You’ve eaten all of the holiday food and opened all of your gifts. You’ve sat through your umpteenth viewing of It’s A Wonderful Life and Die Hard. You are now so very ready for 2020 and getting a jump start on your new year’s resolutions.
According to most lists, four of the top resolutions are eating healthier, exercising, quitting smoking and taking better care of yourself. And, according to most experts, fewer than 10% of resolution makers manage to keep them for more than a few months. Millions of adults have completely given up on achieving any.
You don’t need a gym this well-equipped to get fit in 2020.
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
One missing element in achieving success in fulfilling resolutions is your home. When people think about losing weight, they don’t think, ‘Gee, I should redo my kitchen,’ but maybe you should. How the room where you cook is organized and equipped can help you prepare healthful meals more conveniently. That, in turn, can help you make your healthier eating resolution much easier to keep.
That’s just one example. Making small changes to your home can also help you sleep better, quit smoking and exercise more. That’s right, small changes. You don’t have to complete a full remodel for your home to help support your wellness goals. These gift ideas are designed to help you achieve them with small changes. (Since the fourth top resolution is saving money, none of these home-related ideas costs thousands of dollars.)
Starting next week, you’re going to see a New Year’s Resolutions Success Strategies – Home Edition series with advice from the Mayo Clinic, Yale, Michigan Medicine and a noted sports nutrition doctor. All will be sharing the benefit of their specialized expertise and home-related tips for succeeding at your wellness-focused New Year’s resolutions in 2020. To jump start the series, here are some gift ideas for your living space inspired by their advice.
Self-Care Resolution Gift Ideas
Ceiling fans or white noise machines can help improve sleep. (Photo by: Jumping Rocks/Universal … [+]
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Taking better care of yourself is a catchall resolution, but one of its essential components is getting enough sleep. Yes, you should see a doctor for sleep disorders, but there are environmental factors you can add to your home that will help you improve your sleep hygiene. Here are some gifts to yourself inspired by medical advice.
Blue light is a sleep interrupter, so replacing standard light bulbs in your bedroom and bathroom with warmer circadian-friendly versions can help. (Circadian lighting systems can connect with smart home systems for automated whole house adjustments from morning to night, but that is a larger investment.) Be sure to use nighttime settings on your electronics, as well.
Another potential light issue is external; is there a streetlight, house light or headlights coming into your bedroom? If so, blackout panels or shades can block those out.
A white noise machine can be helpful for sleep enhancement if your room doesn’t have a ceiling fan.
Healthy Eating Resolution Gift Ideas
A multi-cooker can help you prepare healthier meals more conveniently. (Photo by Tom McCorkle for … [+]
The Washington Post via Getty Images
A multi-cooker with high speed and slow cooking modes will provide two options for healthy cooking. Add a steam setting and you’ve got three power cooking tools in one countertop appliance. If you didn’t find one of these under the tree last week, find one that fits your budget and bring it to your kitchen.
Two absolute must-haves are a good knife and cutting board. Find a new knife that fits your hand well and inspires you to create new healthy meals with it, and consider dishwasher-friendly cutting boards that are color-coded for meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
Exercise Resolution Gift Ideas
A yoga mat can also be used for calisthenics and resistance training, adding exercise potential … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
You already know many of the benefits of exercise, (weight management, stress reduction, reducing hypertension risk, etc.), but your schedule makes it hard to fit in, right? Wrong! Fitting in movement in short intervals throughout your day is easier than you think and can help meet the recommended weekly recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise. Here are some ideas for tools to help you do that, whether you work at home or just spend most of your evening hours there, inspired by suggestions from a sports medicine doctor.
A seated pedal exerciser can be used on your couch or desk chair to help get those moderate exercise minutes completed. For those who work at home, a standing desk converter can help put more movement into your day. Rather than sitting for hours, you can work standing, do leg raises and squats between project drafts and add exercise to your workday without much extra effort.
Resistance exercise is the other component of a healthy regimen. A portable suspension system or resistance bands can help you do some low impact resistance training at home. A yoga mat or area rug can provide a good base for body weight resistance exercises. Use it between shows when streaming or during commercial breaks when watching broadcast or cable TV.
If you don’t have access to a hot tub for the pre-exercise stretching recommended by sports docs, a hand-held showerhead with a massage setting can substitute.
Smoking Cessation Resolution Gift Ideas
Hobby kits, like bonsai sets or terraria, can help replace smoking cues in your home with healthier … [+]
De Agostini via Getty Images
Quitting smoking is one of the most challenging resolutions to fulfill. It takes many people four or more attempts before they succeed. How many times have you tried to stop in the past? While nicotine addiction is the biggest barrier to quitting, environmental clues and habits also make it hard to stop. Making changes to your home environment that eliminate your smoking cues can be extremely helpful. So can thoroughly cleaning tobacco odors from your home so they don’t trigger urges.
Two helpful tools for smoke removal are a fabric steamer for cleaning upholstery and drapes, and an air purifier with HEPA filter. Be sure you get a model that tackles smoke odors, ideally without putting ozone into the room. The packaging will indicate what it addresses, and how it works.
Starting a new hobby and adding healthful cues to your space can both help you achieve your smoke cessation program. Gardening can combine both of these elements. Consider an indoor terrarium or bonsai kit to add the wellness-enhancing benefits of plants to your home, while giving your hands something healthier to do than lifting a cigarette to your lips.
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New Year’s Resolution Success Strategies: Home Edition series schedule
Quit Smoking — Monday, January 6, 2020
Eat Healthier — Monday, January 13, 2020
Get Exercise — Monday, January 20, 2020
Self-Care (Sleep Focus) — Monday, January 27, 2020
Links will be added as pieces publish.