The new year is still in its very beginning, but many of us have probably already dropped our new year’s resolutions. It’s a pattern that many of us are probably well aware of, but have never intended to fix. This is why I’m encouraging you, and myself, to incorporate healthier habits not only in 2019, but beyond it. These habits are simple to include in your daily routine and they’re not your typical healthy tips. Try these to feel healthier and happier starting now!
- Be Balanced
With all of the different diets and fads out there nowadays, I encourage you to be balanced in 2019 instead. To be happy and healthy in life, it’s important to find balance in our diets and not go too far on one side of the spectrum. Try to incorporate healthy, balanced meals that make you feel happy and full– but don’t beat yourself up over eating a couple slices of pizza once in a while.
- Make Time for Your Hobbies
Taking care of your wellbeing isn’t just about eating well and exercising. Although those are important aspects, it’s about doing activities that fulfill you too. If you have a hobby that’s important to you or if you’re looking to find a passion, dedicate time to it each day or each week to pursue it. In the long run, you’ll probably end up being more productive overall because you’re giving yourself the freedom to be happy.
- Practice Gratitude
Having problems and tribulations are inevitable in life. Things won’t always go our way, nor will the outcome we receive always be the one we expect. To feel happy, it’s important to be mindful and practice being thankful. Look around you and start to focus on the things that are wonderful; be thankful for them. Then look around at the things that are hard and that are things you wouldn’t have asked for; be thankful for the lesson you learned. This will rewire your brain to be more thankful and positive moving forward.
- Make Decisions As If You’re 80
This may sound a little odd, but stick with me. When you’re 80 and thinking back on your life, do you believe you’ll be more regretful of the things you did or the things you didn’t do? It’s more likely that you’ll regret the opportunities you said no to, or the doors you left closed. Moving forward, try to make your decisions based on this logic. You’ll end up being more adventurous, happy, and become closer in your relationships.
- Wake Up a Little Earlier
Not all of us are blessed with internal clocks that wake us up to feel energized for the rest of the day– that is what coffee is for. However, by learning to wake up a little bit earlier each day, you’ll set yourself up for a much better, more relaxed day. Some of our most hectic days begin with running late out the door with our lunch bags forgotten on the counter and coffee spilled on our shirts in the car. Wake up about 30 minutes earlier than you normally would to give you part of your morning back and prepare for any mishaps.
- Take Care of Your Skin
Our skin is our body’s largest organ, and it’s also one of the most susceptible organs to damage. Whether you’re a sun goddess or you’re always too tired to wipe your makeup off before bed, make an effort to begin the habit of taking care of your skin. Skin damaged from the sun can expedite our aging process dramatically and lead to numerous types of cancers. Make it a habit to cleanse your face and wear SPF every single day. It’s also a good idea to include a retinoid product in your skin care routine to reverse sun damage.
- Accept Your Flaws
Feeling the need to reach perfection is a habit we need to trash in 2019. As women, it’s easy to compare ourselves to other women and feel bad about ourselves in the process. A perfect “ideal” of beauty doesn’t exist, and it’s time to start creating our own ideal of beauty. Beauty is being present in a conversation, it’s the way we look when we talk about something we’re excited about, and it’s in the way we treat others. Accept what you consider “flawed” about yourself and fall in love with the beauty that you exude.