3 New Year Resolutions To Skip This Year (And What To Do Instead)
New Year's resolutions are popular, but keeping them isn’t easy, especially if you aim for the wrong goals. Instead of retrying the same traditional resolutions you’ve set in the past, consider restructuring them to help you reach your goals.
Losing Weight
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight, but weight loss is a challenging and long journey. It’s easy to get frustrated when you aren’t seeing the scale hit the numbers you want. More importantly, newer research shows that weight and body mass index (BMI) are not good health indicators.
Focus On Being Healthy
The primary reason many individuals want to lose weight is to be healthy. Instead of how much you weigh, focus on ways to create a healthier lifestyle. Concentrating on the activities instead of the number on a scale makes it easier to stick to your goals and allows you to enjoy the process of being more healthy.
- Find activities you enjoy. A significant part of being healthy is physical activity and finding ways to keep your body moving. Physical activity doesn’t mean you must carve out hours each day to dedicate to the gym; it means finding small and enjoyable ways to be active. These activities include walking, swimming, yoga classes, or stretching at home. Try to dedicate at least 30 minutes daily to whatever activities you enjoy.
- Eat a colorful diet. Your diet plays an essential role in your overall health. Instead of restricting what you eat or trying to stick to a crash diet, try consuming a colorful plate full of whole foods. Eating colorful means incorporating many vegetables and fruits with your meats and grains.
- Visit your doctor. One of the best ways to stay healthy is to keep up with your doctor's appointments. Attend your annual checkups with your primary doctor, dentist, dermatologist, audiologist, and eye specialist.
Stop Drinking
It’s no secret that drinking excess alcohol is bad for your health. It is a good idea to limit how much alcohol you consume, but completely cutting something out of your life is often challenging to maintain. Resolutions or goals set around restriction often come with an all-or-nothing mindset, meaning as soon as the individual drinks again, they believe all the days of not drinking are lost instead of focusing on the progress.
Focus On Hydrating
One of the primary reasons alcohol is bad for the body is because it dehydrates you. You can still make goals to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume, but also try to incorporate hydration into your routine. Not only does staying hydrated combat some of the adverse effects of alcohol, but well-hydrated people have a lower risk of conditions like heart and lung disease.
Buying Bans
Buying bans are common resolutions for people trying to save money or build their finances. A buying ban aims to reduce frivolous spending and limit purchases to necessities. However, like quitting a bad habit, buying bans can come with an all-or-nothing mindset. They’re challenging to stick to and can make you feel bad if you don’t follow them daily.
Focus On Financial Stability
If you are interested in a buying ban to save money, focus your goals less on what you can’t do with your money and gear it more toward budgeting and financial stability. Instead of having a buying ban, assess your finances and determine how much you can spend each month on non-necessities without putting yourself in financial trouble. By having some flexibility in your budget, you can save money without feeling restricted on what you can and can’t buy.
Need An Accountability Buddy?
Sometimes, the most challenging part of sticking to a New Year’s resolution is holding yourself accountable. But you do not have to make goals and create new habits alone. At Visiting Angels, our caregivers are happy to act as accountability buddies for clients, helping them live their most joyful and healthiest lives.
Caregivers can provide transportation to doctor’s appointments, help you find a quality water bottle to track your water intake, or join you on a walk around the neighborhood. They’re also there to assist with cooking, light housekeeping, medication reminders, and many other tasks that improve quality of life.
You can learn more about Visiting Angels' at-home care services by scheduling a complimentary consultation or messaging us with any questions.