As we enter the new year, many people are focused on turning their new year’s resolutions into healthy habits that stick. According to the Statista Global Consumer Survey, the top three most common resolutions in the United States are exercising more, eating healthier, and losing weight—all health-related goals.
While working to improve your health is an admirable goal, it’s far easier to achieve when you get specific. For example, instead of saying “I’m going to get healthier this year,” try saying “I’m going to get healthier this year by drinking a gallon of water a day.”
In today’s blog post, we’re sharing a handful of easy ways to improve your health that you can start right now. Don’t wait for the tomorrow that never comes to start changing your life for the better. Choose a few of your favorites (or even just one!) from this list and try adding them to your daily routine. Let’s make 2023 our best year yet.
Here are 10 small but mighty steps to improving your health this year:
- Drink More Water
Remember that bit in the intro about drinking a gallon of water a day to improve your health? We weren’t just saying that! Many people don’t drink as much water as they should and don’t even realize that they’re dehydrated.
In reality, being dehydrated can negatively impact everything from your skin to your metabolism and energy levels. Try infusing your water with your favorite fruits or buying a gallon-sized water bottle to help you keep track of how much to drink.
- No Screens Before Bed
You’re winding down in bed and you pick up your phone to start scrolling through social media. Suddenly, hours have passed and you’re up later than you meant to be. Sound familiar? We’ve all fallen into this habit before and lost valuable sleep because of it.
Try breaking the pattern by putting away your phone an hour before you plan on going to sleep. You might be surprised at how much easier it is to fall asleep and get the rest your mind and body need to feel recharged the next day.
- Add Self-Care To Your Daily Routine
Self-care serves as an important part of caring for your mind and body, providing tremendous benefits to both mental and physical health. There are many ways you can incorporate self-care into your daily routine depending on your interests.
Examples include journaling in the morning, going for a walk in the afternoon, and meditating before bed. Any healthy activity that reduces stress and brings you joy qualifies as self-care, so choose one that works for you and make it a priority in your everyday life.
- Infuse CBD Into Your Life
Cannabidiol (CBD) boasts a wide range of science-backed health benefits when applied topically, through smoke inhalation, or edible consumption. Whether you’re looking to relieve physical pain or reduce anxiety and depression, CBD can be a natural yet powerful way to improve your mental and physical health.
By interacting with neuroreceptors in the endocannabinoid system, CBD is able to help regulate your mood, immune response, memory, appetite, and inflammation. If you’re interested in trying CBD, it’s best to start with a low dosage and slowly work your way up as you determine what works for your body.
- Go Outside Every Day
Believe it or not, Mother Nature has some serious healing powers. Spending time outdoors can have a wildly positive impact on your mental and physical health by providing benefits like boosting immunity, reducing stress, and improving mood.
Going outside for even just ten minutes in the middle of a stressful work day could be just what you need to recharge your batteries, improve your focus, and shift your mindset. Whether you choose to read a book on the patio or go for a walk in the neighborhood, try to prioritize spending some time outside every day.
- Eat More Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are some of the healthiest foods you can put in your body, but many of us don’t eat nearly enough. If your 2023 new year’s resolution was to eat healthier, a great way to do that is by incorporating more leafy greens into your diet.
Vegetables like arugula, kale, chard, and spinach are packed with fiber and nutrients that support optimal brain function, gut health, stress relief, immune health, clear skin, blood glucose levels, and healthy aging. You can pack your leafy greens into smoothies, salads, wraps, stir fries, or even consume them as a green powder in water.
- Practice Gratitude
The power of gratitude is not to be underestimated. Practicing gratitude enables you to shift your mindset from what you want to what you have. By actively being grateful for the things and people in your life, you can banish negative thoughts and rewire your brain to focus on all the positive instead.
Studies have shown that gratitude can help to improve your mental health, self-esteem, relationships, and sleep. You can incorporate this practice into your daily routine by getting a gratitude journal and starting each day with a list of what you’re grateful for.
- Declutter Your Home
The cleanliness of the space you live in can have a significant impact on your mental health. When you’re surrounded by mess and clutter, it can reduce your motivation and make it feel impossible to focus on anything productive.
One small but mighty step to improving your health in 2023 is to declutter your home one room at a time. Start with spaces you use frequently that may be more cluttered, like the kitchen pantry or your closet, and purge the items you no longer need to make it easier to keep the space organized. You’ll be surprised by how good it makes you feel!
- Limit Processed Foods
We all love snacking on potato chips or popping a frozen pizza into the oven for a quick meal from time to time, but they aren’t doing anything positive for our health. In 2023, let’s focus on eating nourishing moods that fuel us, rather than processed foods that slow us down and negatively impact our health.
This doesn’t mean you need to eliminate processed foods altogether, it simply means reducing your intake of them to make more room for the nutrient-dense foods our bodies crave. Focus on the outer sections of the grocery store, where you can find fresh produce, lean meats, beans, and whole grains.
- Stretch Every Morning
Starting your morning with a five to ten-minute stretch can increase your range of motion for the rest of the day, making it easier to move around and perform physical activities.
Stretching also improves blood flow, relieves stress, prevents back pain, and calms the mind. If you’re looking for an act of self-care to incorporate into your daily routine, stretching in the morning makes a fantastic choice.
For more articles on all things health and hemp-related, check out our blog and stay tuned for more. If you’re ready to infuse your life with CBD, head over to our CBD Marketplace to shop high-quality salves, oils, candles, and more.