Keeping up with your new year health resolutions should include adding a few more hours of sleep. Here’s why.
With new beginnings, we have the tendency of coming up with new year health resolutions that have the intention of keeping us on track and helping us become a better version of ourselves. While having a new year’s resolution list is good, there are important things to consider.
If you want to improve your way of life for a healthy new year, there are little changes that you can make without causing too much stress or anything too drastic. The stronger or bigger the change, the harder it is to actually do it.
That is why, when elaborating your new year’s resolution list, it is always recommended to start small, and start slow.
Tips and tricks for a healthy new year should not be so outstanding and complicated that they’ll seem impossible to comply with, or that will bore you too fast.
In order to help you actually keep up with your new year health resolutions, we’ve rounded up a few steps that will make this new chapter easy to handle:
Set small, but achievable goals
Instead of trying to do something huge in a short amount of time, start your new year’s resolution list with small changes in a somewhat moderate amount of time. Give yourself weeks instead of days, and you’ll see a difference in the long-term.
Enroll your buddies or partner
Part of the hard work of keeping up with the stress of a healthy new year, is getting bored easily. But, when you have the fun and energetic company of friends or a loved one, even the hardest sweat sesh will seem like a breeze.
Try to stick to your schedule
If – as part of your new year health resolutions – you rearrange your scheduled in order to include a fitness class, time for meditation and relaxation, or simple 30 min. a day to take a long walk, just stick to it. Consistency is key to see the changes.
Pay attention to what your body is saying
That means that if you wake up feeling sore, tired, or simply with the strong need of taking a day off, do it. Just as much as we should take care of our bodies, we should allow it to recuperate appropriately in order to ensure proper functionality.
And as important as these steps are, there is one single resolution you should never let out: catching up on your hours of sleep.
Believe it or not, sleep has been proven to be the one single health trick that strings along a wide number of benefits, and.. let’s admit it, it is one of the easiest and most rewarding things to do.
Here are some of the reasons why you should definitely include sleeping more on your new year health resolutions list:
It’s a stress reliever
Sleeping helps your body AND your mind recover from all the stressful situations that you are exposed to during the day, and provides a much needed “time-out” so you can reset your system.
Helps you lose weight
Can you believe that? Poor sleeping habits actually lead to our bodies craving sugary and high-fat foods just to be able to function. While a good rest, not only recharges our batteries, but it also provides a sense of calmness and understanding of our body’s true needs.
Improves your mood
Who has not suffered a crankiness episode due to lack of sleep? Just like this, a full night of restful sleep can improve your mood and actually make you wake up feeling happy and at peace with yourself and the world.
So, now that you’ve learned how to stick to your new year’s resolution list and the added benefits of sleeping a few more hours per night, its time to start 2018 with a brighter outlook and lots of hopes!
Sources:
https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/10-tips-to-help-you-keep-your-new-year-s-resolution
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/getting-more-sleep-should-top-new-years-resolutions-010115
