5 Tips to a Healthier New Year and Lifestyle in 2022

Come January 1st, we are always interested in New Year’s resolutions to clean up our health, particularly if it has been a VERY festive holiday season. The consumption of relentless alcohol, sugar and Christmas ham not only cause us to gain a few unwanted kilos, but we typically find ourselves addicted to sugar, fatigued and in a state that’s not all productive when it’s time to get back to work.

Becoming healthy is one of the most common resolutions, and for a good reason – without vibrant health and well being, how can we really begin to enjoy life to its fullest and achieve our personal goals.

 Here are some key tips for cultivating a healthier lifestyle for 2022 and beyond.

1.    Enjoy a Cleanse

The New Year is an excellent time to undergo a detox or cleanse to reset and refresh the system.

Start with something manageable, like kicking caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, refined sugars, gluten and dairy for a week or two. A cleanse to the system will provide mental clarity, support weight loss and act as a circuit breaker for unhealthy habits adopted over the holiday season.

2.    Ensure you get sufficient sleep

Ensure to get 8 hours of sleep per night wherever possible. Sometimes we overlook the importance of getting enough sleep, but ongoing sleep deficiencies dramatically raise our risk of chronic health problems.

Sleep is vital for restoring your body, ensuring optimum detoxification and repairing cell damage. It is essential for optimal brain function and supports our physical and mental well being.

During the holiday season, we tend to stay up late more often, sleep in more and take day naps – all of which disrupt our body clock. So when the time comes to get back to work, 6am isn’t as easy!

So for 2022, set yourself up to get good quality and quantity of sleep. Aim to be in be by 10 pm and follow the ancient motto regarding sleep ‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise.’

3.    Drink water

Maintaining hydration ensures a clear head, clear skin, balanced moods and stable energy. Ideally, aim to drink 1 cup of warm water every waking hour for optimal hydration.

4.    Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes per day

Moving assists with digestion, supports our well being and is key to shedding those pesky few extra kilograms we may have accrued. A minimum of 30 minutes of movement daily is needed for cardiovascular preventative effects.

5.    Make small, powerful changes

Don’t try to overhaul your diet and lifestyle all at once. You may be feeling inspired in the new year, but if you make sweeping life changes, you could be left feeling overwhelmed and tempted to give up altogether. The key is to start small and build from there. Take 1 or 2 things initially, introduce them to your diet or lifestyle, then once they become a part of your daily routine, add some more.

For example, if your goal is to work out more, but you are out of shape and intimidated by the idea of exercise, instead of planning a daily 1-hour exercise program every morning at 6 am, start by doing something easy. Try going for a walk in the neighbourhood for 10 minutes as soon as you get home from work. Or a 5 minute morning workout routine in your living room, and build from there.

The key is to make small changes and start doing things on a daily basis. This is how you create the most sustainable change and make your New Year resolutions a reality.

If you’d like some help with any of these tips, speak to our qualified health practitioner about putting together tailored a plan for you. Contact administration@griffithconsulting.com today and enquire about our health services.

Author: Tegan Wallis

Tegan is a Naturopath, Ayurveda Health Consultant and Yoga Teacher at Griffith Consulting's sister company, Veda Wellness.

Tegan is one of Griffith Consulting's key program facilitators and specialises in workplace health & wellness. 

For more information about Tegan or her services, please go to: www.vedawellness.com.au