Your Healthiest New Year Yet!

Most of us spend some time at the beginning of each New Year setting resolutions for ways we can improve ourselves in the coming months.  Typically, we choose to focus on getting better grades, landing a stellar internship, strengthening relationships and most often, improving our health.  Despite an overwhelming sense of motivation at the start of the year (4.0 GPA! Become vegan!), resolve tends to wane as the weeks progress. 
 
While overarching goals are necessary and advantageous in the long run, the little changes make the greatest impact on a day-to-day basis.  Successfully reaching smaller objectives builds confidence in our ability to stick with more extensive goals, which we tend to lose sight of after only a few weeks.  Here are a few simple ideas that can be integrated seamlessly into any busy collegiette’s? schedule:
 
Mind
 

Turn to TED.  Forgo switching on the television while you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner and try watching a TEDTalk instead.  The people at TED (a nonprofit “devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading”) believe “passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world” and have made hundreds of inspiring presentations available for free online.  “When ideas have sex” and “A prosthetic eye to treat blindness” are just two of the talks available, which illustrate the variety of topics discussed. The talks range in length from three minutes to one hour, allowing you to engage your mind no matter how much time it takes you to down that bowl of Cheerios. Check it out!
 
Body
 
No one wants to start off the New Year with a case of the sniffles, which is why proper nutrition is especially important at this time of year.  Clementines—smaller, sweeter versions of oranges—are in season during the winter and deliver half of your daily vitamin C requirement. Eat two clementines each day to boost your immune system for a healthier start to the year. 
 
Spirit
 
Think you’re too old to dance around your room singing at the top of your lungs? Think again! Whether you choose to jam out to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” or if Whitney Houston is more your speed, you’ll reap the mood-boosting benefits of singing.  Belting out your favorite tunes has been shown to lower stress hormone levels and increase your sense of self-worth, according to Shape magazine. Make an effort to turn up the tunes in the morning to start your day off on the right note!
 
Add one of these tips into your daily schedule each week for the next three weeks to enhance your overall wellness while increasing the odds that your New Year’s resolutions become a reality!