You probably made a lot of new year’s resolutions a few weeks ago, right? And, by the time you read this, there’s a good chance that most of you will have broken a few already. It’s the same thing for everyone, and it happens every year. I think the biggest problem is that we set short-term goals, rather than looking at changing our lifestyle completely.
If we focus on changing our lifestyle completely, we will be able to bring positive change that is much better than making a resolution. Whether a healthier lifestyle means more exercise, going to the Leading Byford Dentist – Byford Smiles more often, or eating a better diet, it’s important to make the change sooner rather than later.
So, if you have already fallen off the wagon, or dived straight back into your old habits, this is for you. I’ve pulled together some of the best advice I have found on the web and through my own experience to give you ten ways to improve your lifestyle. And not just yours, either.
It’s fine to do things by yourself, but it can be tricky to keep going when you don’t have any support. So, if you do things as a whole family, or as a group of friends, I figure there will be more chance of success. Here are a few ideas for you – try them out and see how you get on!
Eat Healthier Food
First of all, instead of going through diet after diet and starving yourself from your favourite food, take a different path. Just eat better, and give yourself the occasional treat or two every week. There are hundreds of healthy eating books out there. Take a look here for an example – http://www.booktopia.com.au. Most of them cover making nutritious meals with little time or money, so there are no excuses! It’s all about choices, and if you can get past the tough first few weeks, it will become plain sailing.
The image is provided by PrintMePoster.com
Eat More Meals Together
While we are on the subject of food, why not think about eating more meals together? I appreciate it can be tough when parents have to work late, or children need to go to after school clubs. But, if you, your family, or housemates can make a concerted effort to eat at least 3 or 4 meals together every week, it will help you build stronger bonds.
Drink More Water
I’m amazed by the amount of soda, juices, and cordials that I see on sale these days. And, it’s worrying when you hear about the rising levels of obesity that occur on a yearly basis – not to mention dental health problems. So, why not make a pact with your family that you will all drink more water instead? Of course, if you have kids, they will probably prefer to stick to their sugary drinks. But, you could make a big thing about it. Remember sitting in the dentist’s or doctor’s office and thinking how cool their water dispenser was when you were a kid? Water coolers are usually only hired from companies like Kings Water for offices and waiting rooms, but nobody said you couldn’t think about getting one for the home’s “waiting room”! Getting something like a water cooler or filter installed in your home could make hydration a whole lot more fun, especially if it’s one that bubbles when you’re pouring the water. It’s quick and easy, and should hopefully get your kids more excited about keeping hydrated. While you will be able to improve your family’s hydration levels in one fell swoop.
Go to the dentist
When was the last time you went to the dentist? When you go to a dentist like Aesthetic Dentistry, they will give you advice on how to care for your teeth after an appointment, and avoiding sugary drinks is always top of the list! Also in terms of dental health making sure you are going to the dentist and taking your kids as well, is very important. My first question when I became a mom was “When should you take your baby to the dentist?” The answer is when they have acquired enough teeth for a proper dental exam. Going to the dentist does not just check your teeth, but it also checks for infections and viruses, which is extremely important! And if you’re a wimp, like me, then just close your eyes and wait for it to be over!
Take Some Time Out
Modern life is busy – and tough. There are a lot more expectations and pressures of keeping our employers happy, too. We’re ‘always on’, and if work call or send an email, we tend to answer it, no matter what time of day it is. With so much going on, it can be difficult to take time out for yourself. Even once a week can help, whether it’s going out for a long bike ride, or heading off to the cinema for a while. It will help you take a well-deserved breather, and the reprieve can help you deal with everything else on your plate much better.
Spend More Time With Each Other
Try and do things together as a family or group of friends as much as possible. Again, it’s all about strengthening those bonds. But, if you have a young family, don’t forget about your individual relationships, either. One-to-one time will help you get to know one another on a more intimate basis, and those interpersonal bonds will blossom. Try taking one of your kids out by themselves once a week, and the week after, take the other. Swap around so you and your partner can enjoy spending time with your kids as individuals. It’s all about making friends, and enjoying someone’s company with no other distractions.
Be More Active
Get outside more, and you will all get a lot fitter. Long walks in all weathers can be fun as a family or with friends, and you can use the lure of nature to get the kids more excited. You could even try doing more sports together as the children grow up. Get everyone on their bikes, including the kids, and go for a cycle somewhere with stunning views. Reward them with a trip to a playground once you arrive at your destination. It encourages everyone to be a lot more active, and, for the young ones, it might just stick with them for the rest of their lives.
Learn Something Together
If you want to spend more quality time with your friend, partner, or kids, then learn with them! It’s a great way to go through an experience together, and having that support on hand will help you get through tough periods. You don’t have to do things like math, of course – although whatever floats your boat, right? But, learning the basics of a foreign language can do wonders. Or, for a more simple experience, why not make use of your local museums? There is a world of wonder out there, so get out and see it.
Put Your Phone Away
I have to say, the rise of the smartphone is a wonderful thing in so many ways, but don’t you find that it encroaches on your family life? I have friends with kids that always want to play with that glowing screen. And, it can be hard for parents to pull themselves away from their work emails and social media updates. So, why not ban yourself from using them when your friends, partners or kids are around? It’s not a good example when they see you hunched over your screen playing around with your latest app, and it uses up so much time. Think about spending it interacting with your loved ones, rather than the rest of the world. And, who knows; maybe you’ll even enjoy it!
How are you hoping to improve this year?
