15 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions for Healthier and Happier Living.

Build a better budget.

If there’s one New Year’s resolution that will help you the most in the long run, it’s making a vow to save more money. Before you head back to the office, outline a budget that works for you — and make a plan for how you’ll stick to it. Savings.com.au has created a list of their most popular budgeting and savings apps here.

Read more books.

January is the perfect time of year to snuggle up with a new book. Reading is important because it develops our thoughts, gives us endless knowledge and lessons while keeping our minds active. 

Create a cleaning schedule you’ll stick to.

Keeping your home tidy without doing what feels like a deep clean every week can feel like a big ask. It’s true that you may be under cleaning some tricky spots, but it’s also true that you may be overdoing it elsewhere. There are so many weekly cleaning printable checklists on the internet to help you stay on top of your house cleaning.

Quit smoking.

Cigarettes are extremely harmful for your health, particularly your lungs — but tobacco products in general (including vapes!) pose a serious threat. Here are some resources to help you get a jumpstart on ditching tobacco: www.quit.org.au www.nicorette.com.au

Take the stairs.

Take 10 minutes to run up the stairs in your office or home. A published study in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that tired women who climbed stairs for 10 minutes got a bigger energy boost than those who had the caffeine equivalent of a can of soft drink or half a cup of coffee (and burned calories too!).

Become a plant owner.

Swing by the garden center this weekend. Just the presence of indoor plants can lower human stress levels, research shows, and one study found that actively caring for plants calmed the autonomic nervous system and lowered blood pressure. And when people work near plants, they report greater concentration, satisfaction, and perceived air quality.

Drink up.

You know you need to hydrate — but it’s especially important when you get only six hours of sleep (or less!). You’re more likely to be dehydrated the day after a short night of zzz’s, because a hormone that regulates your body’s water conservation is released in later stages of sleep. So down some extra water on those days.

Sanitize your phone weekly.

We check our phones a gazillion times a day, and if you’ve taken yours into the bathroom, you’re not the only one. But that means phones carry about 10 times as much bacteria as most toilet seats. 70% Isopropyl alcohol wipes are the best option to kill viruses and bacteria.

Donate old clothes.

Bye-bye, too-tight jeans. “Keeping smaller clothes as motivation to slim down is baloney,” says Kit Yarrow, Ph.D., a psychologist at Golden Gate University, “and it tends to backfire.” Studies show that muffin-top shaming doesn’t help, but focusing on being healthy does.

Explore new hobbies.

Another sleepy Sunday? Today’s the day you try Ethiopian food, attend the ballet, or take a painting class — whatever feels fun. When researchers followed 7,500 people for 25 years, they found that those who complained of major boredom were roughly twice as likely to die from heart disease.

Take more walks.

Walking is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Unlike some other forms of exercise, walking is free and doesn’t require any special equipment or training.

Give yourself more compliments.

Repeat after us: “Today is my day. I’m thankful for me.” Positive self-talk can help you focus on what’s good in your life, says psychologist Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D. Research shows that a little vitamin G (for gratitude) can make you feel happier and more satisfied and even improve your sleep. “If you repeat an affirmation related to gratitude in the morning, you’re likely to show and feel more of it throughout that day,” Bradford says. You’re so welcome!

Do one thing at a time.

Multitasking doesn’t make you more efficient, but it does stress you out, says mindfulness expert Pedram Shojai. “If your focus is fragmented, you’ll likely find yourself getting anxious as new items come up when old ones are still incomplete,” he says.

Instead, he suggests, organise your activities into chunks of time, such as kid time and cooking time, and then “commit to being focused in those allotted minutes and see what happens.” It’ll help stop you from overthinking everything.

Make your bed every morning.

Yes, it’s time to grow past the messy bed look! Mastering the art of making your bed will simply transform your space, but also kickstart a productive morning routine.

Get artsy.

To help ward off the blues, engage in a bit of culture—a trip to the museum, a night at the theater, or attending a concert. A new study found that people who make regular trips to these types of attractions have a lower risk of developing depression than those who don’t.

source: www.goodhousekeeping.com