Here are our top 10 healthy resolutions to help improve your health & lifestyle in 2018.
Would any of these be helpful to you or do you have a different resolution to make?
Reach a healthy weight
A classic resolution - and for good reason. Being overweight increases the risk of developing a number of health complications. Reach a healthy weight and you will reduce this risk and feel better in general.
Exercise more
Another classic! In the UK, over a quarter of adults don’t achieve recommended activity levels. If your lifestyle is perhaps more sedentary than it should be, resolve to change this now as leading an active lifestyle has many health benefits.
5 a day
Do you manage to each your 5 portions of fruit & veg each day? The risk of heart disease, stroke & some cancers is reduced by just eating 400g of fruit and veg each day. Try to eat a wide variety of different colour fruits and veggies to get the most benefit.
Cut down alcohol
If you’re a heavy drinker, cutting down may be the resolution for you. Make sure you have some alcohol free days in the week and stay within the recommended limits.
Cook from scratch
This is usually a much healthier option than buying ready made, processed food. Get online and discover the thousands of easy recipes available and marvel at your newfound cooking prowess!
Get more sleep
Lack of sleep can negatively affect our mental state, making it harder to concentrate and cope. Set yourself an earlier bedtime and stick to it - ban mobile phones, tablets & TV in bed as these suppress sleep hormones and keep your mind busy when it should be winding down.
Eat breakfast
The most important meal of the day! Eating breakfast can stop you snacking on unhealthier treats later in the morning. A healthy breakfast also helps improve your mood and energy levels throughout the morning.
Drink more water
Staying hydrated not only improves your health, but helps you concentrate and get rid of that ‘foggy feeling’ halfway through the afternoon. Average adults should drink 1.5 litres a day - water is best, but other drinks also count (except alcohol).
Quit smoking
There is so much support available if you decide to quit smoking. There are even more reasons to quit! Visit the NHS Smokefree website for free support.
Find your happy place
Good mental health and feeling happy is just as important as your physical health. If you feel you could do with a lift, why not resolve to take up a hobby or reignite an old one. You can take your mind off worries for a while, have fun, and achieve something in one fell swoop!
Tips to Stick
Making resolutions is the easy bit - sticking to them is harder!
Set yourself achievable goals - Committing to a marathon next week when you’ve not been for a run in years is setting yourself up to fail. Be realistic about what you can achieve and set yourself short and long term goals to keep you motivated.
Buddy up - Find a friend to join you on your mission, or at least get your friends & family on board with what you’re doing so they can help keep you motivated.
Remember - Set reminders on your phone, and put stickers or post its around your home or work area to remind you to stick to your resolution.
You can download a PDF version of this information to display on your wellbeing noticeboard here: