New Year’s Resolutions – 4 Lifestyle Tips for a Healthier, More Productive, and Happier Life

So many people make New Year’s resolutions. Their plan might simply be to watch what they’re eating and squeeze in some exercise. The best way to make a resolution stick is by having a routine. The following sample of lifestyle routines promote a healthier lifestyle, plus will help you be more productive, and bring your family together, which covers some popular resolutions (fitness, weight loss, be more productive, get organized, spend more time with family and friends, be happier, and learn something new). Before you begin, choose whatever elements  you like below to determine your routines.

If you always put limit on everything you do, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. ~ Bruce Lee

This will be too much to accomplish at once, so start out with a new morning routine. After a month or so, add the afternoon and evening plan. Introduce the bedtime regimen a few weeks later. You should have an habitual program in place by spring. Write down a schedule to keep yourself on track. An alternative is to start with an abbreviated morning routine, add to it, then add the other routines in the same fashion to achieve positive results.

Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness. ~ Edward Stanley

Morning Routine

You have the most will power in the morning, so take advantage of it.

• Wake up early (6 AM) with Wake-up Light by Philips, that gently awakens you with a simulated sunrise and birds chirping (or four other sounds)
• Do not snooze
• Scrape your tongue and gargle with plain water to rid your mouth of overnight bacteria and morning breath
• Drink water to rehydrate
• Dry brush or loofah (natural, not synthetic) skin to eliminate dead skin cells and toxins, increase skin tone, and stimulate the lymphatic, nervous, circulatory and glandular systems
• Stretch (especially your legs, which helps your back), or do yoga for a few minutes
• Exercise, jump on a rebounder 100 times, go for a run or walk your dog (with a friend), or dance to a high energy morning playlist 
• Shower
• Meditate for just a few minutes
• Optionally listen to motivational audio book with breakfast below
• Drink a vitamin-rich green smoothie or a raw juice from Tico’s or Arlee’s, or eat a breakfast with protein
• 15-30 minutes after drinking or eating, brush your teeth  for two minutes

Afternoon Routine

• Go for a short walk before eating lunch (with colleagues or friends)
• Eat lunch (with colleagues or friends)
• Meditate for a few minutes
• If you must nap, take a 10-15 minute power nap to rejuvenate before 3 PM
• Don’t drink caffeine after 3 PM to ensure a better night’s sleep

Evening Routine

• Try to eat dinner by 7 PM (with your entire family or a friend)
• Write down all that you have accomplished for the current day in a journal
• Write down your top 5 goals for the next day
• Meditate a few minutes
• Don’t eat or drink alcohol after 8 PM

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Bedtime Routine

Having a good night’s sleep affects your productivity the following day, so this routine is the most critical since it could also determine whether you partake in parts of your morning rituals. Determine your sleep cycle. This will show you when you are in a light sleep close to the time you would wake up. Use the Sleep Cycle app, Fitbit, or your monitor of choice. Once you know this, set your natural wake up time, go to sleep at least 8 hours before that time, and stick to your new schedule. Use black-out curtains or draperies in your bedroom to increase your chances of an uninterrupted sleep. Ideally, you should wake up early enough to do your morning routine before you have to leave for work. Stay-at-home parents can opt for doing this once their kids are off to school or in between a baby’s feeding times.

• Take a soothing lavender-scented bath or just wash your face (ladies, take off all make up), then apply lotion or cream
• Schedule your bedroom temperature to drop to 68°F for a comfortable sleep
• Avoid blue light that comes from TV and computer screens, especially 30 minutes before sleeping, and use f. lux on your computer, tablets, or smart phone all day
• Within 30 minutes before going to sleep, only read printed material
• Put all portable devices in airplane mode or power off before going to sleep if you have a land line (home phone)
• If you don’t have a land line phone, ask people not to call you past 10 PM and put your cell phone on vibrate for emergency calls
• Drink a tablespoon of raw honey in a cup of hot water (optionally add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar) just before you go to sleep (at least 2 hours after you eat dinner) to keep your liver glycogen levels full, which regulates blood sugar for a good night sleep
• 15-30 minutes after drinking the honey mixture, brush your teeth  for two minutes
• Stretch for a minute (especially your legs after walking and standing during the day) to relax muscles before getting in bed
• Go to sleep early (10 PM)