Can you believe we are closing in on the end of a decade?!
I don’t know about you, but I have big things planned for 2020 and need to make my health a top priority to achieve, perform, and show up for my family the way I desire.
Did your health make it to your New Year’s resolution list?
Are you unsure which of your priorities is most important in the New Year?
Do you have plenty of dreams for the future, but not many concrete plans to be sure your body is up for the challenge?
Check out these 10 resolutions to improve your health and well being during the coming year.
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Move Every Day
Some days this might mean a trip to the gym, others a long walk with the dog, or dancing with friends. Any way you choose to do it, move your body every single day. Movement improves your circulation, mood, lung capacity, joint health, muscle tone, and helps maintain a healthy body weight.
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Drink More Water
It might be the easiest thing to implement with the biggest return on investment – well considering it’s pretty much free. You may think you drink plenty of water, but track it for a few days to see just how much you are drinking. Aim for half your body weight in ounces a day (ex: if you weigh 150 pounds divided by 2 equals 75 ounces of water a day).
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Eat Real Food
Ditch the bags and cans and just eat real food. Pile your plate high with vegetables, add proteins, fruits, and adequate healthy fats. If you aren’t sure what foods, portions, or combinations are best for your body do some researching, experimenting, or check out the guided plan at the end of this post to launch you in the right direction.
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Improve Your Sleep
Insufficient or poor quality sleep can make you more vulnerable to inflammation, weight gain, and many illnesses. Different individuals need different amounts of sleep, but we all need to get into deep sleep in order to fully recover in mind and body. Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or don’t wake up feeling refreshed? Make a plan to improve your sleep this year (our Mission 2020 Plan addresses sleep as well).
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Take Care of Your Bones
We often forget about our bone health until it is too late. Almost half of women over 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture and men are at risk too.. Better bone health comes from a healthy diet (focus on proteins, vitamin D, and omega 3’s – not just the obvious calcium). Get some sunshine, add in resistance training, and maintain a health body composition (see resolution 9 for more on this one)!
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Work on Your Posture
Good, upright posture results in strong abdominal muscles, lowered risk of neck and back injury, improved digestion, and even helps you look younger. Work on keeping your shoulders relaxed and stacked over your hips. Consult with a physical therapist if you have concerns about your posture or back pain, as you might need some specific exercises to get back in alignment (you can talk with an expert for free HERE).
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Manage Stress
Keeping stress under control is not only good for your mental and physical health, but also just lets you enjoy life more. Set aside time each day for meditation, prayer, listening to soothing music, gentle yoga, or breathing exercises.
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Invest in Relationships
Spending time with people you care about – and care about you – goes a long way in improving your state of health. When we are engaging in healthy relationships, we feel more confident, have a more positive outlook, and have a support system when things aren’t going as well.
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Optimize Body Composition
For many, their New Year’s goal is to lose weight. However, what we all really need to do is optimize our body composition. This means decreasing our body fat and increasing our lean muscle mass. This allows us to have a healthy metabolism, balanced hormones, reduced inflammation, and lower risk for many chronic diseases. Check out the plan at the end of this post to learn how I will be ensuring success for myself in this area.
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Check in With Your Healthcare Provider
Regular check ins with a trusted healthcare provider can enable early treatment to keep small health issues, aches, or imbalances from growing into a bigger problem. This may mean scheduling some blood tests with a primary care provider, getting a full body movement screen from your physical therapist, or finding a professional counselor to help you get through some unfortunate events in your life. The earlier you seek advise from a professional, the easier the solution usually is.
While many New Year’s resolutions get discarded faster than the Christmas tree, there are ways to make them stick. This year, be sure to set specific goals that are meaningful and attainable for you.
It’s also important to make a plan to reach your goals and have others to support you and hold you accountable along the way. We shouldn’t just “wing it” when it comes to our health. Improving your physical health is a a gift for yourself and your whole family.
If you are still looking for a plan to optimize your health, body composition, sleep, and more this year, we would love for you to join us on Mission 2020 with our Launch Pack. This is my plan to start the year off right!
We have groups starting throughout the month of January, so click the link below to order or e-mail amanda@peakpotentialpt.com for questions and other support.
