends.

#7 Practice Portion Control

Size matters. Research has shown that people consistently eat more food when offered larger portions. So portion control is important when you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off.

A portion is the amount of food you put on your plate, while a serving is an exact amount of food. To get a better handle on what you’re eating, you could carry around measuring cups. Or you could use everyday objects as reminders of appropriate serving sizes, which is what the Mayo Clinic Diet recommends. (Source: Mayo Clinic)

Action Plan:

• Learn appropriate portion sizes of certain foods
• Use smaller plates when dining at home

From Experience:

What we eat and how much we eat affects how food shapes our bodies and defines our overall health.  When dining out at restaurants that serve double the recommended portion sizes, you can always opt for a take home bag.  You are never obligated to clean your plate.  Eating too much of a bad thing is counterproductive to the entire reason of eating, which is to fuel our bodies with much needed nutrients to grow, repair and maintain life.

#8 Quit Smoking

Every year in the U.S., more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in this country. Tragically, each day thousands of kids still pick up a tobacco product for the first time. (Source: American Lung Association)

Action Plan:

• Make the decision and just do it.  It might take some time for your organs to fully recover from the effects of smoking, but you have to start the healing process as soon as you can.
• Be informed.  Learn about the short and long term effects of smoking.  If dying from lung cancer isn’t reason enough, living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a condition that makes you feel like breathing through a straw for the rest of your life might certainly be.

From Experience:

I have never smoked in my life, but I’ve worked in healthcare long enough to witness the inevitable effects smoking has on the body.  Every time you light up, you are robbing precious time from your family and loved ones.

We can never truly know if we can live up to a ripe old age.  But if we do, living life with limited mobility and constantly strapped to oxygen tanks is not living at all.  Do yourself a favor.  If you’re a smoker, kick the habit.