New Years Resolutions
Because the New Year is right around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to offer some ideas on New Year resolutions and list out common things that all of us could be doing better to keep our minds and bodies healthy.
- drink more water
- get 8 hours of sleep
- stretch more
- warm up thoroughly before exercise
- spend more time doing recovery exercises: rolling out, STEM, ice/heat therapy, elevation, compression, rest
- spend more time strengthening accessory muscles and balance
- eat well-balanced meals throughout the day, and keep this up throughout the weekend
- read
- learn something new
- intentional breathing exercise
- do something nice for someone else
- less screen time
- less junk food: highly processed, high sugar, not natural foods
- no caffeine after 2 pm
- clear something in your schedule so you can have quiet time, or time just for yourself
- make your schedule more efficient: create an organized day so you can be most productive
When trying to start a new habit, the best thing to do is start really small and slowly build on it. If it is a huge inconvenience and takes up too much time and effort, then it is easier to give up on it and say, "it's not worth it to me." An example would be if I made a goal to stretch after I train. Let's say that I am not used to stretching at all because I am exhausted after my training, I don't really enjoy it, it's boring to me, but I am making this goal solely because I know it will improve my performance. To set myself up for success, I would start really really small. I would add maybe just 5 minutes after only half of my workouts for the week. Over the next weeks and months, I can slowly increase the sessions and the time I spend stretching each day. By doing this, the new goal hopefully won't become something I dread and want to give up completely, but rather turn into something I do out of habit and discipline (or even enjoy after a while!).
With this list, the best time to start is now! Maybe test it out as a resolution or if you're not into those, try any of these out to create better habits for yourself. This can mean adding or taking something away from your routine to improve your daily life. Remember that many of these things will not give you instant gratification. Doing a breathing exercise, reading, or having quiet time in the morning is way less satisfying in the moment than watching Netflix. But if you add little things, inch by inch, to your physical and mental wellbeing, you will be much better off in the long run.
An inch a day doesn't seem like a lot until you look back at 365 of them a year from now.
Good luck with your new habits, go create the life you want!
