Healthy Habits in 2018

Posted January 7, 2018 by shooting in Fitness / 50 Comments

Being healthy is obviously important – but that’s physical and mental health. Think of it as practicing self-care or a goal for the new year. It doesn’t matter how you view it, let’s make 2018 the year of good health!

Some ways that I hope to be as healthy as possible in 2018:

  • Keep trying to eat as healthy as I can. I did well with this last year, but it’s a struggle sometimes.
  • Along with the healthy eating, I want to find new recipes to try. Diversity will help make eating well easier for me!
  • Find more ways to exercise/be active that work for me and my schedule. I’m not a runner, and exercise has never really appealed to me. I’m in dance classes though, and I love those, so I’d like to find other ways to get moving that work for me.
  • Make time for things that relax me or give me joy like reading books that I want, going to local events, attending library craft nights (and keep doing my library book club), and getting as much rest as I can. Sleep is a biggie for me – I get physically sick if I don’t get enough.
Make 2018 the year of living healthy: how do you keep yourself physically and mentally fit? #healthy #ontheblog Click To Tweet

I’m sharing a graphic below with some important information about staying healthy. This post isn’t sponsored; I just think it’s important.

So tell me: how do you stay physically and mentally healthy? Anything you hope to continue with or add this year?

HimsΒ recommends the following checkups for a healthy 2018!

Health Checklist for 2018

50 responses to “Healthy Habits in 2018

  1. Every year I start the year by doing Weight Watchers so I re-learn how to eat right. I always forget to eat the correct portions and I get into the nasty habit of forgetting to eat vegetables. That’s the nice thing about WW, it forces me to do that. I only do WW until it becomes habit again and then stop paying. Then Christmas ruins everything and back I go again. Can’t be helped! Bwahahahaha…

    That’s interesting that you’ve figured out that NOT getting sleep makes you sick. I would have never thought of that one. For me, it’s not eating regularly that makes me get headaches.

    Thanks for including the graphic. I’m actually doing more than they recommend – yay me!!!

    Good luck this year!! You’ll do great and feel even better for it!!!

    • shooting

      That’s great you don’t need WW full time; just until you get back into the habit again. I’ve thought of doing WW in the future – right now I’m still in a weigh loss program through my hospital so I couldn’t add anything else to that. But in the future, I’ll need something to kind of keep me on track I imagine. And yeah, my sister is the same way with sleep – we both need it or we get sick! It’s definitely good to know, if not always the easiest to get. haha Thanks for the luck – same to you, Kristin! πŸ™‚ And that’s great you’re doing more than the graphic recommends. Go you!

  2. I’m glad you are enjoying your dance classes. I feel that with exercise if you find something you love it doesn’t feel like a chore – it is just an enjoyable way of staying active πŸ™‚
    I am also looking at new recipes because I want to eat healthier this year.

  3. I really want to be healthier this year too! I am currently doing the Whole 30 to help change some of my bad habits. I love to walk/jog outside but these freezing temperatures have stomped my motivation for that.

  4. RO

    This is awesome Lauren, and I’m so glad you included the graphic too! Nothing wrong with starting off the new year with positive changes. Hugs…RO

  5. I’ve realized that January isn’t the best time for me to start new patterns and habits. I’m always caught in the post-holiday, winter melancholy and then adding on trying to suddenly be my best self (and usually failing) isn’t a great way for me to start the year. My birthday is in March so I tend to have a new year of sorts then!

    That all being said, I really want to get back into regular exercise so I’m thinking of joining our local YMCA and changing out my daily/weekly patterns so they include exercise. My mental health is always better when I’m taking care of my physical health.

  6. I think healthy goals are good ones to have! My goals include drinking more water and also trying new recipes to add some variety. And I just want to be more active. I’m not setting a specific workout goal, I just want to be moving more. I love that you touched on all areas of health too – mental health is just as important as physical health!

  7. I’m trying to be more healthy this year as well. Mental health is just as important as physical health and I wish more people understood that. Dance class sounds like alot of fun. It’s exercising but not really. I’m totally going to see if their is a dance class in my area.

  8. I totally agree with your tips, I think diversity is so important, I’m actually trying some new recipes out this week so I can’t wait for that! Thanks for sharing!

  9. I agree with your tips. I want to start running after I have my baby. For now, I am continuing to go on walks and am trying to drink a ton of water.

  10. I feel like I have a pretty overall healthy lifestyle, though I know there’s probably room to improve or find more balance. I’m all about finding your form of meditation, whether it be a more traditional meditation, running or walking outside, doing puzzles, etc.

  11. Yes! Sleep is a huge one for me. I never can seem to get enough, and it’s my goal to go to bed earlier this year. I also need to keep drinking water throughout the day. Best of luck with your healthy goals too! I love that you dance to get exercise…it’s my favorite thing to do.

  12. I find that if I get a good work out in I sleep better at night. It is always hard to get back into the healthy groove, but I can already tell that I feel so much better. Best of luck to you, Lauren with your goals.

  13. These sound like great habits, and they are things I’d like to do better with this year as well. I am also trying to find ways to be more active without making unrealistic goals (for me) like working out every day or going to the gym. I love that you mentioned sleep too–that’s so important for a healthy life! I MUST get my sleep. πŸ™‚

  14. I need to try to do better with screen time too. I want to make an effort to eat healthier, this will be an on going thing for the rest of my life.

  15. I love that this incorporates both physical AND mental ways to stay healthy. I feel the same way. If I go long stretches without seeing my friends or filling my cup, I feel as though I’m not nearly as productive or present in other areas of my life. I’m hoping to do more self-care in 2018, too–and not just say that, but shut down earlier in the day, not respond to work emails on the weekend, etc.

