How to Keep Your Mind and Body Healthy in the New Year Period

When choosing your New Year’s resolutions, it often helps to think back to those you had in previous years. How long did they last? What stopped you from achieving them? How can you make sure you make solid decisions which will last longer than the middle of January?

Not surprisingly, the new year is the most common time of year to think about your health and fitness. It’s the time when gym memberships spike, and we all promise ourselves to go for that morning run before work. We might take up a new sport or decide to cut out white carbs - but how often do we make a resolution to look after our emotional and mental health?

This guide will help you get on track with keeping your mind healthy as well as your body - without forking out on expensive gadgets and contracts. So let’s take a look!

Get up 30 minutes earlier

This may not sound like a positive move, especially in the cold winter months. But actually, setting your alarm and committing to getting up 30 minutes earlier each day can have a huge, positive impact that can last all day. Instead of hopping around the living room putting your shoes on whilst still chewing your breakfast with 3 minutes to spare, give yourself time to have a coffee. Even just 3 minutes of “still” time can help set you up for the day ahead, and will also give you time to have a bite to eat at the same time each day. Give this a go for a week and see if you feel any different!

Make a food diary

All too often we set ourselves really difficult challenges with food, such as “no more chocolate” or “only 1200 calories per day” - and when we don’t hit our targets, we start to feel negative and disappointed. This usually leads to scrapping the idea altogether, or worse, it can lead to binge eating after a bout of unrealistic eating. Instead of making a huge New Year's resolution around the latest diet, why not make a food diary instead? This way you can analyze your existing habits and see what needs to change. You may be surprised at how much milk you are drinking in your coffee, for example, or how much processed food you eat over the space of a week. Once it’s clear what you’d like to change, you can start setting realistic goals. Remember that stimulants such as sugar and caffeine can affect your mood as well as your weight and physical health, so it goes without saying to keep the junk food to a minimum.

Set joint goals with your partner

Whether you are looking to get fit and healthy, to have more quiet time, or to even get a more balanced sleep routine, buddying up with your partner can really increase your chances of success. If you are both setting the same goals and aiming for the same results, you can help each other along and give each other some encouragement. It also makes it more likely that you’ll stick to your goals as you won’t want to let them down as well as yourself! If you’re happily single, call up a like-minded friend and see if they’ll take part in a joint venture. It might even bring you closer together, another boost for your overall happiness!

Keep track of nutrients

As mentioned in the food diary section, what you eat can have an impact on your mental health as well as your physical health. It’s all tied in together, but ultimately you should make sure you are getting the right nutrients and the right nutrients for overall health and wellness through a varied, balanced diet, full of vegetables and healthy fats.

A really simple way to help safeguard your intake of vitamins is to take supplements from Vitabiotics, as they have specific, tailor-made products for women, men, teens, and even pets. You can also get various apps on your phone which will track your diet and help you to know what you need. My Fitness Pal is a popular choice for this.

Lastly, Happy New Year! May you have a year of total wellness and happiness!