With 2022 fast approaching, most of us are thinking about resolutions and what we hope to achieve in the coming year. 

Losing weight and hitting the gym are two very common resolutions people make to improve their health. This year, we encourage you to broaden your idea of what a healthier you looks like and challenge yourself to set resolutions that embody your overall health. 

An active lifestyle, healthy eating choices, prioritizing your mental wellbeing, and opting for preventative care are great ways to kickstart the new year of becoming a healthier new you. 

We have specific examples and tips about each of these areas of self-improvement, to help make it your best year yet!

Active Lifestyle

Signing up for a gym membership is often the go-to for those looking to get more active in the new year. Gyms and health studios across the country will see a dramatic increase in subscriptions in January. While this can be a great option, it doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other fun, often more affordable, ways to support an active lifestyle. 

Below are just a few ideas to start including exercise and movement into your day-to-day life:

• Walking: No special equipment, trainer, or location required! Walk to work if possible, use even just 15 minutes of your lunch break to walk (outside or in laps around your office building), or take a brisk stroll in the evening.

Just 30 minutes of walking every day can have significant health benefits:

• Increase cardiovascular fitness
• Strengthen bones
• Reduce excess body fat 
• Boost muscle power and endurance

• Sign up for a fun “workout” class: Think outside of the box! The more creative you get with this one, the more fun it will be. Just a few examples include salsa lessons, rock climbing, kickboxing, belly dancing, etc. If you enjoy the activity, you’ll be more likely to stick with it. 
• Socialize Actively: You don’t have to go your health journey alone. Do yourself and a friend a favor by inviting them to be more active with you.

Swap out dinner and drinks for a brisk walk or jog around the local park. Plan to attend a Saturday morning yoga class together or catch up weekly via headphones while you each cycle around your respective neighborhoods. This will quickly start to feel like less of a workout and more of a social activity with a family member or friend. 

Healthy Eating

Diet plans often aren’t successful for two reasons:

1. They focus on cutting out foods, making them unsustainable in the long run.
2. They’re often created with the goal of losing weight to look better rather than to feel better. 

Here’s a suggestion that might come as a surprise: focus on “adding in” instead of “cutting out.” For example, instead of making a weekly goal to eat zero cookies or chips, make it a goal to eat some broccoli and a pomegranate during the week. 

It’s as simple as asking yourself where in your meals can you add more vegetables, fruits, or healthy proteins. This automatically shifts your thinking about food and presents healthy eating in a positive light. 

And while there is nothing wrong with setting healthy weight goals, when trying to eat healthier, be mindful about how your food is making you feel. More than a number on a scale, what will make a difference in your day-to-day life?

The food you’re using to fuel yourself can help you feel less bloated, sluggish, and sick -- and more energized, alert, and well.

Prioritize Mental Wellbeing 

In today’s world of social media and busy schedules, it’s so easy for your mental well-being to take a backseat to practically everything else. Many of us are hardwired to push through, get the job done, accomplish it all, and stay on top of everything from workload to social status. 

However, if your New Year’s resolution is to be a healthier version of yourself, then your mental health needs to be just as much of a priority as your physical fitness. Try one or more of these suggestions to help improve your mental wellbeing in the new year:

• Meditate

Benefits of meditation include increasing self-awareness, reducing negative emotions, and building skills to manage stress. It’s easy to start! You can subscribe to a meditation app such as Calm or check out Youtube for a variety of free meditation videos. There are also daily practices that can serve as a form of meditation such as breathing deeply, “scanning” your body, repeating a mantra, or engaging in prayer. 

• Keep a Gratitude Journal

Whether you opt to buy a gratitude journal or simply jot a list on a notepad lying around your house, this can be a great way to help keep yourself grounded in the present. By taking time to focus on what we’re grateful for each day, our stress and worry about the future or past is forced to take a backseat for at least a few moments.

• Seek Counseling

Unfortunately, counseling and therapy are still often stigmatized in our society, but learning to express emotion and talk about feelings is helpful in managing stress, anxiety, and depression.

Counseling doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem to fix. A better analogy is to think of it as maintenance for your mind. For example, you’d run into a lot of costly problems if you didn’t change the oil in your car or rotate your tires. Likewise, counseling can be a great way to avoid more serious mental health concerns by keeping up with the day-to-day care of your mind. 

Preventative Care

The car maintenance analogy is actually just as effective when talking about general preventative care. Rather than waiting to treat serious health issues, a more efficient way to approach your health is to take care of yourself so as to help prevent illness or injury. 

Preventative care includes annual checkups, screenings such as mammograms, shots/vaccinations, and regularly scheduled dental and vision exams. In the long run, preventative care is more affordable than the alternative, especially when many different health coverage plans cover some or all costs. 

HealthChoice of Michigan is committed to providing comprehensive healthcare benefits to businesses and their employees in Wayne and Oakland County. We can help you find affordable and accessible coverage options so that proper preventative care can be a part of your goals for a healthier you in 2022.