At the start of a new year, lots of us start thinking about our health. Reflecting on your physical and mental health can help you to figure out what you’re doing right and things you still need to work on. If you’re keen to take better care of yourself in 2022, focus on these ten simple ideas.
1 . Create a healthier home
Creating a healthier home is a great way to take better care of yourself. There are plenty of different ways that you can make your home a healthier space, including:
- Consider using Air Purification devices to improve the air quality in your home.
- Stop using toxic cleaning products (you can swap these for plant-based cleaners).
- Remove the clutter from your home, (a cluttered space makes it difficult to relax and unwind).
- Add houseplants to your home, it’s a fantastic way to boost your endorphin levels.
- Grow your own vegetables
Studies show that people who grow their own vegetables tend to have a healthier diet than those who don’t. When you grow your own foods you can avoid using chemical-based fertilizers and focus on organic methods. Growing your own foods has so many health benefits, including:
- Gardening is a great way to improve your fitness, boost your vitamin D levels and unwind.
- Growing your own foods helps you to get a more nutritious diet.
- Creating a vegetable patch is a lovely gardening project to do with your kids.
- Learn about mindfulness
Mindfulness focuses on the idea of appreciating the moment and being fully present. The idea is to avoid worrying about the past or future and learn to be more attentive. Mindfulness is closely associated with meditation, it’s about learning to improve your concentration, focus, and living a more positive lifestyle. If you’re keen to learn more about mindfulness the best thing to do is to read a few books or listen to some mindfulness podcasts.
- Give back to others
Research shows that helping others can improve our own well-being. Make 2022 the year that you get involved in some charitable projects. The first step is to find a cause that you care about. To get started today try checking out the VolunteerMatch app, here you can find many different volunteer opportunities, whether you’re looking for online or in-person roles. Remember you don’t need lots of time to spare, even an hour or so a week could make a huge difference.
- Show gratitude
Expressing gratitude is an amazing way to improve your physical and mental health. When you express gratitude you’ll lift your spirits and learn how to be more positive. There are lots of different ways that you can express gratitude including:
- Try writing a gratitude journal, challenge yourself to write one thing you are grateful for every day.
- Check out gratitude-based apps like ‘Grateful’.
- Express gratitude to your loved ones, use your words and actions to show people that you appreciate them.
- Improve your fitness
Improving your fitness levels is one of the best health goals that you can set yourself. A great fitness regime has so many benefits, you’ll take care of your body and mind, build strength and improve your cardiovascular health. There are many different ways that you can improve your fitness regime in 2022. Make a start with these simple ideas:
- Try a new exercise class whether it’s kickboxing, dance, or Pilates.
- Check out a few fitness apps, there are plenty to choose from.
- Treat yourself to a few sessions with a personal trainer.
- Join a healthy club, (hiking or wild swimming for example).
- Improve your skincare regime
We all need to take good care of our skin, especially during the winter months. If your skin is feeling a little dry try using a natural moisturizer. You can make your own natural moisturizer using ingredients like coconut oil, avocado, and aloe vera. Other natural ingredients you can use on your skin include bananas, papaya, and rosehip oil. To give your skin a healthy glow, a vitamin C serum is a perfect product.
- Set personal development goals
Looking after your health isn’t just about exercise and diet, it’s about personal development. When you set yourself life goals you can focus on your overall happiness and the achievements that you’re looking to make. Your personal development goals might be about your career, relationships, or ambitions? To inspire you it can be helpful to read personal development books or book a session with a life coach. You might also like to take a look at these personal development podcasts:
- Mindset Radio
- The Tiffany Han Show
- Tiny Leaps Big Changes
- Work on your bad habits
The beginning of the year is a great time to address your bad habits and work on fixing these. You might have bad habits like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, or eating lots of junk food? Perhaps you struggle with being on your phone too often or staying up late at night? Whatever your bad habits are, be honest with yourself and start by setting yourself small goals. Breaking unhealthy habits can take time, and so you’ll need to be patient with yourself.
- Try a new hobby
Trying something new is a great way to kickstart the new year, you’ll give your well-being a boost and pick up some new skills. You might try a creative hobby, a sports hobby, or learn a new language? It can sometimes feel a bit daunting to try new things alone, and so you might prefer to take a friend with you? Start researching today and find yourself a few great ideas.
Taking better care of yourself is the key to feeling great in body and mind. There are so many different health goals you can try. Becoming the best version of you is about perseverance and patience. Set yourself easy goals at first, there’ll be a time for more of a challenge later on.