2023 Wellness Goals

The beginning of the new year is the best time to set your wellness goals. Whether you want to start exercising, lose some weight, or want to drink more water – now is the time to restart and refresh! 

New year’s goals don’t need to be extreme or out of reach. You can make minor adjustments to the 2023 version of yourself, and with consistency, you will form some healthier habits you’ll be proud of.

Setting health goals holds you accountable for your well-being and gives you the structure you need to live a balanced life. The first step is to select the goals that speak to you and your specific needs, and then get a notebook dedicated to documenting your progress, feelings, failures and restarts throughout the year. 

Writing it down gives you a visual reminder to keep going.

Start A Journal

With the above noted, writing down your goals, thoughts, and feelings can be a great way to work through them. 

Sometimes, we cannot fully possess our emotions. Writing them down is a great way to work through complex feelings and thoughts. Later, you can revisit them when you are thinking more clearly, and it can give you insight into your state of mind when writing them down. 

Drink More Water

Water assists every function in the body. Drinking water maintains the balance of body fluids, energises the muscles, and nourishes the hair, skin and nails. The body is composed of 75% water. The functions supported by bodily fluids are digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, maintaining body temperature and more.

Set Financial Goals

Money problems cause a significant amount of stress. Stress causes tense muscles and pain. Doing some reading on financial literacy and creating a budget can help you get your finances in order so that when you want, you have expendable cash to treat yourself once in a while. 

A reasonable budget helps you prioritise your spending and stay on top of your monthly expenses as you decide how to use and save your money, says Standard Bank. Setting up a budget gives you clarity on expenses and earnings to stay on top of your monthly costs, your plan to lower any current debt, and side-step any potential future debt. Identifying waste can help you change your financial status and perhaps even lift a credit score so that a year from now, you will be in better financial standing and have less mental load. Financial wellness is physical and psychological wellness. 

Self-Care

It is okay to treat yourself sometimes. Make it a priority. Plan to book a massage or a day to yourself on the beach. Make it a goal to be kind to yourself in the new year. 

Investing in proper medical coverage is a great way to ensure your physical health. Affinity Health gives you medical cover for an affordable monthly premium – and peace of mind, the ultimate form of self-care. 

Less Screen Time

It isn’t just the kids that could do with a little more time away from the laptop, phone or tablet. The time we spend in front of a screen has increased as technology has advanced, and it’s been proven to affect stress levels and cognitive function.

Scrolling social media and comparing yourself to others isn’t good for your self-esteem. Instead, focus on your own life or work towards your goals so that you can live the life you desire. 

Excessive screen time has the following health repercussions: 

• Weight gain. Too much time being sedentary can be a risk factor for obesity. This impacts your heart health and muscle movement. It 
• Insomnia. The intense light emitted from our electronic devices interferes with our brain’s sleep cycle. To ensure proper restful sleep, keep screens out of the bedroom and avoid them for at least an hour before you climb into bed. Also, only check your notifications an hour after waking up. Spend the first few minutes of the day meditating or finishing a task you haven’t gotten to yet so that you start your day feeling accomplished. 
• Chronic neck pain and back pain. Poor posture and chronic neck, shoulder and back pain from crouching over the phone or screen. 

No matter what you choose as a goal, taking a step towards it one day at a time will ensure that by December 2023 you will have achieved something to be proud of!