***This post contains affiliate links, thank you for supporting this blog.
This is such a great list! I’ve been making a conscious effort to eat more vegetables as side dishes rather than make some carb-loaded dish. I’ve also been taking almost daily walks with my dog. He gets to burn off energy and I get some exercise. It’s a win-win. And I definitely agree on taking some time out. By the end of last year, I was so busy I couldn’t think straight! So I resolved to take it easy, do things a day at a time without getting overwhelmed, and not feeling guilty and taking a little time out for myself.
Good list! I am really trying to drink more water this year. I know how important it is. I am also trying to go on a daily walk.
I’m really working on putting my phone away. It’s just…there…so easily accessible and beeping at me.
I’m really working on putting my phone away. It’s just…there…so easily accessible and beeping at me.
The water thing is SO hard for me! I don’t know why I can’t drink more, but I struggle with it constantly!
I love this!!! I am working on focusing on me and my health this year! I am 9 days with out soda and energy drinks. Right now I am focusing on cutting out convince food more and planning ahead for meals.
I love this!!! I am working on focusing on me and my health this year! I am 9 days with out soda and energy drinks. Right now I am focusing on cutting out convince food more and planning ahead for meals.
This is an excellent list. I think most of them we know we should do, but sometimes it has be written down before we actually think of it as an essential.
This is an excellent list. I think most of them we know we should do, but sometimes it has be written down before we actually think of it as an essential.
Great list, Angie. I love how you really focused on being super practical with these tips! Super achievable. 🙂
This is a wonderful list!
I really need to learn how to put my phone away sometimes.
xoxo, Jenny
Totally agree. Keeping it slow and easy breezy is the way to introduce new items into our life that we want to make habits. Great list!
Totally agree. Keeping it slow and easy breezy is the way to introduce new items into our life that we want to make habits. Great list!
The put your phone away, is huge for our generation!! This is a great list, Angie. Thank you!!
I definitely want to incorporate drink more water and be more active to my list of things this year.
I actually think my boyfriend and I need to spend LESS time together and more time cultivating relationships with other people… like, friends. He needs some. I need more of them. We spend so much time together that I often worry we’re shutting other people out thanks to our preference for one another. Oops. haha
I definitely want to incorporate drink more water and be more active to my list of things this year.
I actually think my boyfriend and I need to spend LESS time together and more time cultivating relationships with other people… like, friends. He needs some. I need more of them. We spend so much time together that I often worry we’re shutting other people out thanks to our preference for one another. Oops. haha
Love your post. These are honestly so simple that everybody can do them They are the simple things in life that we all should doing but probably aren’t. I am hoping to be more active and eat better. I am also wanting to be more “present” in life! Enjoying each day as it comes!
So many of these we have tried to practice more, but making more of an effort everyday. The phone part is probably my biggest habit.
I need to improve this year in every way possible. i was the family caregiver for years, specifically for my mom who had cancer and my brother who had schizophrenia and an alcohol addiction. (I would gladly do it all again if it meant they were still here) As a caregiver, i admit I put myself on the back burner. When mom passed away in July, (Brother has been gone since 2011) I promised everyone in my life that i would start taking better care of myself. I stress eat, and my doctor has tagged me with the horrible term, obese. So I need to eat better and exercise. I need to spend some time doing things that make me happy and fill up my time (because i feel lost and lonely). I need to work on bringing my marriage back to a healthy state because it has suffered considerably. I need to start reconnecting with the other people in my life, because life is short ( I also lost one of my best friends in Nov) i have so much work to do on myself that it honestly seems overwhelming. I guess the frist steep is to come up with some sort of game plan.
Yes! I need to improve my water intake and be more active. I have already failed some New Years Resolutions. I am trying to focus on smaller food portions, but fail that every time at dinnertime.
Yes! I need to improve my water intake and be more active. I have already failed some New Years Resolutions. I am trying to focus on smaller food portions, but fail that every time at dinnertime.
I def need to drink more water, eat smarter… basically I need to do everything on this list lol. Thank you for reminding me about all the changes I need to make in 2016 🙂
I like how you mentioned eating meals together. That’s a big priority for me. I need to add more activity into a day too. I spend way too much time in an office chair, and it’s not good.
I like how you mentioned eating meals together. That’s a big priority for me. I need to add more activity into a day too. I spend way too much time in an office chair, and it’s not good.
I’m really making a concious effort to put my phone up when I’m with others, especially in the evening. Love your list.
Love these tips! I try to take at least one or even two days off every week. I use to be online 24×7, but now, on the weekends, I take time to do other things and even catch up on my sleep. We all need to look after ourselves more.
Love these tips! I try to take at least one or even two days off every week. I use to be online 24×7, but now, on the weekends, I take time to do other things and even catch up on my sleep. We all need to look after ourselves more.
We drink water at our house, so we save on calories that way! When we occasionally dine out, I get a root beer or lemonade (those are my favs) but at home it’s always water. We’re also watching our technology usage, and we keep the kids from being stuck on tech all day long.
These are all things that I need to do more off – especially putting the phone away and being more active. I realize that I spend so much time sitting at a desk and working, and I really need to get out more. Thanks for the motivation and happy new year!
Sound advice for 2016. Believe it or not, I still have an old-fashioned un-smartphone, so I don’t have to worry about putting my phone away, because it’s pretty much inert! At least I’ve got that covered. 🙂
I have resolutions and goals on my list, but this year, I’m doing things differently. They won’t start until Sunday because I am out of town until Saturday – too many distractions to focus on anything else. From your list, I will be drinking more water and eating healthier.