At the beginning of every new year, people create huge new goals and set out to become a new version of themselves. I am a huge fan of personal development and always striving to be better, however I don’t necessarily think large, vague goals are the most effective. I believe that small, attainable changes are what will help you to become healthier in 2020.
When we think of health, we often think of working out and losing weight. But there are so many other aspects of health that are important.
Ok hear me out, I promise these tips have the potential to truly change your life, even if they aren’t necessarily what you came here looking for.
I’ve been on a journey of pursuing a natural, non-toxic lifestyle for about 4 years now, and it has contributed to my overall health more than I could have imagined.
I want to share a combination of some of the typical, physical health tips you may be used to hearing, as well as some new ones that I believe will help you in your desire to become healthier in 2020!
DITCH TOXIC PRODUCTS
Like I said, these may not be the typical health tips you’re used to hearing. But the cleaning products you use in your home every single day are having more of an effect on your health than you could ever imagine. I have a whole blog post dedicated to Why I Switched To Non-Toxic Products.
When making the swap to non-toxic products, I recommend first switching the products you use every single day. Things like dish soap, laundry soap and all-purpose cleaner are relatively easy swaps! And while it may not seem like these products are causing you any problems (it didn’t for me!), I promise that swapping them will help you to become healthier in 2020.
DITCH FRAGRANCE
To elaborate on the previous topic, products with fragrance are very detrimental to your health. I never believed I was someone who was sensitive to fragrance, but as I have removed all synthetic fragrances from my life I have seen huge improvements in my allergies, my skin and overall health.
Fragrance in products is linked to cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergies (1). Contrary to popular belief, the FDA does not have systems in place to protect consumers from cosmetic and household products. There are exactly 11 ingredients banned from cosmetics, and anything else is legally allowed to be used in products.
Ditching fragrance will have a huge impact in allowing you to become healthier in 2020 and is so simple.
I have replaced every scented product in my home with homemade Essential Oil recipes.
ADD VEGGIES
Most of the time we associate New Year’s with hard core diets and food fads. I’m a believer that simpler is better. Instead of eliminating 87 things from your diet, simply add more good foods.
Focusing on getting several servings of vegetables every single day will be a huge factor in you becoming healthier in 2020!
PICK ONE FOOD AREA TO LIMIT
After the holidays many people say they are going to 100% give up soda, fast food, sugar, etc. I think this is setting yourself up for failure, as most people don’t do well with extremes like this.
While I think that these are incredible goals to eventually work towards, I think you will be more successful if you limit one thing at a time.
Chose one category such as soda and work on eliminating that for a month or so to work towards being healthier in 2020.
DRINK MORE WATER
I’ll preach this until the day I die because I truly believe it has the potential to flip your health. I like to go be the advice to drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 100 lbs, drink 50 ounces of water.
I’ve been drinking large amounts of water for as long as I can remember, so I am hyper aware of when my body feels dehydrated. I will get dull head tension, muscle aches, cravings, or have restless sleep. If you aren’t used to what it feels like to drink enough water, these symptoms may have become so normal to you that you don’t even notice them anymore.
If you forget to drink water throughout the day, it helps so much to have a water bottle that you can bring with you that you love drinking from. I’ve always been a fan of water bottles with a straw, or at least a large water bottle that I can store my own straw inside. And I try to stick to metal or glass bottles as they are non-toxic!
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SLEEP
I know, another cliche category. But I feel like so many people try to boycott sleep and replace it with other things. The reality is that the only way you’re going to get healthier in 2020 is if you fully commit to getting 7-8 hours of sleep EVERY DAY.
In college I was often asked by my friends how I was able to always get so much sleep. The reality was that I prioritized it. I planned my schedule around my need to get 8-9 hours of sleep every night. I was diligent with my time in order to guard this.
Your body needs enough sleep to function optimally. A lack of sleep can affect your emotions, weight gain, immune system, focus, and so much more. Fully commit to getting enough sleep if you are serious about becoming healthier in 2020.
If you found these tips helpful, be sure to pin this for later or to share with a friend!
