7 New Year Resolutions To Radically Change You for The Better

With 2022 coming to a close, it’s time to look onward with hope toward 2023 for a new year and new you. We have all been in your position, trying to create groundbreaking new year resolutions to make us transformed and unrecognizable. However, for a lot of us, we tend to get overwhelmed with what goals to set for our careers? Our hobbies? Our personal growth? Don’t worry, we have taken out the guesswork and have compiled a list of 7 healthy habits that are challenging yet very attainable. I promise all areas of your life will drastically flourish within 6 months time if you consider making these 7 habits a part of your daily routine:

1. Don’t take your sleep for granted

The start of your day is 100% dictated by the quality of sleep you get but if you’re anything like my old self, trying to cram 8 hours of sleep in 5 hours is insanity. Imagine trying to get through everyday with your phone or laptop only 50% charged, constantly worrying that it could shut off at any moment. Same can be said for your energy throughout the day. This can be easily fixed by planning your sleep time the same way you would plan for a massage. Consider what time you would need to be in bed and more importantly, how much time you need to allow your mind to relax and ease into a good sleep routine. You wouldn’t be binging a Netflix series to postpone a relaxing massage, so what makes you think staying up daily and sacrificing your rest would be any more beneficial? Quick fix: Turn off all screens 1 hour before your planned sleeping time and allow your mind to “power down”.

2. Start your day with meditation and pick 3 goals for the day

Too many things are out of our control which can lead to feelings of self doubt, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed. I think it’s not only good for our productivity but for our mental health to take 10 minutes of your day to meditate, pick 3 goals that you can achieve, and focus on what is really important to you. Both of these go hand in hand because meditation helps us sift through the excess noise clouding our thoughts which better allows us to set goals that will help improve our lives little by little. For me personally, my quiet time involves reading something positive, affirmations, and prayer. After that, I write down 3 goals that help me feel proud of my day once they are all completed. These tasks can be major goals such as finishing work deadlines or minor things that need my attention like returning amazon packages. Quick fix: Start with 3 simple goals, the little wins will add up to big wins over time. 

3. Prioritize your workouts

You don’t need me to tell you what you already know, take care of your body now and it will take care of you in the future. But too many times I hear of people “not having time to workout”. I’m not asking for a 2 hour, Dwayne Johnson, iron pumping workout. Just move in a way that makes you happy for 30-45 minutes. The reason why you have no time to workout is because you didn’t make time to workout. If you have time to plan dinner dates, eyelash appointments, haircuts, then you can also look at your calendar and schedule a few sessions to go for a jog, hike your local trail, or a few games of pickleball with friends. Quick fix: Look at the calendar next week and pick 3-4 time slots that you can get a workout in. 

4. Drink 1 gallon of water daily

One of the easiest things we can do and a necessity for all facets of life is to stay hydrated. The Mayo Clinic advises men to drink about 1 gallon (3.7 liters) a day and for women to drink just a little less at 2.7 liters. However, if we are also exercising, we are losing fluids and need to replenish them, meaning women should be drinking about 1 gallon a day as well. Drinking water helps with muscle growth, cushions joints, healthy skin, filtration, nutrient digestion, everything. So take that advice from your doctor to heart and see how much healthier you feel if you commit to drinking 1 gallon of water a day. Quick fix: Drink 4 40oz-hydro flasks a day, try to finish a full bottle every 4 hours. 

5. Find out when you are most productive

According to the sleep doctor, Dr. Michael Brues, everyone has different sleep needs and should adjust accordingly. Complimentary to sleep types, everyone has a specific chronotype which determines when your most energetic times of your day would be. For example, night owls are most productive and creative at night compared to early birds who are productive first thing in the morning. Finding your chronotype can mean all the difference with when to schedule intense work time and when to schedule play time. Moreover, your chronotype can suggest when to drink coffee and when to start getting ready for bed as your energy levels will dwindle in accordance to your specific chronotype. After I was able to find out that I’m a bear chronotype, I realized that I am most productive around noon and my workouts are most effective in the afternoon as my body has fully “woken” up by then. This could mean all the difference on when to prioritize your biggest tasks and how to maximize your hours of activity and creativity. Quick Fix: Take the quiz here to figure out what chronotype you below:

6. Learning a new skill 30 mins a day 

It’s obvious that learning a new skill will aid in personal growth but learning a new skill can also have immediate effects on keeping your brain healthy. In the book, Ikigai, written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, they discuss how learning a new skill will help access pathways in your brain that haven’t been used, thus keeping the brain healthy and active. The idea behind it is, your brain has already established pathways that revolve around our daily living, this can cause degeneration for areas of the brain we use less frequently. However, the brain finding ways to adapt to new skills can help keep the brain healthier and more active by accessing pathways that we typically would never tap into. 

7. Spend 45 mins outdoors moving

Studies have shown that lack of vitamin D has been show to drag down your mood and in more severe cases, has been linked to signs of depression and cases of suicide. We can help supplement this through food but I firmly believe scheduling 45 mins of your day outdoors has 2 key components that are better than taking a food supplement: 1. Going for a walk or being outdoors everyday gives us a chance to step away from our work and allow our minds to take a short break. This can help with decompressing and recharging due to the lack of mental stimulation during a walk. 2. Along with the 6 previous goals, going outside is often the hardest goal to complete on a regular basis. It’s easy to get stuck in our own comfort and neglect to make it outside. Holding ourselves accountable by going out on days that are tiring, too hot, or too cold, will help us hone the skill of mental toughness which will drastically infect all other goals we may have, work goals, personal goals, and health goals, will all fall into place because of our commitment to invest in ourselves every day, no negotiations. Quick Fix: Knock out this goal earlier in your day to prevent getting complacent and finding reasons to stay in. 

Before starting this transformation, just remind yourself that diamonds are formed through immense pressure, heat, and lots of time. Although these life changes may look intense, nothing worth having is easy so focus on the end goal. Take it one day at a time and maybe find a partner to go through these resolutions with you to keep you accountable, leading to more chances of succeeding. 2023 will be the year you leveled up and I can’t wait to see the fruits of your labor. 

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Written By Niko Del Rey

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