It’s that time of the year again. Feeling the pressure of new year’s resolutions? Well we’re here to help! We’ve put together 4 easy-to-stick-to new year’s resolutions so you can set yourself up for success this year and start 2024 with some healthy new habits!
1. Move every day (even just a little bit)
The benefits of exercise are well known, from protecting you from serious illnesses like cancer and stroke, to benefitting your mental health and wellbeing. The NHS recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week. So this year, why not set yourself the goal of adding some form of movement to your day, every day – whether that’s walking the dog, some gentle stretches at home, cycling to work, or trying out a new gym class.
Gym’s not your natural habitat? That’s ok! By adding some movement to your life every day you can start building up your activity levels gently. You could try taking the stairs instead of the lift, having phone calls at work walking around, and using a standing desk. Or you could set yourself a daily steps target as a way to motivate yourself to move more every day. And you can make it feel more fun by adding some healthy competition and getting your friends involved in a daily steps target too!
2. Eat the rainbow
We should all be aiming to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. By making sure we’re getting our 5-a-day we can benefit from all the goodness in fruit and veg like vitamins, minerals and fibre, and reduce our risk of serious health problems like heart disease and stroke.
But did you know we should also be aiming for colourful meals? Colourful fruit and vegetables contain polyphenols – an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound which is great for our overall health and gives the friendly bacteria in our gut a boost too.
An easy way to add more fruits and veggies to your diet is to eat the rainbow! So why not set yourself a goal of adding some more colours to your meals as a way of achieving your 5-a-day? When you’re putting together a meal, have a look at how many different colours you’ve got on your plate. There’s lots of easy ways to add some more colours to a meal – from sprinkling pomegranate seeds on top of your salad, to adding mixed frozen peas and carrots to your dinner, or swapping snacks like crisps to apple slices or cucumber sticks.
3. Get serious about sleep
Getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night benefits so many areas of health and wellbeing – from supporting a healthy immune system and helping look after your heart, to combating stress. But in today’s always-on-the-go world it can be hard to achieve 8 hours’ kip. This year, why not make it your new year’s resolution to prioritise sleep?
A great first step to sleeping better is giving yourself a realistic bedtime and wake up time and sticking to them everyday – including weekends! By creating a bedtime routine you’ll find it easier to fall asleep and achieve those 8 hours of sleep a night we should all be getting.
4. Stay hydrated
It’s recommended that we should all drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. Like sleep, staying hydrated can bring lots of different health benefits like helping your energy levels, maintaining a healthy weight and preventing constipation.
So this January, you could make committing to drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day one of your new year’s resolutions! There’s lots of helpful tools out there to help you stay hydrated, like these water bottles with handy markings on them so you can check you’re achieving your daily water target.
And the best bit – this could all make your health insurance cheaper!
Many health insurance providers reward people who follow a healthier lifestyle with lower premiums. Some providers will also give you perks like smart watches, or discounted gym memberships to help you stay active and healthy. It’s a win-win, you benefit from cheaper health insurance, and the provider benefits because you’re less likely to get unwell and need to make a claim.
Is getting private medical insurance on your list of new year’s resolutions?
Here at Key Health, we’re experts in matching people to the perfect health insurance for them. So whether you’re looking for health insurance which rewards you for having a healthy lifestyle, or just simply a good value policy from a trusted health insurance broker, we’re here to help. And it won’t cost you a single penny! Our commission is paid by the insurance providers, meaning you get our expert advice at no cost to you.
Simply fill in the form here and one of our team of specialists will get in touch. Or call us on 020 3971 6977 and let’s have a chat about how we could help find you your perfect medical insurance.
