5 New Year Resolutions To Make In 2020
With 2020 fast approaching, many people are thinking about their resolutions. You might resolve to quit smoking, give up junk food or stop that bad habit of yours.
Here at The Wellness Nest, we believe that a holistic approach to health is the best approach. With that in mind, here are 5 New Year resolutions that we believe everyone could benefit from - even us!
5 New Year Resolutions To Make In 2020
Resolution: Dedicate regular time to self-care
We’re often much better at looking after others than looking after ourselves. But 2020 is the year to make the shift towards self-care as a constant.
What does self-care mean? It really depends on you. It might be taking more time to yourself to be yourself instead of a mum, a partner, a business owner or an employee. It might be dedicating time to doing what you love more often.
Self-care doesn’t have to be all about manicures and retreats. If you manage a chronic condition, it might be something as small as asking for help when you’re dealing with a flare.
Not sure how to practice self-care? Ask yourself what you would do if it was for your best friend, sister, daughter or even niece. How would you take care of them? This is a good starting point.
PS - if you want to learn more about self-care, keep your eyes peeled. We’ll have more topics coming up throughout 2020 about practical self-care strategies.
Resolution: Get a check-up with your health practitioners
If we spent a little more time being proactive with our health, we’d probably be healthier overall. Unfortunately, many of us put off appointments until something goes wrong.
The new year is the perfect time to have general check-ups with all of your healthcare providers. That way, you know whether you get the clean bill of health or if you need to see your team more frequently in 20202.
Once the clinics have opened back up after the holiday break, book yourself in for appointments with:
Your GP
Your dentist
Any specialists you see regularly
Your counsellor or psychologist
Your optometrist
Your myotherapist (psst - you can book yourself in here)
This is also a good time to see a new practitioner if you’ve been dealing with symptoms in 2019 that you’d like resolved.
The community garden in Docklands, where you’ll often find our myotherapists on their lunch break!
Resolution: Spend more time outdoors
Compared to previous generations, we spend much more time indoors. This adds up to a more sedentary lifestyle, which is bad news for your muscles and joints. But we also end up with low levels of vitamin D, which can lead to long-term bone and joint issues.
On the other hand, there are countless health benefits associated with spending more time outdoors. Research has found that Shinrin Yoku or ‘forest bathing’ can calm the nervous system, reduce blood pressure and enhance overall wellbeing.
Even a 10 minute walk outdoors on your lunch break is a good start. The team at The Wellness Nest loves popping down to the community garden on their breaks!
Resolution: Turn your screens off regularly
We’re all guilty of scrolling mindlessly on a phone or laptop from time to time. But screen time is eating up precious time - and may bring some consequences for our wellbeing.
A recent study found that Aussies spend an average of 46 hours every week in front of a screen. That’s nearly 2 whole days of the week!
Working at a computer can put you at risk of back, neck and shoulder pain, overuse or repetitive strain injuries (RSI), headaches and eyestrain.
Using your smartphone is also associated with a risk of ‘text neck’ and resulting neck pain. Excessive use is even linked to a higher risk of depression, stress and anxiety.
You might not be able to avoid screens altogether if it’s part of your job. But you can choose to turn off screens more regularly in your personal time. Start with one hour away from screens on the weekend, and build your way up. Our head myotherapist Rhianna loves going on retreats as a way to digitally detox.
Resolution: Get more massages!
We think everyone could do with more regular massages! In fact, we’ll be booking ourselves in for regular treatments because we believe in walking our talk.
Massage and other myotherapy techniques bring a host of benefits for your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. They can support everything from chronic pain to pregnancy aches and even PMS and ovulation pains!
Start the year off the way you intend to finish it - book yourself in a myotherapy session at The Wellness Nest here.