New Year, New You? Healthy Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

With each New Year comes the flurry of advice for making – and keeping – new years resolutions. But the stress of making a monumental change can backfire – causing some to resolve not to make any changes at all. Instead, why don’t you meet yourself half way, resolving to make one or two small changes that can help you feel healthier and live a better, more balanced, life.

Here are a few to consider:

Get Quality Sleep
There is almost nothing better for you than getting a good night’s sleep. But our busy, stressful, gadget-heavy lives contrive to undermine our body’s natural rhythms. One way to put your body – and your life – back into balance is by making sleep a priority.

You can do this by:

• Getting daily exercise, but not too close to bedtime;
• Turning off all screens at least an hour before bedtime;
• Starting a healthy nighttime routine. This might include: dim lights, relaxing music, a cup of chamomile tea and an actual paper book.

Just Add Lemon
If you already drink a cup of green tea (or two or three!) every day, you’re already doing yourself a lot of good. One way to improve upon this healthy habit is to simply add a squeeze of lemon to your tea. Adding lemon to tea can help you absorb more of the tea’s catechins, some of the most potent antioxidants in green tea. Plus, lemon is a great source of Vitamin C.

Get a Little Exercise
Your body was made to move, but thoughts of doing burpees at the gym may have you hitting the couch after work rather than the gym. But daily exercise doesn’t have to be so grueling… or sweaty. Simply walking every day can help you to lose weight, strengthen your bones and improve your mood, according to the Mayo Clinic . A mid-day walk can even help to improve your energy and better handle tension and stress at work.

To encourage this new behavior, make it personal. Download the audio version of the book you’ve been meaning to read, listen to energizing music, or ask a friend to come along. After your walk, make yourself a cup of tea and dive into your to-do list with fervor.

Make the Switch from Coffee to Tea
Don’t get us wrong… we love coffee. But some find that they feel better when they choose tea over coffee: alert but with less jitters. One tea that we often recommend to customers who are making the switch is Pu-erh. Pu-erh is an aged form of black tea that has a clean, mineral flavor and enough caffeine to get you going in the morning. Plus, you can re-steep your morning Pu-erh for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Allow a Little Healthy Indulgence
One reason New Years resolutions don’t work out is because they are often too strict and unrealistic to begin with. So allow yourself a little leeway. One way to do this is allow yourself a healthy indulgence, such as a bit of dark chocolate after lunch, or a glass of wine with dinner.

Resolve to Drink More Tea
Whether you’re looking to boost your energy, cope with stress , or simply lead a healthier life, tea might just be the panacea you’ve been looking for.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

[photo credit: Gary Knight on Flickr]