Interested in choosing a New Year’s Resolution for your health and wellbeing? You’re in the right place!
You don’t want use the same, hackneyed New Years resolution to lose weight AGAIN this year.
There are plenty of ideas to benefit your health that will leave you feeling more satisfied, less frustrated, and ultimately will help you improve your well being and quality of life.
These healthy New Year’s Resolution ideas are great for anyone but are specifically geared toward women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. You deserve to live a healthy, fulfilling life in 2023!
New Year Resolution Ideas for Health and Wellness in 2023
Here at Wild Simple Joy, we believe in a holistic approach to health. What that means is that there are many aspects to your health that have an influence on each other as well as your overall well-being, including:
- What you eat
- How you move your body
- How you think (mindset, positivity vs criticism)
- How you manage stress
- How you connect with others
- What you put on your body (skincare, makeup, etc)
- What you put in your home (toxic scents, chemicals, cleaners, etc)
Consider all these things when you’re choosing your healthy New Year’s resolution idea!
READ MORE: 10 Ways to Increase Your Personal Accountability & Self-Discipline
Why Do You Want to Get Healthy?
Before I share my 18 healthy New Years resolution ideas, think about this: why do you want to get healthy? What’s your motivation?
Take out a journal or piece of paper and brainstorm for a little while.
Maybe you want to have more energy to play with your kids.
Maybe you work long hours and want to have mental focus and clarity all day.
Whatever your motivation is, there’s no wrong answer! It’s just very important to consider the end goal when you’re working towards a healthy lifestyle. Because there are tons of things that are going to get in your way.
For help planning your New Year’s Resolution, make sure you check out Boss Lady’s New Year Resolution Action Plan to help you stay organized and motivated all year long!
18 Inspired Healthy New Year’s Resolution Ideas!
Many of these New Year’s resolution ideas for health and wellness don’t only benefit your health: they might benefit your wallet, your confidence, or your child’s life! Choosing a resolution for your health is one that can trickle into other areas of your life in a crazy-positive way!
1. Drink a gallon of water a day
Drinking enough water is one of the first steps you can take for your health. Drinking enough water each day can help relieve headaches, boost your energy, relieve constipation, and can even help aid weight loss.
Experts recommend you drink “drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day.” For adults who are 150 pounds, this means that you would drink between 75 and 150 ounces every day, which is a lot. A gallon of water is 128 ounces.
(If you have medical conditions, make sure you check with your doctor!)
Make sure your daily planner has a water tracker! This one does!
2. Meal plan for your health
Meal planning is simply just planning any number of your weekly meals ahead of time! It can help you with portion control, prevent you from eating out, and gives you more opportunities for healthier choices for snacks like veggies & hummus or a piece of fruit.
Meal planning can not only benefit your health, it can also help you save money AND prevent food waste!
Also, sitting down for dinner can have tremendous effects on your children’s health and development.
Have kids? Learn more about Meal Planning in a Kid-Friendly Way!
3. Eat 1 or 2 vegetarian dinners per week
This healthy New Year’s resolution idea is two-fold: get healthy, help the planet.
Beef (and even poultry) farming is incredibly harmful to the environment, because of factors like land and water usage, animal methane, and fossil fuel use. Beef is thought to be 10x more harmful than poultry farming, so cut out beef more frequently.
On the health end, vegetarians have a lower rate of hypertension, cancer rates, and other diseases. But be careful… if you’re eating veggie burgers and fries for your “vegetarian meal”, you’re not really benefiting your health. So make sure you read #5 below and eat more veggies to benefit your health!
READ MORE: Your New Year’s Resolution to Live Life to the Fullest!
4. Practice self care every week
Self-care is becoming more and more important in our hectic world.
self care tends to improve our immunity, increase positive thinking and make us less susceptible to stress, depression, anxiety and other emotional health issues.
