Healthy Lifestyle Changes to Make in the New Year

The start of a new year brings a fresh opportunity to focus on a new goal or direction. New Year’s resolutions are a long-standing tradition, and while they can be an exciting way to challenge yourself, often, these good intentions fall flat within a matter of weeks.

Rather than focusing on big goals or massive changes in 2020, we recommend taking a look at your overall lifestyle. By reflecting on your daily habits, you might discover how a few simple shifts can lead to a happier, healthier way of life that you can sustain beyond just the new year.

If you’re looking for a fresh start in 2020, try these six healthy lifestyle changes that will take your well-being to the next level.

1. Try Health Tracking

Health tracking technology has become a huge trend that’s likely here to stay. From step-counting to heart-rate-monitoring to sleep-tracking, new technologies are helping people take charge of their health and make gradual, meaningful changes to their daily lives.

No matter what area of your well-being you’d like to improve, there’s no doubt a device or app you can use to help you make that transformation. With health tracking technology, you’re able to get real-time data and insight into your health so that you can make immediate adjustments that eventually become habits. After all, making healthy lifestyle changes is all about altering the way you live day-to-day instead of bouncing between unsustainable goals.

2. Personalize Your Self-Care

We all know that self-care is important for maintaining our physical, mental and emotional health. Self-care practices help us to enjoy our lives rather than stress about them. Often though, self-care is touted as a pampering, spa-like experience that gives you permission to indulge yourself. While that’s a nice treat now and then, mental health experts urge us to look at self-care as a way to do the hard but necessary things that will ultimately make us better off in the long-run.

Self-care is highly personal. What looks like self-care to one person might not be right for another. When personalizing self-care, look at the aspects of your life that you know need improving and be honest with yourself about what you’d like to change. It may be a stagnant exercise regime or a neglected diet. It might be poor sleep hygiene or a schedule that’s too busy for creative projects. For many people, taking on too many commitments drains their energy levels, so setting boundaries becomes a crucial act of self-care.

Whatever area you struggle with, that’s where self-care comes into play. The more you personalize your self-care and make improvements in these challenging areas, the more you’ll empower yourself — and that’s a lifestyle change that’s always worth making.

3. Get a Medical Check-Up

When we get busy, we naturally reprioritize things, often letting essential to-dos fall by the wayside. It’s not uncommon for people to delay getting medical care, such as annual health check-ups or doctor visits. This year, as part of your commitment to making healthy lifestyle changes, get a full physical examination.

During a physical, your doctor will check your vitals, such as your heart rate, blood pressure and weight. Regular check-ups ensure you’re in good health, but also help prevent serious and chronic issues like hypertension, heart disease or diabetes. The results of your physical exam will help you make an informed decision about what specific changes you can make in your daily life to feel happier and healthier.

4. Improve Your Sleep Quality

Your physical, mental and emotional health are dependent on the quality of your sleep, among other factors. Poor sleep doesn’t just make you tired or cranky. It can also put you at risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Remember, getting enough sleep not only adds more years to life but more life to your years.

If you’ve been struggling with sleep deficiency — either having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep — then it may be time to make some changes to your daily life that will promote better sleep quality. First, ensure you create a sleep-friendly environment by keeping your room dark and cool. You can also invest in high-quality sleep products, like a supportive mattress and pillow, as well as breathable bed linens. Next, make sure you get enough exercise throughout the day, as the endorphins released from a workout help you sleep better at night. Finally, avoid alcohol and smoking and limit your caffeine intake. These healthy lifestyle shifts will help set you up for better, deeper rest each night.

5. Find Healthier Alternatives

Many people want to make improvements to their diet, whether it’s due to new food intolerances or as a disease-prevention strategy. However, if you’re used to eating foods that taste good but aren’t necessarily good for you, switching up your diet can be a hard change to stick to.

Today there are countless healthy food alternatives that don’t compromise on taste. Plant-based meat products have become extremely popular among those who want to cut back on their meat consumption. There’s also a growing trend toward low-calorie or alcohol-free craft beer, wine, coolers and other beverages to help improve dietary decisions without cutting out enjoyable items completely. Another popular food swap is trading in ice cream for frozen yogurt. No matter what nutritional changes you’re looking to make, there’s sure to be a tasty, healthier alternative available.

6. Monitor Your Posture

With so much of our time spent sitting at a desk or hunched over a smartphone (a condition now known as text neck), it’s no wonder there’s growing awareness about posture-training. Since most people don’t have good posture naturally, it’s something we need to bring our conscious, daily attention to.

Making an effort to correct our posture has its benefits. Poor posture is a leading source of back and neck pain, not to mention it can affect your mood, energy and even your breathing and blood flow. Practicing good posture can improve your spine health, making your back stronger so you’re less likely to succumb to injury.

Correcting poor posture long-term requires making lifestyle adjustments to the way you work, exercise and relax. As often as possible, return to a neutral posture, where your spine’s natural curves are in alignment. The more you practice proper posture, the less pain you’ll feel, and the stronger you’ll become.

Improve Your Posture in 2020 With Relax The Back

As you plan your year ahead, consider what healthy changes will improve your long-term happiness and well-being. Maintaining good posture is a lifestyle habit that will alleviate pain, improve your mood and reduce your risk of injury. But achieving good posture isn’t always easy, and that’s why you need the help of spinal health experts at Relax The Back.

With a range of products for home, work and on-the-go, Relax The Back can help you achieve better posture and overall health this new year. Some of our holistic solutions for spinal health include:

Ergonomic Workstations: Designed to support a healthy spine and reduce repetitive motion injuries, ergonomic workstations and office products from Relax The Back will help relieve chronic pain at work. Standing desks, office chairs, footrests and lumbar supports work together to create an ergonomic workstation that fits your body.
Therapeutic Mattresses: Alleviate painful pressure points and get the deep, relaxing sleep you deserve with therapeutic mattresses from Relax The Back. With our range of Tempur-Pedic and Technolgel products, you’ll be sure to find the perfect mattress to support your body and provide the comfort you need to get a restful sleep.
Zero-Gravity Chairs: Relax at home in a zero gravity chair for better spinal health. Zero gravity chairs reduce the stress of gravity on your body by suspending you in a neutral position and distributing your weight evenly. With a zero gravity recliner from Relax The Back, you’ll have better posture at home as you relax and unwind for the day.

Improve your posture and live healthier in 2020 with ergonomic and wellness solutions from Relax The Back. For more therapeutic and pain-relief products, shop Relax The Back online or visit a local store near you to get a customized solution for improving your spinal health.

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