New Years Day is usually thought of as a day to reflect on your past year, and plan the year ahead. Many people make a habit of making resolutions. Statistics say that while 45% of people made resolutions for 2015, only 8% actually kept them. That is not a very high success rate! Often it is that the list is too long, or that they are unrealistic. Most commonly, the resolution involves some sort of self improvement. We at Revitalize are all for self improvement, but we also don’t want people to create another thing to be stressed about! So, as I was reflecting today, I wanted to share my list of NO FAIL new years resolutions for you to consider.
1. Try to sweat nearly every day
Many people have the resolution to work out more either for
loss or cardiovascular health. It always seems that the gyms are totally packed in January, but by March a lot have already quit coming. Why not expand it to just breaking a sweat? Sweating is one of your body’s detoxification methods and is very important for health and weight. It could be running, but it could also be Hot yoga, or even a sauna.
2. Strive for 10 minutes a day of stillness
I recently finished a 10 day free trial of a meditation app. While I have a long way to go to control my thoughts, I really loved the 
10 minutes of sitting still and taking deep breaths. That is really great to lower your heart rate, and even lower your cortisol. Many stressed people don’t have time to commit to a Mindfulness Stress Based Reduction (MSBR) class that has shown in clinical trials to have health benefits, but we all could find 10 minutes a day, couldn’t we? I varied the time of day- it wasn’t always in the morning.
3. Think about eating clean
Instead of counting calories or fat grams, think about just eating food in its native form. If it was around 100 years ago, its safe. If you can’t pronounce half of the ingredients in it, then maybe you should pass. This takes the pressure off of having to stick to a diet. If you just concentrate on eating clean most of the time, chances are you will be more successful.
4. Allow yourself enough time to sleep
In todays busy 24/7 world, many of my patients don’t get enough sleep. Even if you feel like you don’t need a lot of sleep to function, your body still needs 7-8 hours to restore tissues and for certain reactions to happen in the body. If you aren’t getting that much sleep, consider just adding an extra 15 minutes a week and gradually working up to 7-8 hours. There were actually studies on night shift nurses and those that slept < 6 hours a night had a higher risk of breast cancer! Your body makes Melatonin, a powerful anti-oxidant, while you sleep. If work is crazy, at least try to catch up a little on the weekend.
Here is hoping you have a Happy and healthy 2023!!