  16. Those are really great ways to stay healthy in 2018. I love that graphic too. After the baby I want to get a trainer and just try to eat healthy. Taking time for myself whether it be to read or knit or do a puzzle is how I stay mentally ok.

  17. I workout every day but usually only 10-20 minutes using different YouTube channels. I’m going to try for a bit more endurance and ride my new bike. And I need to stretch more than I do. I’m pretty good at varying the workouts but don’t always get in a good stretch of flexibility training.

    I feel like staying healthy is more of a mental challenge these days.

    For What It’s Worth

  18. I was better pleased with myself last year, too, but there is still room for way more improvement. I discovered that I could reward myself with book listening time for doing my stretches (my flexibility is bad) and getting in walks and outdoor labor tasks that really get me moving.
    I think you hit on a key for me to really stay with it when it comes to healthy activities and eating- diversify. I get bored with food or with activities if I don’t change them up now and then or modify them. One of my favorite mental health breaks is to work on jigsaw puzzles. I plan to try the coloring fad this year. πŸ™‚

    Great post, Lauren!

  19. I have tried to develop good habits as a way of self care. After awhile, I stopped craving food that isn’t healthy. I’ve also found workouts that I like rather than what I feel I should do. Dance is a great workout!! I also try to make time for my friends.

  20. It’s funny because goals like that always seem easy when listed like that, but it’s not always easy to keep up with it. It takes dedication to really make the change, but it’s worth it! You can do it, Lauren! It’s okay to stumble too, just brush it off and keep at your goals. <3

  21. Eating more healthy is a goal of mine for this year. I have a tendency to buy fruits and vegetables, but then don’t get around to preparing them. That really needs to change. Hopefully this will be the year!!

  22. I like that you’re focusing on overall health and not just a specific number on the scale. Health is so much more than our weight. It’s about the things we say to ourselves too. (As you know, a huge process I’m going through myself!).

    I definitely want to focus on getting more sleep this year. Which is silly because everyone thinks I get SO much sleep. But, since getting this Fitbit charge that tracks my actual sleep, I realize just how little I was getting. I thought I was getting enough since my bedtime was around 9PM every day. But I wake up early (at 4:30) every day so any day that I pushed bedtime back and wasn’t changing my alarm in the AM, my hours were significantly impacted. And I would sometimes get 5-6 hours. Which explains so much of my grumpiness. Haha.

    • shooting

      I hope that you can get more sleep this year! I used to have a hard time, but I’ve gotten better in the last year or so. And I definitely don’t put too much on my actual weight. I want to lose more, yes, but I also just want more energy and to FEEL good.

  23. I like the idea of using new recipes to eat healthy. It makes it feel more intentional instead of just eating the same old things just because they are good for you. I definitely need to start eating healthier as well. I’m trying to use new healthy recipes as well otherwise I get bored with my food and go to what tastes good but isn’t healthful.

  24. Jen

    I am not a runner or exercise class kind of girl either. I like your idea of a dance class. I should look around and see if I can find one for me!

    Good luck on your healthy habits goals for this year πŸ™‚

  25. It’s reminder so many of us need Lauren, myself included. I don’t get much sleep sadly despite going to bed early. I read for a while but need to get up while the rest of the world is still asleep. If I’m lucky, four hours per night. It’s something I want to change this year because as I’m getting even older, I’m feeling the lack of sleep and often makes me lazy and emotional. I’ve bought natural sleep tablets and so far they’re not doing much at all so will be looking at new techniques to unwind. A timely reminder Lauren and thank you so much for sharing <3 <3

    • shooting

      Thanks for sharing, Kelly. I hope you find something that works for you to help you sleep more. I do hear that certain essential oils work well – I think lavender in particular is supposed to be relaxing!

  26. These are such great goals to take care of yourself – physically and mentally. I need to get back to eating healthier. I have fallen way off the wagon. πŸ™ It’s definitely time to turn that around and start making better choices. And I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I just love that your library has craft nights! πŸ™‚

  27. Great post! I really love to run, but I’ve been doing it for 8 years now and decided to do Cathe’s STS 12 week program. It is a lot of weights and core exercises. What is fun is my husband is doing it with me! I just started my breast exam this year (yay! 40!) and I got a call back the next day, which was scary and I needed an u/s. Fortunately everything was ok, but it is so important to get screenings you need, even so they can get a good baseline!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    • shooting

      Oh, call backs can be so scary with things like that but it’s great you went for every test and all is well! It’s definitely good to be on top of things.

  28. That’s a pretty spot-on graphic!! Those are the main screenings I try to do for all my patients when I see them (slight differences here and there due to their individual medical conditions, but overall, that pretty much covers it)! :]

    I’m glad you’re having fun with the dance classes! :]

  29. Jen

    Fabulous post! Exercise has never appealed to me either. But I’m always at the pool or the beach with my kiddos so it’s a must, not a choice. I finally discovered that I like to watch TV when on the elliptical so I don’t even pay attention to what I’m doing. And that helps SO much. I’m currently re-watching Friends for the millionth time and binging on Rosanne, I forgot how funny that show is and time goes by so fast. And then afterwards I do some weights from a blogger I follow on Bloglovin and save her exercises to Pinterest. They’re not that hard, show good results, she has some great yet simple ideas and I just use 5 lb weights from Target, so easy. I’m wishing you the best of luck this year and here’s hoping you have a wonderful year staying physically and mentally healthy! πŸ™‚

  30. These are great goals, and I do share many of them (though I am still working on my goals… lol!) I 100% recommend belly dancing! I took courses in college and LOVED it! I have a dvd called Goddess Life and it is a BLAST! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ I also love yoga and some really short ones on DVD are great for fitting in here and there. πŸ™‚ Good luck, I hope that you post about your progress, etc. I will try to too, because accountability is fabulous! πŸ™‚ XO – Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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