Top 10 Healthy Resolutions for 2023 You Can Keep Year-Round

With a new year, it becomes the time when people look over their past and put a lot of expectations on themselves to turn their lives around in the next year. They do this by setting resolutions. However, these resolutions are flexible, and only a small percentage of people end up actually keeping them. According to a Statistica survey, the most popular new year resolution in 2022 was to start the year by living healthier. So what about some healthy resolutions for 2023?

After recent events, people have prioritized their health over everything else, and rightfully so. But despite setting healthy resolutions year after year, people fail to achieve them. Why? The problem isn’t in goal setting- it’s in the unrealistic expectation and burdens we set on ourselves. Expecting to lose 50 pounds in 2 months or changing your whole diet in a week is challenging and leads to unhealthy approaches. Thus, people get discouraged early on when they don’t see the results immediately.

Make 2023 the year of improving your mental and physical health by setting attainable and healthy goals. Below is a list of healthy resolutions for 2023 that you can actually maintain.

Set Goals

The first step to avoiding becoming one of the 23% of people who quit their resolutions in the first week is recognizing the need to set goals rather than resolutions. Goals are smart, attainable and have a realistic timeline which helps you break down the goal into smaller sub-goals, making them easier to maintain.

Before setting healthy resolutions for 2023, look at your past resolutions and ask yourself the following questions:

● How do this year’s goals/resolutions differ from last year’s?

● Which resolutions were you able to achieve?

● Why couldn’t you achieve specific resolutions?

Be kind to yourself and answer as honestly as you can. This will bring insight into your strengths and weaknesses and enable you to set goals accordingly.

Try One New Recipe per Week

Trying a new recipe per week is a great way to change your diet, try something healthy, and improve your mental health. Cooking does not come naturally to everybody, and that’s okay. Even the simple act of trying and cooking something new every week can help you feel accomplished and incorporate healthy food items into your diet. This healthy resolution is also ideal for people who want to lose weight but get bored easily by eating the same meal every day.

Set a Bedtime Alarm

There is a close relationship between sleep and mental health. For instance, poor sleep affects your mental health and vice versa. And when you are worried about your poor sleep, your mind is trying to fight itself, which is a horrible place to be.

If you struggle to get a proper amount of sleep every night, your healthy resolution for 2023 could be changing your sleeping routine. For instance, you can set a bedtime alarm 45 minutes to 1 hour before you sleep. Once the alarm sounds, you start your winding-down routine, such as ironing clothes for work, packing kids’ lunches or reading a book. By going to sleep every day at the same time or having a wind-down routine before sleep, you can set your body on a sleep schedule and benefit from adequate sleep and improved mental health.

Limit Screen Time

Another healthy resolution for 2023 includes limiting your screen time. Instead of saying, I am going to reduce my screen time by three hours, try putting physical limits, as they are easier to achieve. For instance, place your phone in another room or hide it from view while working. This will lessen distractions and wouldn’t affect your cognitive performance.

Walk More

It’s time to introduce physical activity into your daily routine but be realistic. For instance, if you don’t exercise much, expecting yourself to hit the gym daily is unrealistic and unattainable. Instead, you can resolve to sit less and move more. You can do this by walking to all destinations within a mile, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from the entrance to a store, or walking while talking on the phone. These little things help keep your body moving and physically active. Once that happens, you can introduce advanced fitness regimes slowly.

Experience Nature

According to Mind, a mental health awareness organization, spending time in nature helps with different mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Moreover, it is also important for mental and physical well-being, such as growing plants, walking or exercising outside, or being surrounded by birds and plants can help you relax, reduce stress and anger, improve your mood, and reduce loneliness.

Thus, healthy resolutions for 2023 can incorporate more activities that cause you to go and spend time outside in nature.

Try New Fitness Routines

Your mantra for 2023 should be, “any exercise is better than no exercise.” Despite being creatures of habit, we get bored easily with the same old routine. The same goes for exercising.

Doing the same exercise every day can demotivate you or make you lazy. If you feel yourself slipping away from a rigorous fitness regime, try a new exercise every week or month. Moreover, don’t burden yourself by pushing for a one hour exercise routine daily but instead, break down your workout into 5 to 10-minute sessions a few days a week to stay motivated and grounded.

Read More Books

Another way to improve your mental health and reduce screen time is by reading more books in 2023. Reading is a fun way to enrich your mind and gain more knowledge. While many have tried setting this goal in past years, not all could maintain it. Why? Because people often set unrealistic goals and can’t deal with distractions.

For instance, set a reading goal based on your available time and reading speed. If you are an avid reader, reading five books a month is a walk in the park. But for beginners, finishing even one is a great achievement. Thus, it’s vital to be honest and set goals accordingly. Next, before reading, remove all distractions, such as putting your phone in another room, turning off the TV and completing all the day’s chores before winding down to read.

Meditate

Putting yourself first and taking the time out for self-care can greatly benefit your overall health. One such practice involves introducing meditation into your daily routine. Many people are intimidated by this word, but there is nothing to worry about. By learning the basics of meditation and practicing it daily, you can improve focus, reduce stress, connect with your body and understand its needs.

If you are a beginner to meditation, find a distraction-free corner, set a timer and follow the steps below:

● Find a place that feels comfortable for you and set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes.

● Notice your body and the position you are sitting in, and follow your breathing sensation.

● When you notice your mind starting to wander and lingering on obsessive thoughts, come back and focus on your breathing.

● Once the timer is up, gently open your eyes, notice how light your mind and body feel, and take note of your surroundings, thoughts and emotions. You are done!

Build a Gratitude Practice

Among the many healthy resolutions for 2023, building a gratitude practice is a must. The hustle and bustle of life often leave us feeling drained and brimming with negative emotions, dimming the beautiful things we currently have in our lives. Gratitude helps you manage depression, improves happiness and gives you the strength to move forward.

You can incorporate gratitude by daily speaking or writing five things you are grateful for that day. This might seem unsubstantial, but it can positively change your world’s outlook.

And So It Begins

Another year, another adventure, and another opportunity to do better and prioritize your health over everything else. Making resolutions is easy, but keeping them is far more challenging. Ensure that your goals for 2023 are realistic, attainable and suited to your strengths and weaknesses. We hope our healthy resolutions for 2023 help you achieve your goals easily.