We can either propel ourselves to a healthier lifestyle or we can settle for just mediocre health.
I turned 56 this year and I know what I do in the next few years will have a big impact on my health in my 60s and 70s.
My goal for you is to not wait until you are 56 to think about your health in this way.
Start now.
Whatever your age.
If you are younger you have more time but if you are older than me, then it’s time to get busy.
Everything we do now will affect us later down the road.
Some of these ideas won’t be new to you but if you are like me they are easy to forget or put off.
Some are really simple but may make a big impact on your emotional health which in turn will affect you physically.
52 Health Tips For 2024
These are some of the top tips to help you be healthier next year.
If you think of others let me know in the comments!
Eat Less Sugar
I put this one first because it’s probably one of the most important health habits we should all adopt.
Sugar impacts our health negatively in so many ways yet it is so hard to kick the habit.
For most of us, small changes like skipping the daily sweet treat could make a big impact on our health down the road.
If you struggle with sugar as I do then read my 7 Day Sugar Detox for some ideas on how to eat less sugar in 2023.
Move More Every Day – 4 minute workout video
Set a goal of getting in 15 mins more exercise this week.
Try simple indoor activities such as dancing to music, or setting a timer during household chores forcing you to work faster and harder, thus burning more calories.
One of my favorite quick workouts to get your blood flowing is Zach Bush’s 4-minute workout.
Watch the video and learn how powerful it can be for your overall health.
Stay Hydrated
It can be hard to remember in the winter that you still need plenty of water to stay healthy.
It’s so cold and dreary that you may not realize that you still need to drink your 8 glasses a day.
Try A Nutritional Cleanse
We are exposed to toxins every day. If you’ve had trouble losing weight this last year you should consider how the toxins are affecting you.
Toxins hold fat and an easy way to cleanse them from your body is by doing a nutritional cleanse.
My favorite is the Isagenix Cleansing System.
Most people do well with the 30 Day System but a quick 7 Day Reset might do the trick for you.
Related: 9 Ways To Lose Weight Fast
Spend Time Alone
You’ve had a lot of togetherness with the recent holiday, now’s a great time to find time to spend with yourself.
Read an educational or uplifting book. A recommendation is The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. The Compound Effect
Buy More Houseplants
Plants detox the air of your home. Clean air is important and often something we take for granted. Toxins affect our health in a big way.
Consider getting a few plants for your bedroom so you are breathing in toxic free air while you sleep.
Avoid Sitting Too Much
Most people have sedentary jobs these days.
Try to get up and walk or move around every 90 minutes at least for about three to five minutes.
For example, walk to deliver documents to people instead of emailing them.
Keep Healthy Snacks Nearby
Depending on your diet, it’s important to have snacks nearby to avoid problems with being overly hungry.
A small package of nuts, an apple, a banana, or something equally healthy is a good choice.
Try Intermittent Fasting
IF is just delayed eating.
When you intermittent fast it allows your body to restore itself, burn more fat, and fight aging.
Read my Ultimate Guide To Intermittent Fasting for more details.
Get a Bike
You can find used bikes at good prices these days at consignment stores or through Facebook seller groups.
A bike is a good way to start exercising even if you’re not in the best shape.
I found when I go on short rides around the neighborhood with my family I feel refreshed and energized.
Avoid Toxic People
It might be shocking to note that negativity can play a huge factor in your health.
The more negative you are, the more negative the people who surround you are, and the less healthy and happy you’ll be.
Limit Technology At Night
When you can turn off all your electronics.
Turn off your notifications on your phone, on Facebook, and inside your home.
Try to spend a few hours after dinner each night without this technology.
Research indicates the light of our devices messes with our sleep if we use them before bed.
Be More Empathetic
Attitude is more than 80 percent of the reason you either feel good or bad about anything.
But, empathy is something that is necessary to feel good about people.
The more love and care you have in your heart for others, the more it will trickle down to you.
Eat More Salads
You can eat all the fresh salad your heart desires if you avoid sugary and fatty dressings.
Try making a dressing with raw fruit, vinegar, and spices blended for a natural alternative.
Get more veggies in your regular food by shredding and adding to any casseroles or saucy dishes.
For example, shredded zucchini goes great in lasagna or spaghetti sauce and no one will notice.
This shredder comes in handy.