If you’re in an area of the country still under the pandemic’s grasp, make sure you read 25 Self Care Ideas for When You’re Stuck at Home or 23 Calm Evening Routine Ideas for Moms.
5. Eat more plants
In a world full of “food-like-products”, getting your daily recommended intake of veggies and fruits isn’t easy. The US government advises every person to eat 1-3 cups of vegetables per day, but let’s be honest… if you’re aiming to get healthy, you should probably be eating about 50% vegetables.
That might be a stretch, but vegetables and fruits are some of the most nutrient-dense foods! That means that per calorie, you get a much higher ratio of key nutrients that our bodies need, like vitamins and minerals.
By eating more plants, you’re lowering your calories and getting more of the building blocks your body needs to build a healthy body.
6. Learn the art of mindful eating
Start by eating sitting down. Get rid of everything else around you. No phone, no computer, no work.
It’s just you and your food. Be more present and mindful while you eat.
Sitting down to eat your meals is an incredibly healthy practice and can be a first step toward mindful eating.
RELATED: 12 Tips Improving Your Health As A New Year’s Resolution
7. Track your steps
Walking has amazing benefits and is a great addition to these healthy New Year’s resolution ideas! As Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple says:
“Move frequently at a slow pace.”
Our ancestors were nomadic and walked everywhere. Whereas, now we sit way too much. Sitting too much is absolutely detrimental to our health.
When you track your steps, you start an awareness of how much you actually move during the day and you can adjust accordingly. Studies say that you should walk 10,000 steps a day for health and weight loss. So pick up a fitbit or other health tracker for the New Year to start tracking those steps!
RELATED POST: Achieving Holiday Weight Loss: Surviving Christmas on a Diet
8. Spend more time outside
There have been many studies that observe the correlation between nature and overall health. Nature has been proven to help with depression, exercise, and even creativity.
According to an article written for Yale School of the Environment,
(Nature) can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune system function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.
That sounds good from all angles. Spend time in nature, and nature is already paying you back with enhanced health and mental wellness.
9. Eat your veggies for breakfast
Start your day off right by adopting a healthy New Year’s resolution idea to eat vegetables for breakfast a few days a week.
Personally, I find inspiration and motivation the easiest when it’s morning. I’m ready to go and conquer all my goals. It makes breakfast a great time to eat veggies.
Tasty has some really great ways to add veggies to your healthy breakfast! Ditch the cereals, donuts, muffins, and other unhealthy carbs, and load up on veggies first thing in the morning.
10. Walk 3 times a week with a friend
As I mentioned above, walking is an amazing and easy way to inject health into your life. Head to the gym to walk on the treadmill, or take a walk during your lunch break with a coworker.
When working on how to follow through with your New Year’s resolution, finding a buddy can be a great way to be successful. Connecting with others is actually a fantastic way to boost our immune system too!
11. Start taking a probiotic
Scientists are continuing to discover the importance of gut health. Did you know that there are actually nerve bundles in the gut that send impulses to the brain? Your gut is like its own mini-brain!
Gut health can have major impacts on all kinds of bodily processes, including your weight, and your digestive health. Gut health can even impact mental health.
There are many things that can affect your gut health, but taking probiotics and prebiotics are one way to start. Take a look at the health benefits of my favorite probiotic and gut health supplement.
12. Practice body positivity
Yes, something as simple as body positivity is another fantastic healthy New Year’s resolution idea. Body positivity is a movement geared toward:
- challenging how society views the body
- promoting the acceptance of all bodies
- helping people build confidence and acceptance of their own bodies
- addressing unrealistic body standards
(Very Well Mind)
Um… YES TO ALL OF IT!
I thoroughly believe that loving our bodies and showering them with gratitude can help us honor our bodies and treat them well. Body positivity can help lead you to a healthier lifestyle and as well as greater self-confidence.
RELATED POST: 20 Affirmation Card Sets to Change Your Mindset
13. Work out with a friend once a week
Adults should be working out. HHS.gov tells us that: “For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity.”
