Don’t Let 2021 End Without Setting These Health Goals
If there’s anything that 2020 has taught the world, it is the fact that taking your health for granted is not an option. Many people start each new year with so many resolutions concerning their health, only to jettison them mid flight the journey through the year. People think about new health goals with renewed determination, vowing to accomplish them. But end up digging into the unhealthy food, forgetting to exercise, and calming their guilting conscience with so many excuses and another set of health goals as the year ends - an unhealthy cycle.
But this year, things should be different, especially with the current disruption many people face as the coronavirus continues to keep the world on its knees. Are you planning to kick-start a healthier lifestyle this year? Then don’t let 2021 end without setting and achieving some (if not all) of the following health goals.
Mental health goals
For many people, mental health is usually not the first thing to think about when making new health resolutions. But with all the stress (and to a very large extent, depression) that many people have had to go through the previous year, there shouldn’t be another reason to make your mental health one of our primary health focuses for the new year. No matter which part of the world you live in, all you need to do is turn on the news channel and be bombarded with missile after missile of bad news from every corner of the earth. There’s no need to go into details about the number of people losing their lives, loved ones, businesses, jobs, etc., as nobody seems to know when the break of dawn will finally come.
This is the moment to pay particular attention to your mental health and how much negative energy to allow into your mind. Resolve to remain positive and try to find the silver lining in every dark cloud. Granted, it is easier said than done. But there isn’t much of an option other than to look for new ways to remain positive. If there’s too much negative news leaking its way into your mind from your news channels or even social media platforms, try taking a break from them. As important as it is to remain updated about current affairs, it is nothing worth losing your mind over. Suppose you’ve had the painful experience of losing a loved one, whether because of COVID-19 or anything else, try looking for ways to cope with your loss. Opting to immortalize their memories with things like funeral cremation urns, for example, may help cope with the loss.
Get enough sleep
Even with so many people in lockdown or working from home, many people may still feel like there are just not enough hours in the day. As you look for ways to keep your streams of income flowing during these financially uncertain times, you may run the risk of eating up each day as it comes by without stopping to get enough sleep. Most people may not consider sleep to be necessary, but this basic need has a way of impacting your health and other areas of your life.
According to experts, every adult needs at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep every day. And getting enough sleep could easily be the difference between your body breaking down under pressure or your mind yielding to depression and making it through the year (and other years) in one piece. If you’re finding enough sleep hard to come by, try learning some of the basics of sleep hygiene or find ways to ease your mind.
Eat breakfast
You may have heard one expert or another say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And that is true for various reasons. Aside from the fact that a healthy breakfast helps to fuel your body to take on the challenges of the day, it is also an effective way of ensuring that you maintain a healthy weight. Starting your day with a nutritionally-balanced breakfast will help improve your focus throughout the day, which will also increase your productivity. Eating a healthy breakfast will also prevent you from overeating your lunch, which will attract much unhealthy weight gain. So, take the time to create a healthy breakfast time table, draw up a budget for it, and purchase the groceries you will need in advance.
Sit differently: work on your posture
If you’re like the millions of others currently working from home across the world due to physical distancing protocols, then the chances are that you spend a lot of hours sitting. And if you have a desk job, it is hard to imagine not sitting less during the day. While sitting for long hours itself may not be the problem, sitting with a bad posture is. Many people have the terrible habit of crouching their bodies behind their desks, especially when they begin feeling tired.
But this C-shaped posture means that you end up mounting a lot of pressure on your spinal cord. And this can lead to the lower back, neck, and even shoulder pain. Indeed, in some cases, adopting this sitting habit can lead to long-term posture issues. So, make it a point to sit upright, beginning with this year. If you have to labor out long hours behind your desk, take frequent breaks to stretch your back or even go for a walk. You can also take advantage of some posture-correcting aids to help maintain a straight back while you work.
Eat more plant-based diet
You probably already know about the benefits of eating healthy and exercising (and they’re probably already on your health resolution list) so, we’re not going to touch on that.
However, it is essential to mention the importance of adding more plant-based food to your diet. Making this simple tweak to your eating habit offers a lot of health benefits. You don’t need to get rid of all your meat completely. Just try to limit yourself as much as possible to lean meat and dairy.
But ensure that your new diet comprises about 80% of plant-based foods. Why? You may ask. Well, because eating plant-based food will improve your gut health, making it possible to better absorb the nutrients from the food you eat to support your immune system and reduce any form of inflammation. Plus, you also benefit from a fiber-rich diet, which is essential for ensuring that you experience clean bowel movements.
Practice gratitude
Your mental health requires as much attention as your physical health, and you may be wondering what it has to do with practicing gratitude. According to some experts, being grateful for even the smallest blessings comes with many benefits to your mental health.
Expressing gratitude can help improve your mood and make you a more happy and light-hearted person. People who do not hold back in feeling grateful and expressing their gratitude are mostly believed to be happier in general.
Adopting this mentally-healthy habit will also reduce your risks of becoming stressed and depressed while making you a more optimistic person. If you want to develop a habit of gratitude, try starting and ending each day with the things you are thankful for. They could be as little as a simple smile from someone or favor you cannot return. Take the time to write down the things you’re thankful for each day, and don’t hesitate to let those responsible for your gratitude know how grateful you are.
