Happy New Year! At the start of 2020, many of us look ahead with optimism and hope to the ways that life can improve in the coming months, and the fundamentals of life improvement have to do with our health. Whether you are thinking of healthy living in terms of diet and exercise or quitting addictions to harmful substances, chemicals, or vices, it is not a simple endeavor to change one’s life. Human beings are animals of habit, and we often have trouble changing our behavior once it is set in place. Let’s take a look at a few different New Year’s resolutions regarding health and consider ways to make the transformation.
Healthy Eating
When it comes to changing our diet, all the optimism of the New Year can fly out the window at the sight of a pastry, pizza, or the ice cream aisle at the grocery store. These delicious foods call our names even when we know that they can have detrimental effects on our long-term wellbeing. What can be done in the face of these temptations? Among the countless approaches to diet and nutrition, experts agree that willpower is seldom sufficient to make a lasting life change. Forming new eating habits is the key to success, and habits do not form magically as the clock turns from 11:59 PM in 2019 to 12:00 AM in 2020. Rather than trying to summon willpower in the snack aisle of the grocery store or while standing in the kitchen at 11:00 PM with a sweet tooth, take a step toward forming one good habit. Perhaps you can limit the sugar in your coffee in the morning or switch carrots for cookies as your afternoon snack.
Healthy Exercise
Active living is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, yet sometimes it can feel like an insurmountable obstacle to get your body to the gym. How can you make it easier on yourself to keep the New Year’s resolution to exercise? One of the keys to habit formation is to link new habits to old ones. Perhaps you have a habit of walking the dog in the morning. Why not put on running shoes and turn that walk into an easy jog? It is likely that your canine friend could use the activity as well! Or maybe you are already in the habit of making coffee every morning. You might catch up on your social media feed while waiting for the water to boil, but why not tie your coffee-making habit to some stretching exercises instead. These small steps might feel insufficient to a total life transformation, but once a new habit is in place it can pave the way for the bigger changes.
Healthy Hearing
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, most of the struggle is to accomplish something that is not a one-time action but a long-term way of life. However, each change in the path of life begins with a single step in that direction. One are of health that is easy to overlook at the New Year is your hearing. Perhaps you can recall parties, gatherings, or family events over the holiday season that were a struggle for you to hear. You might have even had an awkward encounter in which you didn’t want to explain your difficulty hearing and just played along with a conversation you didn’t completely understand. These moments can lead to awkwardness, embarrassment, and even communication breakdown if they go on too long. Why not make it a New Year’s resolution to do something about your difficulty hearing? This resolution is one that doesn’t require a new habit or an immense amount of willpower. Making a move toward healthy hearing begins with a single action that can change the path of your life: scheduling a hearing exam.
Neighborhood Hearing Aid Center
By simply making an appointment with Neighborhood Hearing Aid Center, you are doing something for your health that can have decades of positive impact. Once you have the hearing assistance you need, you will be able to communicate with loved ones and enjoy the richness of life in ways you forgot possible. Don’t delay to make your appointment and check an item off the list of resolutions!