Are you working out that much?
Again, let’s get a buddy for connection and immunity-boosting health benefits! Take them to the gym (if it’s safe in your area) or to a pilates class.
Hip hop dance? Yes, please!
Even getting a subscription to something like Beach Body and working out with a friend in your own home (it may be safer) will help you get fit without going to the gym.
RELATED: Learn How to Support Other Women and Why It’s Necessary
14. Go to bed early, wake up early
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise.
Your man Mr. Benjamin Franklin
Sleep is absolutely essential to our health, and when you turn in early and wake up early, it’s incredibly beneficial. Studies show that people who go to bed earlier are happier, reduce their risk of diseases, and control their weight easier than those that don’t.
So work on getting 8 hours of sleep a night, and start your day early! Make sure you check out how to create an energizing morning routine with these habits!
15. Ditch the drinks
Really want a great healthy New Year’s resolution idea? Quit the booze.
According to the CDC, there are a lot of risks that come with drinking. But did you know that quitting alcohol altogether can help you lose weight, get clear skin, and feel more energetic?
Check out these pics on BoredPanda of people who gave up drinking. Some were alcoholics, some just gave it up for their health… regardless, ALL of their transformations were stunning.
RELATED POST: Try Setting a New Year’s Aspiration if You’re Short on Time This Year
16. Try a 30 Day Program
30 Days can be a great jump-start into a healthier lifestyle! Whole30 was one of the first, and it’s also very strict.
You might want to consider an easier one like Arbonne’s 30 Days to Healthy Living. Drink delicious smoothies, focus on whole foods and clean eating, enhance your gut health, and start to feel great.
30 days can be just enough time to springboard you into a permanent, healthy lifestyle.
17. Get educated
Spending your time learning something new about health concepts like nutrition can help transform your knowledge and help you change your habits. Awareness and knowledge can be the first step into a healthier lifestyle.
Read The 12 Best Nutrition Books in 2020
Take a look at this excellent list of fitness books for women.
Get reading today!
18. Get a healthy mindset
None of these New Year’s resolutions for health and wellness are beneficial unless you have a healthy mindset.
Start by learning about mindset hacks like affirmations. Then make sure you’re using the best affirmations for health and fitness.
Another great place to begin when learning about mindset is with Dr. Joe Dispenza. A neuroscientist, Dr. Dispenza uses his research to explain how meditation and visualization are powerful tools when finding success in your life, from career to health.
Conclusion
These healthy New Year’s Resolution ideas are a great way to break free of the standard, boring New Year’s Resolutions for health. Health encompasses so many aspects of our lives, from our nutrition, our self-care, and our emotional wellbeing. Don’t neglect the different parts of your health!
And get a little healthier in 2023!
Want even more New Year’s Resolution Ideas? Check out these 25 New Year’s Resolutions for Personal Development in 2023!
What’s your New Year’s Resolution this year?!
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Renee Watson
Tuesday 20th of December 2022
Great article! Grass-fed cows and free-range chickens don’t cause environmental issues and their meat is much healthier. A filet mignon from a grass fed cow is just as good for you as wild caught salmon. But all animals that are factory farmed are higher in omega six which causes inflammation. It’s more expensive, but worth it. It’s all about what the animals are eating, because that ends up being the same thing you are eating. Factory farmed animals are injected with all sorts of horrible things and they eat other diseased and dead animals and they eat their own feces. Always choose grass fed, wild caught and free range. If you really care about animals, it’s a much more humane life for these animals. Also remember that names like prime, corn-fed☠️, etc. mean nothing.
Nicole
Tuesday 8th of December 2020
Hi Dawn - could I use the concepts from your article to create a New Year's Resolution bulletin board? While giving you credit for the ideas? Nicole
Dawn Perez
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
Hi Nicole! Thanks so much for the credit! Please use these ideas for your bulletin board.