Every year begins the same. We all vow to get fitter, eat healthier and take better care of ourselves. But somewhere along the way, bad habits creep in and you’re back at square one again. Aren’t you tired of failing?
Instead of focusing on one element of your lifestyle, why not think about your overall wellbeing instead? Working on your self-care and making multiple positive changes can help you be healthier, without the pressure of goals and milestones.
It doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems to make a difference, you can start right now.
Take a look at some health habits to adopt in 2020 and beyond.
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Go meat-free at least once a week
Want to live healthier while also helping the environment? Then try going meat-free, even if it’s just once a week. For some people, a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle simply isn’t possible, but you can still do your bit to cut back. Going meatless once a week is completely achievable and you won’t even notice! But it will make a big difference to your diet as well as the planet. Give it a try, you never know what tasty vegetarian or vegan dishes you might come up with.
Focus on your sleep
Sleep is very important to your health, and it’s easy to underestimate its value. Even one night of poor sleep could affect your mood and focus the following day. Getting 8 hours of sleep is recommended, but it’s likely you get much less than that. Between work and your home life, sleep can be low down on your priorities list.
Some things you can do to sleep better include making your bedroom free from distractions and actually getting into bed earlier at night. Start a bedtime routine that can settle your mind and body and help you get better quality sleep at night.
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Walk as much as possible
Want to exercise more this year? Put your best foot forward and start walking! Walking is a gentle but effective exercise, and you could do more of it to help you boost your overall fitness. Could you walk to work, take a lunchtime walk or have a walk before dinner? The more steps you can add to your day, the better, so start finding more ways of getting to where you need to go on foot.
Work on the smile you’ve always wanted
Oral health is very important and you should always do what you can to take care of your teeth and gums. Being unhappy with your smile can knock your confidence, so if you’ve been wanting to do something with yours, then make this the year you do it.
There are a lot of dental treatments that can help you get your dream smile. From teeth whitening to veneers, your dentist could advise you on the treatments available. There are even some less invasive treatments out there to help you fix broken or missing teeth. Consider mini-implants – they are a smaller version of regular implants that are a great way to improve your smile. Take steps to improve your oral health and boost your confidence at the same time.
Nowadays, there are so many different ways to improve and align your teeth in an easy and efficient manner. From clear aligners, all the way to veneers, gone are the days where braces are your only option. Read this veneer and braces comparison to see how the two differ from one another and which one is more advantageous.
Track your eating habits
Do you know how much you eat in a day? You could be eating too much, as well as missing out on key nutrition. Tracking your eating is a good way of helping you manage your weight, as well as make sure you’re eating enough of the right foods. Some of the best food tracking apps make it super simple to stay on top of your eating, allowing you to scan the barcodes from your phone.
Unplug
We all try so hard to stay connected, but sometimes it’s good to unplug. Switching off from technology can be a welcome break for your mental health. It gives you the time to focus on other things, read a book, exercise and spend quality time with loved ones. Set yourself a challenge to reduce your screen time so that you can spend more time in the real world and less in the virtual world. You’ll never look back!

Cook more
How often do you cook at home? Eating out or getting takeout is a nice treat, but doing it too much can affect your finances and your diet. Cooking from scratch at home has its benefits. You’ll get to enjoy fresh, tasty food without additives and can know exactly what you’re eating. Cooking from home will save you money and impress your friends and family.
You can start by making lunch at home every day. If you prep your food on a Sunday, it will be much easier to stick to, and stop you from being tempted by other tasty treats at work.
Anyone can learn to cook from scratch, so make a vow to do more of it at home.
Do things that make you happy
Is your work/life balance off? It’s easy for work to take over your life, leaving you with less time to do the things you enjoy. But it shouldn’t be that way! If you want to live your very best life, then it’s time to focus on the things you enjoy and that make you happy. Whether you want to see your friends more, travel or simply enjoy your favorite hobby, you need to make more time for yourself. Start finding ways of managing your time to allow more room for the fun stuff – you’ll be less stressed and be able to make the most of every minute. You shouldn’t live to work, so do something to put that balance back in your favor!
Making some changes to your habits can help you live a much healthier lifestyle. You can feel the effects of these changes quickly, spurring you on to make more. By making the changes simple, you’ll be more likely to form better habits for life, taking you into a healthier 2020 and beyond.