Most new year’s resolution attempts start strong but fizzle out before the end of January. People tend to rush into goals, choosing new year’s resolutions that are ambitious, but not sustainable. Instead of aiming to lose 50 pounds in one month, focus on smaller goals that you can definitely achieve. Once you manage to make one goal a habit, add another one. We think these 5 goals are the most important health resolutions you can make in 2016:

1. Get enough sleep

Sleep is foundational to good health. Without enough sleep, your ability to learn, pay attention, solve problems, be creative, and perform tasks accurately is impaired. A good night’s sleep not only helps your brain, but also the rest of your body. Sleep deficiency is linked to heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and poor immune response.

Focus on creating a bedtime routine for sleep hygiene. Quitting using electronics before bed, making a nightly cup of bedtime tea, and making sure your room is completely dark are all great places to start for improving sleep quality. Check out our blog posts here and here about how to get more sleep.

2. Move your body

Exercise is another important habit for cardiovascular health, mood, weight management, circulation, and more. Make an effort to move your body a few times a week if you don’t already.

There is not one ideal type of exercise for everyone; the best for you will be something that you enjoy and feels good. This could be walking, dancing, sprinting, high intensity interval training, tabatas, yoga, sports, water aerobics, swimming, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, lifting weights… whatever you like! If you like variety, change up your workouts so you don’t get bored. In one week, you might try a spin class at your gym, go for a walk with a friend, do some bodyweight strength training at home, and do yoga. Another week you might go for a hike, attend a dance group or class, ride a bike, and play a pickup game of soccer. If you need a low impact option or want to focus on stress management, gentle forms of movement like tai chi could be good for you.

3. Eat right for your body

©Rick Ligthelm

Like exercise, there is no one-size-fits-all diet. The foods you eat should nourish your body, with its unique energy requirements, sensitivities, and micronutrient needs. However, there are some basics that would benefit most people:

• Focus on whole foods
  • Shopping the perimeter of the grocery store or buying most of your food at your local weekly farmer’s market will help with this
  • If you buy packaged foods, read the labels closely and make your own “Food Rules” about which things you choose (for example, only foods with ingredients you can pronounce, or products with less than 10 ingredients)
• Eat lots of fresh produce (especially if it’s local and organically grown! Bonus points if it comes straight from your home garden)
• Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts)
• Eat out less; cook at home more
  • Having at least one meal prep day per week can be a huge help for eating more healthfully. Cut up vegetables and store them in containers to bring as snacks or throw into quick recipes throughout the week. Make batches of healthy meals and store them in the fridge or freezer to heat up on weeknights when you don’t have time to cook.
• If you have unresolved stomach, skin, and mood issues (or other mysterious symptoms you can’t figure out), try an elimination diet, removing all the common allergens from your diet for a few weeks, then adding them back in one by one and seeing which ones you react to.

4. Focus on preventative healthcare

Taking care of yourself before you get sick is a better healthcare strategy than falling ill and going to the doctor multiple times a year. All the things we have mentioned are part of preventative healthcare. You can step up your prevention plan by coming to Peach Vitamins for a personalized health consultation. We can make suggestions about vitamins and supplements that suit your constitution and personal needs. For example, if you tend to catch a cold each winter, you could start taking a daily immune tonic, such as astragalus or medicinal mushrooms, to avoid getting sick in the first place. Take a similar approach to other types of illness by maintaining good dietary habits, taking daily vitamins, and following the above suggestions about sleep and exercise.

5.  Practice self love!

What this means will differ from person to person, but accepting yourself and practicing daily self-care methods will help keep your mind and body happy and healthy. For example, you could treat yourself to a massage, a soothing bath, or even something a simple as a deep, calming breath. Set your own boundaries and honor them. Make time for a hobby you are passionate about. Write down 5 things you are grateful for. The possibilities are endless! Just make sure you do something that makes you feel nourished.

Taking care of yourself is bigger than just dieting; make sure you consider all of your needs when you think about improving yourself this year. If your resolution focuses on the health of your entire person, rather than just a number on a scale, you will be on your way to true, deep health. Share below: what are your health resolutions for 2016?