Achievable New Year’s resolutions to improve your health 

12 ideas here that all will improve your overall health, but that vary in time, commitment and resources needed. While they are all simple on the surface level, any change is an accomplishment, don't rush it. Add in one of these goals each week over the next three months and see where you get! Make sure to keep track of your progress, it's hard to notice otherwise. 

• Walk 1 mile a day: In the morning, as a lunch break, to destress at the end of your work day, or in the evening after dinner. Make it a habit and enjoy the walk! Listen to a podcast, walk with a friend or family member, or just breathe and take in your surroundings. 
• Stretch for 10 minutes before bed: While watching TV, playing with your kids, or literally in bed before turning out the lights.
• Finish dinner before 7pm: Giving your body enough time to digest before you go to sleep can help a ton with digestion and quality of sleep. Plus it usually leads to finishing a meal satisfied and not stuffed. 
• No bedtime/ late night snacking: These are usually unnecessary calories that only decrease health. Not only can they lead to extra weight gain but it can also decrease sleep quality and quantity.
• Download a meditation app and do 3 guided meditations a week: There are tons of meditation apps all with varying lengths of meditations. Start with short, 3-5 minute guided meditations. Over time, meditating can help reduce stress and increase mood. 
• Sweat twice a week: Cardio.Physically exert yourself to the point of perspiration 2x a week. If you already do this, can you add 2 more sweat sessions in? Extra tip, find something you enjoy doing, or at least an activity you don’t dread.
• Drink 100oz of water a day: Our body is made up primarily of water and a lot of people do not drink enough. This is a great challenge to keep you conscious of water intake and after a few weeks, you should naturally adjust to drinking water out of habit. This goal is not something you need to do for months on end. Once you feel you’ve built the habit, you do not need to drink 100oz every day. 
• Add one new vegetable a week: Get creative and get your family involved!
• Remove one indulgence a week: Start with something small like the candy bar you grab from your coworkers desktop jar. Then move on to a bigger indulgence like one tv episode a night instead of 2, or snoozing your alarm clock, or creamer in your coffee. Again, don’t try and do all of these at once, just one a week.
• 7-8 hours of sleep every night: Make it a priority!  
• Limit screen time: Can you put your phone away for an entire meal? Can you log off completely when you're home with your family? Can you leave your phone off for the first hour of the morning? Set a goal for yourself that limits screen time that you are comfortable with, and don’t look back.
• Find something to laugh at daily: This is at the bottom of the list, but go ahead and start this one ASAP! 

These are health goals you can start reaching for today. Small steps that overtime will make a big difference in your health. They shouldn’t feel like climbing a mountain to achieve. Setting too big of a goal for yourself only sets you up for failure. 

May you and your family be blessed with good health all year long!