Wellness Wednesday: 7 Resolutions For Better Living In 2024

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Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? A new year offers the possibility of a new you, a chance to make a commitment to grow as a person by setting expectations to meet and challenges to overcome. If you’re looking for a few simple, cost-effective resolutions to better your health, Wellness Wednesday has you covered. Here are ideas from seven of past pieces to offer a range of practical and positive resolutions to make for 2024.

Drink More Water

One of the easiest and most beneficial lifestyle changes is staying hydrated. If you don’t drink enough water, taking that extra effort to get a few more cups every day makes a difference. Research has found that an average of eight glasses of water a day should be enough to ensure adequate hydration. Staying hydrated impacts your ability to regulate body temperature, stimulates digestion, improves brain performance, and can encourage weight loss.

If you have a hard time drinking enough water, don’t forget that you can drink tea and eat fruit to supplement your hydration.

Get Your Steps In

Going back to the gym is a very common resolution but you don't need a gym membership or fancy equipment to get good daily exercise in. Taking a long walk every day and "getting your steps in" boosts your cardiovascular health, burns calories, and works leg muscles. Walking 8,000-10,000 steps a day could help combat high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, and heart disease.

Work on Your Posture

“Sit up straight.” You probably heard school teachers say it to you, and they were right to do so. Good posture is good for your health! Good posture can lead to fewer headaches, better breathing, improved joint and muscle health, increased energy and mood, and better support for your neck and spine. You can improve posture by committing to make small adjusts to your everyday behavior like:

Avoid “text neck” by holding your phone at a higher angle
Set your car seat so you’re not too far back or too low
Don’t slouch
Do ab exercises to strengthen your core
Sleep on a firm mattress and make sure your head is level with your spine while you're resting.

Cultivate a Passion for Gardening

Ready to spend more time outdoors? Want to learn a useful life skill that can feed you and your family? Gardening can be a very rewarding hobby. It’s a form of exercise, it’s stress relieving, and you can grow fresh fruits and vegetables that will be more nutritious than what comes from the grocery store because it doesn’t have to travel to reach your plate.

Learn How to Swim

If you don’t know how to swim, a few swim classes could be a great investment in your health. Not only is it a helpful skill to acquire, it’s an absolutely killer exercise. Swimming is a low-impact exercise that's great for burning fat, strengthening your lungs and muscles, and lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke. Already know how to swim? 2024 is as good a time as any to make a commitment to take a few trips a week to the nearest pool to swim some laps.

Eat More Fruits & Veggies

Do you eat enough fruits and vegetables? Adding more plant-based foods to your daily diet is a great change to make in the new year. Veggies and fruits are packed with nutrients, often quite hydrating, and tend to be lower in calories than other foods. A diet rich in these foods can lower blood pressure, prevent some types of cancer, help regulate blood sugar, and can even lower the risk of developing eye and digestive problems.

Count More Sheep

Another easy resolution to make and actually keep is to get enough quality sleep. The average person needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night to function at peak capacity. Don’t forget about the power of a good nap! A quick nap can have a restorative effect if you’re feeling stressed out and low energy. Whether you catch your Zzz’s in the afternoon or at night, make sure you get enough of them in 2024.