Plan Meals
One of the biggest factors in the success of any diet is planning.
Your plan can be as simple as substituting healthy protein shakes for some of your meals or it could use a meal planner to map out your whole week.
Whatever way you do it plan before you shop, and then plan before each day so that you’re never in a hurry and tempted to run through a drive-through.
Think Before You Speak
One thing that often interferes with your happy life is your mouth. Your mom was right. If you can’t say something nice don’t say it at all. Even if you mean for it to be nice, just stop.
Learn Something New
Keeping your mind active is an important part of being healthy. Focus on learning something new this month.
It doesn’t matter what it is about if it’s new to you.
Check out Udemey for inexpensive courses you can do online. I took the Complete Guide To Essential Oils & Aromatherapy on Udemey last year and learned a lot.
Use Essential Oils
Essential oils can help your immune system, calm anxiety, and help you reduce toxins in your home. I’ve written many articles about them.
Get my free Essential Oils for Beginners Ebook here.
Learn Chair Exercises (video)
One great way to combat a sedentary lifestyle is to learn about chair exercises. You can do quite a workout right in your office chair as you work. Try this workout by HasFIT.
Get More Sunshine
Now that the weather is better, try to get more sunshine. You need it for vitamin D production.
If you’re unable to get at least 20 minutes of sunshine a day you may want to supplement with vitamin D. This is the brand I use.
Invest in a Standing Desk
A great way to combat getting a bigger rear-end from sitting a day, along with blood clots and other things that happen to sedentary people invest in a standing desk so that you can stand and work. If you already have a desk you can buy this desk converter.
Wear the Right Shoes
When you exercise or just walk around normally the right shoes are important.
High heels are especially bad for women’s health. Sure, you might have to wear heels for work, but when you need to walk have some shoes to switch into that are better for you.
Go to The Dentist
You should be getting professional cleanings twice a year to avoid problems.
Many people don’t realize that poor dental health can lead to more problems than just mouth pain, like heart issues.
Laugh More
Laughing is the best tummy exercise you can do.
Not only that when you laugh you release feel-good endorphins that will make you feel good even if you’re feeling unwell that day.
Eat More Raw Fruit & Veggies
The original fast food is good for you no matter what anyone else says.
The sugar and fat in fruit are always better for you than any other food.
Switch out snacks and other processed foods for raw fruit and veggies and you’ll notice fewer cravings within about a month.
Note: This is the green drink we consume
Eat More Healthy Fats
Fats don’t make us fat. Sugar makes us fat.
We need good fats like olive oil, avocados, grass-fed butter, and coconut oil to help keep our skin and brain healthy. Instead of sugar-laden salad dressing try a drizzle of olive oil. Add some avocado to your salad.
Make guacamole and use carrots instead of chips to dip in it.
Be More Generous
You don’t want people to take advantage of you but focus on being more generous when you can and it will rub off on your feelings about yourself.
Park at a Distance
You can get more steps into your day by parking far away from every entrance.
Not only will you be walking as you shop or run errands but you’ll get in those extra steps that can make a huge difference in your fitness level.
Take Martial Arts Classes
Whether you choose Taekwondo or another form of martial arts you’ll get healthy without feeling as if you’re exercising and gain confidence in yourself which will give you a better attitude.
Get the Family Involved
Whether it’s cooking a healthy dinner or it’s moving more if you get the entire family involved you’ll also be making amazing memories.
Bring Back the After-Dinner Walk
Before we got so busy it was normal for people to take leisurely after-dinner walks around the neighborhood.
People would stop and chat but also get needed fresh air and exercise.
Get Enough Sleep
If you find that you’re going to bed on time and still are sleepy during the day get a physical to rule out health issues such as sleep apnea.
This can affect even thin people so don’t assume you don’t have a health issue that is keeping you from getting sleep.
Write Down Your Goals
If you have any goals in relation to your health and well-being it’s important to write them down.
Not only that, write down how you’ll achieve them so that you’ll have a map to follow.
Don’t Compare Yourself To Others
As humans, we have a strange compulsion to compare ourselves to others when it comes to weight and looks.
But, this is not a good thing to do because everyone’s situation (and genetics) are different.
Feel good about what you have and work to make it better in a realistic way.
Stay off social media if you find it drags you down when you see what your friends are up to. Remember, most people don’t post the negative in their life. We only see the happy stuff.
