Improving Your Life for a Positive, Wellness-Boosting 2018

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Guest post by Dana Brown

​The New Year is Here!    

And we couldn’t be more excited. There’s something about a new year that makes people want to give their life a little shot in the arm to make things better. We’re not just talking about resolutions-- once the craziness of the holidays has passed, people want to clean house, recharge, and make small changes in their lives to ensure a healthier and happier start to the new year.   
Creating small, achievable milestones you can do every day helps build confidence and self-satisfaction. These little things you can do are enjoyable, so you don’t want to skip them. On the other hand, if you miss one or two days, it’s not the end of the world, either. While they may be little, they add up in a big way, improving your home and health. Eventually you stop thinking about them at all and they become second nature.  

Create a Healthy Home
  
Your home should be a place where you can escape the stresses of the outside world so you can recharge-- and we don’t just mean your electronic devices. In fact, you should make it a goal to use your phone, tablet, and laptop less when you are there. Set aside a room in your home without electronic distractions for your creative pursuits. Buy a comfortable chair, some paintings of nature, and other relaxing decor to inspire less stress.  
In addition to setting up space for your creative side, you should also have some options around the house to help improve your physical health. You don’t have to turn a spare bedroom into an entire home gym, but keeping some fitness equipment nearby gives you the opportunity to do a little physical activity in case you are feeling stressed or anxious. At the very least, having a yoga mat gives you a portable space where you can stretch and listen to your body.   

Improve Your Diet  

Instead of vowing to give up soft drinks or chips, incorporate more healthy options into your diet this year. It’s easier to say you are going to work on giving yourself more of something than cutting something out altogether.
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• Drink more water. It helps you feel better physically and mentally. In can reduce your risk of common ailments such as headaches, constipation, and kidney stones. Additionally, your skin and hair will be healthier and look better. Begin your day with a large glass of room temperature water to rev up your metabolism and get off to a good start.  
  
• Eat more superfoods. As buzzy a word as that is, incorporating more things like spinach, blueberries, black beans, and oats into your diet can make you feel more satisfied when you eat while improving your overall health. 
  
• Cook with a cast iron skillet. Many adults suffer from an iron deficiency and don’t even know it. Symptoms include grumpiness, rapid heartbeat, restless legs, lethargy, a pallid complexion, headaches, hair loss, and more. An easy way to get more iron in your diet in a healthy and natural way is to cook food in a iron skillet. It’s an easy way to correct a deficiency without going overboard.  
  

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To make 2018 your healthiest year yet, start small. Create a healthier and happier home where you can escape from stress by setting up an area where you can ignore electronic devices and instead pursue your creative side. It’s also a great idea to have some easy-to-use gym equipment you can use at home so you can always fit in a little extra activity to relieve stress. Instead of giving up things you love this year, make it a goal to incorporate more of the good stuff. Drink more water to improve your health and rev up your metabolism. Eat more superfoods to feel more satiated and nourished when you eat. Even little things like cooking your meals in a cast iron skillet can have a big impact on your mood and health. The little things are easier to stick with, but they add up for a huge impact on your overall wellness.  ​