3 Health Resolutions That Can Help You Build Healthy Habits All Year Long
Leave a CommentOver the past few months, you may have noticed that gyms have become overcrowded, healthy and fresh foods are snatched up at grocery stores like hotcakes, and people furiously write down their New Year Resolutions. If you’re like the average person, you stick to these resolutions for a month or two before you ultimately drop them. For what reason? Most goals I see are too lofty and would benefit from some simplicity to maintain consistently.
In order to make a healthy resolution that will stick, you should be specific and make the resolution something very obtainable to complete on a consistent basis. If it is so far out of your normal routine, you will likely struggle to maintain consistency with it for a whole year. Goals or resolutions should add to your life and not detract from it and be reasonable enough to complete without a large increase in effort. In this blog, we’ll cover some ways to build resolutions that will help you build healthy habits all year long.
1. Eat More Fruits And Vegetables
As a nation, we are chronically under-eating fruits and veggies, as evidenced by a recent survey1. 12.3% of adults consume the recommended intake daily. This is unfortunate because the benefits of fruit and veggie consumption are tremendous2. The recommended intake for fruit is 1.5 to 2 cups and 2 to 3 cups for veggies. Start with a cup of each daily, and slowly build up to the recommended amount over a month or two. Find foods that you like, but don’t be afraid to venture out to broaden your horizons. Fruits are very palatable, but veggies can take some work. I recommend roasting your veggies with a drizzle of olive oil to increase their palatability, not to mention tapping into the health effects of olive oil3.
2. Include Resistance Training At Least Twice Per Week
Studies have consistently shown that resistance training is one of the best habits that someone can get into to reduce their risk of all-cause mortality4. You don’t have to spend countless hours in the gym to reap these benefits; you can benefit from just 30-60 minutes of body weight exercises each week. Of course, it can always be helpful to have a gym available if that is your preference, but don’t let that get in the way of you being able to perform these workouts.
3. Meditate Daily For Increased Physiological And Psychological Benefits
Meditating can greatly support your mental and physical health; the time commitment doesn’t have to be particularly large either. By dedicating just a few minutes daily, you will reap the benefits of meditation5. You can use this time to reflect on your other health resolutions or just find a good meditation podcast that you can listen to and enjoy.
Bringing It All Together
Healthy habits should be simple and easy to complete. As you can see from the above suggestions, the tasks are simple and have little time impact on your daily life; this makes them tailor-made to enhance your life with minimal impact on your overall daily commitments. Getting a journal or calendar to help track your progress can be a great tool as you start. If you need help sticking to your goals this year or need help with an easy routine to follow, reach out to your local Athletico today. Free assessments are available in person or virtually through our telehealth platform.
*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
References:
1. Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM. Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations – United States, 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(1):1-9. Published 2022 Jan 7. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1
2. Stanaway JD, Afshin A, Ashbaugh C, et al. Health effects associated with vegetable consumption: a Burden of Proof study. Nat Med. 2022;28(10):2066-2074. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01970-5
3. Mazzocchi A, Leone L, Agostoni C, Pali-Schöll I. The Secrets of the Mediterranean Diet. Does [Only] Olive Oil Matter?. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):2941. Published 2019 Dec 3. doi:10.3390/nu11122941
4. Shailendra P, Baldock KL, Li LSK, Bennie JA, Boyle T. Resistance Training and Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2022;63(2):277-285. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2022.03.020
5. Basso JC, McHale A, Ende V, Oberlin DJ, Suzuki WA. Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators. Behav Brain Res. 2019;356:208-220. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023
