5 Simple Ways to Enhance Your Health in 2022
A change doesn't have to be wildly drastic to make an impact. In fact, it is usually small changes over time that create the most significant transformations. Below are 5 simple, and easy, ways that you can improve your overall health and wellbeing in 2022. None of them are earth-shattering and it probably isn't new information. As with any new habit, the most difficult part is training yourself to actually do it! We will talk more about that at the end, but first let's go over these 5 simple strategies to enhance your health this year.
1) Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning before your coffee or tea. You become dehydrated overnight and caffeine dehydrates you even further. Starting the day with water right away helps to re-hydrate you which leads to increased energy throughout the day, decreased headaches and brain fog and improved function overall.
2) Schedule exercise as you would a meeting or other serious commitment. Most people know the benefits of regular exercise but many still struggle to fit it in. Decide when you are going to exercise, stay consistent with it and take it seriously. If you decide that every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am you are going to go to the gym for an hour, or do a 30 minute workout video at home, or whatever works for you, do everything in your power to protect that time as your own. Let it be known that you are not available and mark it on your calendar as a non-negotiable event. Over time you will become used to exercising at that particular time and you won't have to think about it. It just becomes part of your routine.
3) Increase your healthy fat (Omega-3) intake. I truly cannot express enough how important Omega-3 is for our bodies to function properly. First of all, healthy fat is critical for brain function - 60% of our brains are made up of fat! Omega-3 is necessary for our nerves to work, to make hormones and to build our cell membranes! Adequate amounts help decrease inflammation, mental disorders, Alzheimers, ADHD, autoimmune diseases, metabolic syndrome, cancer, asthma and fatty liver disease. Omega-3 is also good for your skin, bones and sleep. Foods high in Omega-3 are salmon, most seafood, chia seeds, walnuts and avocados. However, a huge caveat is that you want the correct ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 and most food contain a higher amount of Omega-6 than 3. For that reason I strongly recommend supplementing your Omega-3. **Omega-3 may lower blood pressure and increase chance of bleeding so ask your doctor if you are on blood pressure or blood thinner medications**
I like to combine my Omega-3 with Vitamin D using this Nordic Naturals supplement.
4) Meditate. I know I have repeated this one again and again but it has honestly changed my life. After years of consistently meditating 3-6 days a week I have developed a profoundly deeper connection to myself and a calmer baseline. I can better assess my needs, understand my emotions, control my thought patterns, calm myself down, work through difficult situations, manage anxiety and so much more. I started by simply finding guided meditations on YouTube but I now use the app Insight Timer or I just sit in silence. My fiancé prefers Headspace and I have also heard great things about Calm. I will warn you that meditating can be frustrating and challenging at first (and honestly even still some days are tough) but it is totally worth it if you stick with it.
5) Celebrate the wins. Pause and look around at your life right in this moment. Take a few breaths to take in all the goodness, all the thing that are going right. As humans it is in our nature to continually be planning for, or worrying about, the future rather than being fully in the now. Stopping to take inventory of how far you've come or what little things you can be thankful for opens you up to more joy, peace and gratitude. Congratulate yourself daily! Show yourself appreciation, event for the mundane things. For example, when I put the laundry away I stop and think "Yay, I'm so glad I did that! My room feels so much more organized and clean now." Small victories matter!
Bonus: Get adjusted regularly! Well, duh! Regular chiropractic adjustments improve your brain-body connection and empower your body's inborn healing ability. Chiropractic care is good for every system in your body and can improve mood while decreasing pain. If you are not already coming in for consistent care now is the perfect time! Reach out to schedule your next appointment.
A note on motivation: Often times we set resolutions with the best of intentions but then fail to see them through. That is because we want to do the things that make us become a 'better' version of ourselves, but we subconsciously don't believe that we are capable of being that person. So we want to do certain things to become a certain type of person but deep down we don't feel like that type of person so we don't fully believe it is possible. The way to work through this setback is to flip the script. Rather than focusing on the thing you need to do in order to be the 'better' version of yourself, focus on how that future version of you feels and align yourself with the energy of that person then you will be able to do the things. Be the version of you then do the things, not the other way around. For example, if you set the goal of going to the gym 4 times a week but in your subconscious you see yourself as being lazy or incapable then you will sabotage yourself. So, when setting the goal of going to the gym close your eyes and imagine how it will feel to be going to the gym 4 times a week. You will feel healthy, accomplished, proud of yourself, energized, happy, etc. Feel the feelings and then set the goal and do the things from that place.