2021 was a difficult year for most, if not all, of the world. We lived through another year of the pandemic, we survived natural disasters, and we fought through political mayhem.
But if this past year has taught us anything at all, it’s that we can do hard things.
After this past year of doing hard things, though, the last thing we want to do is make New Year’s resolutions to add to our list of hard things we need to do.
So, in 2022, let’s be kind to ourselves by giving ourselves a break and focusing on our health. Here are some easy New Year’s resolutions that you can make to improve your overall health this year:
Move Your Body
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many of us have been working from home. Although it has its benefits, it also has its shortcomings. One of those is that we simply don’t get out of the house as much as before.
When you work from home and spend most of your free time at home due to lockdowns, many of us find it hard to escape it’s four walls.
So, this new year, make it a priority to move your body.
Everyone knows that exercise—even just a little bit—is good for your health. It’s proven to reduce heart disease, pulmonary disease, and hypertension, among many other conditions.
If you leave the house for even 30-minutes to go roller blading, running, or walking, you’ll not only be doing something good for your body, but your mind as well. You’ll be getting a breath of fresh air at the same time as clearing your head.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
With everything going on in the world, you can so easily to get caught up in news and politics and have these things fill your mind 24/7. This is why it’s more important than ever to ground yourself through mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is the practice of clearing your mind of its racing thoughts and being present in the moment.
There are many ways you can do this. You can do it by yourself wherever you are—at home, on a walk, before bed. You can start by paying attention to your breathing patterns and recognizing the way your body feels in its place.
Another way you can practice mindfulness is by following a guided video or podcast. These are typically soothing audio recordings that pull you away from the stresses of life and bring you back to the present.
This is a simple New Year’s resolution that will help you reduce stress and become more in-tune with yourself.
Reduce Screen Time
From making a phone call to watching sports to finding recipes, we use screens for everything nowadays. This isn’t always a bad thing. In many ways, screens have made our lives a lot easier.
But over time, we’ve learned that there are repercussions for spending too much time staring at our screens.
Some negative effects of too much screen time include an increase in depression, anxiety, neck pain, and obesity, to name a few. One of the biggest problems it causes is sleep issues.
The blue light emitted from our devices is very stimulating, which effects our ability to fall asleep at night. And this, overall, effects our circadian rhythm.
Although we can’t get rid of screen time altogether, try to reduce the amount of time spent in front of your laptop, television, phone, or tablet. Especially before bed. Make it your New Year’s Resolution to trade out your phone for a book before bed and you’ll find that you’ll have better quality sleeps and wake up in the morning feeling more refreshed than ever before.
- Prioritize Quality Sleep
One of the best ways to improve your health in 2022 is to prioritize quality sleep. For many of us, our lives get so busy we sometimes forego sleep to get everything else done. As a result, our health suffers.
Adults are meant to get seven or more hours of sleep per night. If you don’t get enough sleep, you increase your risk of developing health issues such as diabetes or heart disease. So, even when life gets crazy, prioritize getting to bed on time.
There are many things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. One way is to reduce screen time as mentioned above. There are other tips and tricks to help you fall asleep at night, including creating a sleep schedule.
- Improve Your Sleep Schedule
This new year’s, make it a resolution to improve your sleep schedule. Schedules and routines in general are great to create purpose and consistency in our lives, but sleep schedules are incredibly important to promote good health.
The reason why it’s so important to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning is to maintain your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is a natural sleep/wake cycle. Some people can train their circadian rhythm so well that they don’t even need an alarm to wake them up in the morning. They can just rely on their own body.
If your circadian rhythm is out of sync, you will find it hard to get to sleep and wake up in the morning. This results in a reduced quality of sleep. And we’ve already learned what happens when we don’t get enough quality sleep at night.
This past year has shown us the importance of prioritizing our health and wellness. So, make some New Year’s resolutions in 2022 for better health. For more information on sleep quality, reach out to Majestic Mattress in Kelowna and West Kelowna. We’ll be happy to discuss different mattress options for your sleep style.