Each time a new year rolls around, scores of people sit down and write down their goals for the new year. If you are one of those people, setting goals is an important way to encourage self-improvement year after year. Here are some specific tips for improving the way you look and feel this year.
Sign Up for Active Events
It’s not unusual for people to lose motivation after the first few weeks (or days!) of adopting healthier habits. A great way to keep this from happening to you is to sign up for one or more athletic events that require you to train consistently over the next few months. Make sure your goals are realistic. For example, you may not want to sign up for a marathon if you’re severely overweight and haven’t worked out in years. However, a 5K may be a great starting goal for you and can help you get going in the right direction.
Strengthen Your Spine and Core
There are a lot of issues that stem from a weak core, including coordination problems, poor posture and backaches. Additionally, you tend to look up to 10 pounds heavier when you don’t stand straight. To combat these common problems, it’s important to strengthen your spine and core. You can do this with targeted exercises. The LongSpine Method offered by Newport Medical and Wellness Center is a class that features therapeutic exercises intended to strengthen the muscles along the spine, peripheral nerves and limbs. Attending this class can yield noticeable benefits in how strong your core feels.
Get Enough Sleep
There may not be such a thing as a Fountain of Youth, but sleep comes pretty close. Your body needs sufficient sleep to repair itself and get ready for the next day. Chronic lack of sleep is linked to all kinds of problems, including frequent headaches, stubborn weight gain and premature aging. It can also lead to many different illnesses and diseases. If you are serious about improving the way you look and feel this year, adequate sleep should be at the top of your goal list.
Get a Haircut
It’s kind of surprising how much your hair affects the way you look and feel about yourself. Damaged, out-of-control locks can make you feel frumpy and unattractive, even if you’re dressed to the nines. You don’t need to do anything extreme. A simple trim and updated color can make a world of difference in your appearance and confidence.
Eat Healthy
You are what you eat. So if you’re constantly chowing down on fattening foods that have little substance and can’t fuel your body, you’ll start to feel pudgy and tired before too long. Fortunately, you can energize your body and your mind by changing your eating habits today. The longer you stick to healthy foods and avoid nutritionally poor options, the more your taste buds will change. Over time, your body will start to prefer and crave nutritious foods over unhealthy snacks that are devoid of nutrients.
Making goals is great, but you need to break them into achievable steps if you want to be successful. Follow the tips above to finally improve your health and look and feel your best this year.
