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It’s a new year and that means new resolutions. Everyone has big goals and ideas that they “resolve” to do in the new year like lose a ton of weight, workout more, etc. But those resolutions can feel impossible at time. The next thing you know, those goals are history. It’s not bad to have big goals. Not in the least. However, it is good to have some small goals or to break your big goal into smaller, more manageable pieces. Here are a few fitness and health resolutions you can easily keep that will still make you healthier.
Health and Fitness Resolutions
Drink More Water
Water is essential to your body’s function. So, if you aren’t drinking enough of it, consider that to be your number one resolution this year. You will be amazed at how much your body and mental health improves. To keep it as easy as possible, make your drinks at all meals water. Not only will it be better for you, but it will save you money when you are eating out as well. If you don’t like the taste of plain water all the time, dress it up with some lemon, cucumber, or other fruit. If you must wean yourself off of other beverages or want to have one here or there, then have them. But, don’t have them with your meals. The goal here is to increase water consumption and the best way to do that without thinking too much about it is to make all your drinks with meals water.
Take More Walks
If you are a fairly sedentary person, try making it your goal to walk a little more. Get up every so often from whatever you are doing and walk for 10 minutes. You can do this anywhere – outside, in your house, in your office, etc. Set a timer or multiple alarms for very points throughout the day and walk.
I love my Fitbit. I use it to track my steps, yes, but I also have one that connects to my phone so I don’t miss phone calls or text messages anymore. I hate having my phone on ring, so I was always missing stuff. My Fitbit gently vibrates on my wrist when I get a call or text now. But I digress. One of the features I like most about it is that it has a setting where it will remind you, every hour, to get your steps in. For example, I want to walk 250 steps an hour between the hours of 8am and 8pm. So, during that time, when there is 10 minutes left of that hour, it will buzz and let me know how many steps I have left for that hour. It reminds me to get up from my desk and take a quick walk. You don’t even notice walking that much and it is an extra 3000 steps on top of all your other activity.
Stretch
I love stretching. It feels so good and leave your body feeling relaxed and less tense. If I can’t get a massage every day, at least I can get a little of that feeling with a good stretch. I try to stretch twice a day – once in the morning and once at night. To remember to stretch, I do it the minute I get out of bed and right before I crawl back in it. It is easy and only takes 5 to 10 minutes of your time. Doing it first thing in the morning and right before bed keeps it from feeling like it is taking away time from something else.
Start Tracking Your Calories
Ok, so this one is going to take a little more effort. But it doesn’t have to hurt. I am not even saying you have to count your calories. Just track them. Just knowing what is going in your body is usually enough for you to subconsciously make changes. Track it all. Even if you ate 5,000 calories that day. Don’t stress about how much you ate; just get in the habit of tracking it. I guarantee you will start making healthier choices before long. I, personally, use MyFitnessPal and have for years. I am a big fan. It’s easy to use and, on my phone, I can add a widget to one of my home screens so it’s easy to remember. After about a month of tracking, it will start to become habit.
These are just a few fitness and health resolutions that you can aim for. Every single one of them is important and every one of them will help you improve in some way. We tend to overdo it on our resolutions and that is where we get into trouble. Small goals and steps are way more effective in the long run. So, this year, don’t stress about major resolutions. Just pick a few small goals to accomplish. You will feel much more productive and successful.
