Ready to renew you? While diet and exercise are great things to focus on in the New Year, there’s a lot more to a healthy, active lifestyle than reaching your ideal weight or watching the timer on a treadmill. After all, aren’t you more than a measurement? Of course you are! Science tells us that the most effective diet is the one you can stick to. Not for just a year or a month, but forever. That’s why we believe working towards being your best self is what a healthy, active lifestyle is made of. Here are some ways to renew your commitment to yourself that support a 360 degree approach to health and wellness. Make a resolution into a lifestyle.
Practice Mindfulness
After all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, January can be the perfect time to reintroduce focus and connection. Practicing mindfulness decreases stress, improves immune function, lowers blood pressure, increases awareness, and even improves sleep and performance at work.
In a study on the impacts of mindfulness on the psychological and physical health of obese or overweight adults, researchers found that mindfulness helped participants lose weight, improve their eating behaviors and attitudes, and decrease depression and anxiety. Don’t know where to get started? There are countless books and apps that can guide you through your practice. It's okay to start small. Consider beginning with a five minute meditation a couple days a week and then work up to a longer or more frequent practice.
Listen up
Finding time to read can be tricky, which is why so many of us include “read more” in our annual Resolutions list. Well, there’s an app for that. Audiobooks have realized increased popularity, and now that they are available from the one device we have on us at all times, it’s a lot easier to squeeze in a few chapters. This month, consider renewing your audiobook subscription! Podcasts are also a great option for absorbing interesting and entertaining tidbits throughout your day. Like audiobooks, podcasts give you the option to listen and learn while doing other tasks, like walking, cleaning, exercising, commuting, and many others. Does a great book or podcast help you put in that extra mile on your evening run? It works every time for us!
Reconnect
Reconnecting with old friends is great at anytime of the year, but there is something extra special about ringing in a New Year with the people you love most. With everything going on in the fall, from sports practices to the holidays, it can be easy to not keep up with your friends as much as usual. Make a point to plan a few friend dates, and consider shaking up your activity options. Maybe go for a walk or have tea. How about an audiobook club? Studies show that good friendships and a strong connection to community not only improves health, but also increases longevity. Want to invest in your health this year? Invest in strengthening your relationships.
Daily planning
This new year, renew your daily planner! We’ve all been guilty of buying a bright and shiny new planner, only to ditch it a week or two in. But why are we drawn to it in the first place? Because we know that the practice of organizing appointments, goals, birthdays, and even ideas and notes makes us more productive and connected. Is that an idea worth committing to? We think so!
Healthy habits
This new year, try to choose one healthy habit to renew and make it a part of your everyday routine. Whether that’s going to bed earlier, drinking more water, or honoring Meatless Mondays, there are a myriad of ways to make our daily lives just a little bit better and more fulfilling. Commit to one at a time, and before you know it your days will be filled with healthy activities. Use the motivation you have in the New Year to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle! You don’t have to make huge changes to be successful. In fact, making small adjustments to your lifestyle might be easier to stick to long term. And not all New Year's resolutions have to revolve around more exercise, more information, or more anything. Maybe you can renew a commitment to slow down, to get organized, or to stay connected to your friends. Whatever you choose to renew, make sure it serves you and your healthy, happy New Year. Visit Orgain.com/renew to enter for a chance to win a New Year Renewal Getaway for two!
