Five Simple Ways to Become a New Healthy You

While resolutions might be cliché, it won’t do any harm to follow a few tips for a new, healthier you. Here are 5 simple ideas to try.

It helps if you can concretely see what kind of progress you are making, whether you are tracking your exercise, or diet, or both. Fitness trackers, whether it’s a device like Fitbit, or an app like MyFitnessPal, help you keep track of how active you are being. You can log your foods (with calorie counts), your exercise (with calories burned) and some can even help you see how much water you’ve been drinking. This method aids in goal setting and, if you fall off the wagon, you might find it easier to get back on track with your fitness apps or devices. As a bonus, most smartphones let you download fitness trackers so you can even begin by something as simple as tracking the number of steps you take per day and increasing them to stay fit.

Remember, a healthy mind and healthy body are closely linked. If you want to keep mentally healthy, studies have shown that learning a new skill helps in increasing cognitive function. This is applicable to people of all ages. Whether you decide to finally take a few Salsa classes, or learn to bake, or even learn the art of hula hooping, they will have a good effect on your neuroplasticity, which will affect your overall health.

As we become more surrounded by concrete jungles and cell phone towers, we are getting increasingly cut off from nature. Many researchers have found that communing with nature has a positive effect on physical and mental health, while increasing creativity, well-being, calmness and self-esteem. Studies show that more exposure to nature leads to decreased risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, chronic stress, anxiety and diabetes. People who are outdoors more sleep better too. Additionally, you will most likely benefit from a digital detox when you are outdoors and away from any devices, while getting your vitamin D from the sun at the same time. Whether it’s going for a trek, visiting a beach, feeding birds, taking your dog for a walk, or just sitting under a tree and soaking up the sun and the sounds of the birds, it is important to remember to reconnect to our roots.

While this might seem more of a spiritual tip, psychologists have found that practicing gratitude leads to overall feelings of wellness and well-being. It is said to be a balm for psychological problems and also, surprisingly, helps one feel better physically as well (after all, we’ve established that mental health affects physical health!) Practicing gratitude has also shown to improve sleeping habits, self-esteem and mental fortitude. Additionally, optimists are said to live longer and also have lowered risk of many conditions.

Yes, there is such a thing as too much sitting. For those of us with sedentary jobs or lives, this is bad news. Sitting for long durations has been shown to increase the risk of disease and to reduce life span. To counter this, make sure you get some form of exercise, even at work. Add a walk after your lunch, and make sure you take a few minutes break, every hour or so, to stretch and walk around. Even this little bit will have a significantly better impact on your health.

These simple but easy to follow tips will help you put your best foot forward in the new year!