Achieving Goals & Living Healthier in 2023

As we bring in 2023, many of us are considering goals and resolutions that we want to make in order to get rid of bad old habits or create new better ones. New year's resolutions are a great way to set goals and make positive changes in your life. 

Here at Carefast, we want to help you set good and healthy new year’s resolutions so that is the primary focus of this week’s blog post. 

It can be difficult to stick to your resolutions over the long term due to a variety of reasons. To increase your chances of success, try setting specific and achievable goals, and break them down into smaller steps that you can work towards consistently. It can also be helpful to enlist the support of friends or family members, or to seek help from a professional if needed. Finally, be kind to yourself and don't get discouraged if you have setbacks along the way. Remember that it's okay to adjust your goals as needed, and that progress is often made through small, incremental steps. With dedication and perseverance, you can achieve your new year's resolutions and make lasting changes in your life.

With that being said, let’s dive into some of the top new year’s resolutions to help you create better, healthier habits. We’ll also outline smaller, incremental steps that can help you narrow down what’s most relevant to the goals you’ve set for yourself in 2023. 

Eat a healthy, balanced diet:

Make sure to eat a variety of different types of fruits and vegetables, as they each provide different types and amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Choose whole grain options, such as whole wheat bread or pasta, brown rice, or quinoa, over refined grains. You also may want to include lean protein sources, such as chicken, fish, beans, and tofu, in your meals.

   By making a change to a healthier diet, also consider limiting your intake of processed and sugary foods, as they can be high in calories and low in nutrients. Many have found that limiting these bad foods can give you as good if not better results than including just healthier foods alone. 

Exercise regularly:

Many of us want to get back in shape again which typically means hitting the gym again in the new year. Although this might be the right choice for many of us, there are others who either find it boring or can’t afford the monthly cost of a fitness program or gym. That doesn’t mean you can’t be more active though!  Finding an activity that you enjoy, such as walking, running, cycling, dancing, or swimming can give you the inspiration you need that the gym simply doesn’t offer. On top of that, doing any of these other activities are generally free and can be done on your own time!

If you’re planning to get back into shape this year, you’ll want to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week. Be sure to spread your exercise out over the week, rather than trying to do it all in one day in order to avoid burnout. Finally, consider working out with a friend or someone who you can both be accountable to in order to push each other to stay on track and achieve better results from this type of new year’s resolution. 

Get enough sleep

As the year progresses, many of us find that our sleep schedule becomes out of sync, resulting in poor sleep, increased fatigue, and lower drive and motivation. This is especially damaging after the summer is over when the days get shorter and cold weather sets in. Getting good quality sleep is not one of the most popular new year’s resolutions, but it is one of the more important nonetheless. Getting good sleep can help in so many areas of our personal and professional lives, making it fundamental to our personal health and wellbeing. 

Doctors encourage us to aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Creating a bedtime routine to help you relax and wind down before sleep will also help your body recognize when it is time for sleep and can make for a better circadian rhythm. As part of a better bedtime routine, avoid screens (such as phones, laptops, and TVs) for at least an hour before bed and try to stay consistent with a sleep schedule - even on the weekends. 

Practice stress management techniques:

The daily stress from our work and personal lives can really add up as the year progresses. Knowing how to deal with stress is one of the best things we can do for ourselves, ensuring that we can live long and healthy lives in the face of adversity and anxiety-ridden situations. Let’s look at some ways we can better manage our stress throughout the new year so that we can take control of our anxiety and live a healthier lifestyle in 2023. 

During or even after difficult situations, try deep breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga to help reduce stress. These types of stress management techniques have been proven to increase our immunity to disease, fend off anxiety, and put us better in tune with nature. 

Make sure to take breaks throughout the day. Studies have shown that people at work often forget to take breaks throughout the day - causing their stress and anxiety levels to shoot through the roof. Simply taking lunch outside or walking for ten minutes in the middle of the day has been shown to significantly reduce stress and help with our decision-making faculties. 

Lastly, consider talking to a trusted friend or family member about your stress. By talking to someone about this sort of problem, many have found it to be alleviating because it grants us a window into how someone else feels or may have dealt with similar stress and/or stressful situations. 

By getting better at stress management, many have found that other goals and aspirations are easier to achieve without anxiety on their backs. 

Stay hydrated.

This is a big one. Many of us should consider drinking more water throughout the day (and year)  because of all the benefits that proper hydration offers us. Studies have shown that those who are better hydrated have more energy, more concentration, a better libido, and can better fight off heart disease and other problems. 

It seems that every year, more and more articles are being released to the public about the importance of drinking water. For example, drinking a cup of water in the morning after bed drastically improves the functionality of our liver throughout the day. 

If you struggle to remember to drink water, many have found that keeping a personal water bottle throughout the day helps to remind you to drink as well. Also consider eating foods with high water content such as fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy fluid intake. 

Also to note, try to avoid sugary drinks including soda and juice. The sugar content in many of these beverages actually increases dehydration. So staying away from these fluids and just sticking to water is probably the best way to stay hydrated in 2023. 

If you’re looking for a healthier 2023, consider some of these new year’s resolutions or some of the quick tips that have been listed under each of them. In order to stick to your goals, ensure that you are setting specific and achievable ones that will give you the satisfaction you deserve. By setting huge goals, we are more likely to fail and give up on our new year’s resolutions, so this is key to making it all 365 days with whatever goal you decide to undertake. By living a better and healthier 2023, we can ensure that we are giving the best we can in each passing year afterwards.