Positive health resolutions you can make today
We all feel it—life can get so fast-paced, busy and hectic. And in the midst of all of life’s commitments and responsibilities, it can be easy to forget to take care of your mind and body, and those all-important steps to ensure you remain positive and upbeat. But remember: when things start to feel a bit overwhelming, taking some time to look after yourself can have such a positive impact on your life.
Taking care of your well-being is so important—here are a few of our favourite positive health resolutions that you can make today for a healthier and happier ‘you’:
1. Get more sleep
Is there anything better than climbing into bed after a long, hard day? Nope! It’s one of the best feelings in the world (bonus points if you’ve got freshly washed bedding!).
But how important actually is sleep? Most adults need about seven hours of sleep each night, whereas children can need up to fourteen hours. Often, bad habits can be created surrounding sleep, such as letting the new series you’re watching carry on into the early hours of the morning, or the light of your phone keeping you occupied and your thoughts away from sleep…
Getting enough sleep is vital to your overall well-being and getting into a good routine with it can be a really beneficial positive health resolution to make.
Some examples of benefits that come out of getting more sleep include getting a healthier heart, improved concentration for the next day, lowered risk of diabetes, a healthier immune system, reduced inflammation in the body, and reduced anxiety and depression. Lack of sleep can also just make you feel groggy, unproductive and ‘down’ the next day, leading to not completing the tasks you wanted to, or even just lowering your whole mood...
Getting more sleep can help support your busy lifestyle and make you feel more motivated and productive! So to help your sleep be the best it can be, try incorporating some relaxing rituals into your night-time routine—lighting some candles, drinking a hot mug of herbal tea, or reading your new book can be really helpful to relax your mind and ease you into the good night’s sleep that you deserve.
2. Make time for self-care
Self-care can mean different things to different people as it’s all about what makes you feel good. The scale for this is massive, as it could be anything from drinking more water to booking a weekend away at a spa!
Basically, self-care can be whatever makes you feel like you’re doing something for yourself to make you feel better and more relaxed. Managing your stress is important, as it can have a negative impact on your health, such as heart problems, depression or anxiety, and taking some time to focus on self-care can prevent feelings of stress and worry take over, as well as just cheering you up!
Focusing on your own personal needs can be really satisfying as our busy lives can get in the way of making ourselves the priority. Making self-care a priority, can help spur you on in your everyday life and make you feel more resilient and prepared for what life throws at you.
Running a bubble bath, taking the time to cook a nice healthy meal, or putting a face mask on for your Bridget Jones movie marathon can massively improve your mood, and give you something lovely to look forward to!
3. Eat a healthy diet
The benefits of eating fruit and vegetables are endless, so getting a balanced diet is essential for your health and well-being. The key word here is balanced—restricting yourself is not the aim of healthy eating, your body benefits from all different food groups, and it’s all about everything in moderation. But certain foods have more benefits than others…
For example, fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins and nutrients, so tucking into a delicious smoothie or super food salad can keep your digestive system healthy. Carbohydrates give you energy, but try and go for whole grains, such as brown rice or wholemeal bread. Protein helps with muscle repair, and dairy products are full of calcium, which is good for bones and teeth.
Eating well is really good for your physical and mental health, so tuck into some super foods to help you feel strong, positive and energetic!
4. Get more fresh air
How many times have you felt better during or after a walk? Often, the idea of a walk is not very appealing, especially when the weather is bad (a common occurrence here in the UK!), and the sofa is tempting you to curl up with another cup of tea…
But fresh air can have a big impact on your well-being, so it’s something worth pushing through and doing even if you don’t always feel like it. A short walk could be all you need to realign your thoughts, clear your lungs, and improve your energy levels.
And there’s more—increased oxygen levels in your body can reduce blood pressure and increase serotonin levels, and being outside also opens up your body up to vitamin D from the sun. Even if you don’t feel like it, try and go for a little walk and enjoy the fresh air—and if it’s cold it’s a good excuse to wrap up warm and take a hot chocolate with you!
5. Practice mindfulness
Whilst healthy eating and getting enough sleep are beneficial to your overall health, it’s important to treat your mind with the same ‘training’ approach as your body, to help you stay as positive as possible.
Mindfulness is the awareness of your thoughts and feelings, and being in tune with how you feel in the moment. By practicing mindfulness you can help prevent negative thoughts of stress and worry from spiraling out of control, by staying in the moment and focusing solely on yourself.
You can make mindfulness part of your daily routine by taking some long deep breaths, going for a walk to get in tune with your thoughts—or there are loads of great apps you could download for guided meditation and mindfulness practices.
Making a few positive health resolutions is a wonderful way to take care of yourself and support yourself to tackle all the tasks of everyday life, and will help you to shake off stress and channel calm and positivity, and feel as amazing as you deserve!