You might like: Read Reasons To Reduce Your Social Media Use and 23 Things To Do Instead
Stop Drinking Soda
Whether you call it pop, soda, coke, or soft drinks they’re very bad for you.
They’re not even a real beverage.
If you like the fizzy feeling you can replace your soft drinks with naturally carbonated waters and juices.
My favorite fizzing drink is Kombucha. You can learn to make your own or purchase it at most grocery stores.
Get Accountability
There are many ways to find an accountability partner if you don’t have a close friend to talk to.
You can search online on Facebook communities to look for people close to your neighborhood or across the country to help you stay on track with your fitness goals.
For some, working with a therapist is the accountability they need.
Improve Your Gut Bacteria
A lot of people who have gas, GERD, and other issues really have poor gut bacteria.
You can get tested for the H. Pylori infection if you’re concerned.
You can also add in healthy bacteria through supplementing with probiotics.
I’ve written about the brand I use here.
Learn a New Sport
Exercise is simpler if it doesn’t feel like exercise.
Taking a class in a new sport such as tennis or golf can help turn an exercise into a hobby.
Dave has always played soccer but I never learned it when we were young.
However, now that he started coaching our girls’ soccer team I started learning with them. It’s been a great way to get more exercise and bond with my girls.
Have a child who plays soccer? You might like my husband’s website Home Soccer Training.
Learn Good Posture (video)
Most of our moms tried to keep our posture good, but even sometimes their directions of “shoulders back” might be incorrect and cause back pain.
If you’re not sure, go to a trained physical therapist to help you.
Watch this video for some tips.
Get a Colonoscopy
If you’re 50 or older, or you have blood in your stools, or are often constipated consider getting a colonoscopy.
Today there are noninvasive testing that you can do as well.
Regardless of which method you use knowing the health of your colon is important and may save your life.
Get a Massage
Any time you have worked extra hard at something consider getting a massage.
Manually stimulating the body can improve blood flow, increase metabolism, and speed repair after working out or working hard.
One of the at-home massage tools we use is a Fascia Blaster. Read more about it here.
Take Vitamins
Most people need to take supplements because they don’t get enough variety in their diet (including me).
You can get a blood test to be sure. But, if you’re tired, certainly look into Vitamin D and magnesium.
Try Yoga
One of the best exercises for most people in most stages of health is yoga.
There is a practice at the right level for almost everyone. Check with your local gym or YMCA to find classes in your area or look for free online videos.
Moisturize Your Skin
It’s important to keep your skin moisturized. You’ll feel better and age slower if you do.
But, ensure that whatever you’re putting on your skin is natural and safe.
Read about the 6 Top Plant Oils For Anti-Aging Skincare in my post here.
Don’t Box Yourself In
There are a lot of “shoulds” in life. Try to get rid of as many as you can.
For example, you should exercise every single day, but what if instead of exercising you played and had fun?
Don’t Judge Others
This is for your own mental health. When you find yourself judging others based on arbitrary traits you’re really judging yourself which can make living with yourself difficult.
Make Work Fun
When you need to clean the house or do chores you don’t want to do find a way to make it more fun.
Ask someone to help you, turn on the music, and enjoy the fact that you’re alive as you do the tasks.
Remember Your Goals
Each day when you get up, take the time to look at your goals so that you know what you need to do that day to get closer to succeeding.
Every goal is met one day at a time.
Quit Bad Habits
If you smoke, drink more than three drinks a week, or eat more chips than you’d like, it’s time to stop those habits.
The best way to do it is to attack one at a time replacing it with a healthy habit.
Lift Some Weight
After you’ve been walking for a few weeks, it’s time to up your game.
Get some ankle weights which will add to the difficulty of your walk and help you get more out of less.
Go to the gym or get some light hand weights to use at home.
Click here for fat burning workouts to do at home.
Avoid Processed Food
Even when the label says it’s healthy if it’s processed you can do better.
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, stay clear of aisles and you’ll find it easier to find whole foods.
Start Your Day Right
Most research shows that people who work out first thing in the morning as a habit are more likely to stick to the plan.
But, if you’re not a morning person that’s okay, just do whatever you’re going to do as soon as possible each day.
What do you think? See anything on this list you could start implementing?
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