New Year Resolutions

Simple, easy new year's resolutions that can have a big impact on your well-being:

1. Get more sleep. Before you reach for the melatonin, work on the basics first. Sleep hygiene means trying to go to bed the same time each night, have a ritual such as taking a hot shower or drinking some tea (chamomile is very calming), and avoid heavy exercise before bedtime.

2. Get moving. An interesting study from 2005 finds that people who tend to fidget or move more throughout the day tend to be thinner. They estimate that they use 350 calories more than non-fidgety types. What does this mean in our everyday life? It can mean walking for ten minutes at lunchbreak, watching TV standing rather than just sitting on the couch, getting up from your desk job a few minutes every hour to stretch, taking public transport one day a week.

3. Meditate. Take a few moments to step back from the rush and stress of daily life. Sit back, and watch things unfold--watch your thoughts pass through your head, observe your mental chatter, be fully present to your breath going in and out of your lungs, turn off the computer a few minutes earlier than you normally do and be idle for a while. You can meditate with your eyes closed or while looking at a tree or falling water. It doesn't matter how you do it or for how long, just do it. Think of meditation as radical idleness.

4. Everyday, perform an act of self care. Before you go to bed, ask yourself what you have done today to nourish your body or your soul. Self-care includes being more kind and easy on yourself.

5. Drink more water and eat more vegetables. You're heard this one before--that's because these two simple acts are very powerful medicine. They simultaneously cleanse and nourish us.

Good luck! I invite you to post your personal resolutions as well as tips that may be useful for others. Thank you and have a wonderful and healthy year ahead!