1. Quit Smoking

Smoking is so bad for your looks and for your health, why on earth would you want to do it for another year? Stop now. Talk to your doctor and find a smoking cessation plan that works for you, then stick to it, and enjoy better respiratory health, a decreased risk of cancer and emphysema, as well as clearer, younger-looking skin, healthier hair, and whiter teeth. You can do it!

2. Eat 5 Servings of Fresh Fruits and Veggies

If you want to be healthier, this is one simple thing you can do that will have an almost instant effect: starting eating the recommended amount of fresh fruits and veggies. They’re tasty, and are loaded with anti-oxidants, vitamins, and fiber. There’s a reason we’re supposed to eat this much of them each day… so get to it! Stock up on apples, strawberries, carrots… anything that appeals to you.

3. Get Checked

If you’re over 18 or are sexually active, make sure to get a pelvic exam (and perhaps a Pap smear) each year. If you’re over 40, remember to get your annual mammogram. So many women’s health issues have such a greater chance of cure if they’re detected early enough… so schedule your appointment today!

4. Get Plenty of Sleep

Getting plenty of sleep with help with stress, make your skin look better, improve your memory and temperament, help with dieting, and increase your resistance to viruses. Each person requires a different amount of sleep, but try for at least 8 hours a night.

5. Ditch the Soda

This is another simple diet-related thing you can do to improve your health this year. Soda is loaded with high fructose corn syrup, calories, sodium, and caffeine. While none of these things are unhealthful themselves, or in moderation, most of us drink more than we should. If you’re hopelessly addicted (like I am), at least resolve to only drink one 8 ounce serving each day. By the way, that’s about a quarter of what most soda-drinkers drink in one day.

6. Do Your Cardio

You ought to be getting forty minutes of steady cardio between four and five days per week. Good cardio can be walking, jogging, running, swimming or using the elliptical machine… anything that gets your heart pumping hard and fast, and makes you sweat. If you’re still able to chat with your workout buddy, you’re not working hard enough.

7. Don’t Abuse Drugs or Alcohol

This is something else that’s vital for good health - don’t abuse drugs or alcohol. Drugs don’t have to be illicit to be harmful, either - millions of young people abuse prescription drugs, and that’s just as dangerous. And while drinking alcohol isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s important to drink with moderation. Alcohol can make our decision process fuzzy, and can lead to other dangerous behavior, like unprotected sex or driving under the influence. Be careful!

These are all important things we all need to do to have a healthier 2019. Some of them will be difficult, like quitting smoking, but some of them are easy, and will have near immediate results! Which of these resolutions will you make, and keep, for a healthier 2019? Or have you made another good-health resolution for the New Year?

Top Photo Credit: ilikegranola.com