It’s a new year and a renewed chance to secure those wellness rituals that will finally turn you into the energetic, positive, happy person you’ve been striving to become. Whether you are embarking on a dry January or maybe even a veganuary, studies show that the 31 day challenges do show a positive shift in your mind set. However, two months or 66 days seem to lock in those changes and transform a challenge into a habit.
Here are a few fun things to try in 2024 that can help you kickstart your new self.
Noom – Form a Habit with Science
Noom started as just a diet site but has transformed itself to so much more (probably as people have shifted from a desire to lose weight to shed stress and gain health). According to their own website:
“Through a combination of psychology, technology, and human coaching, our platform has helped millions of our users meet their personal health and wellness goals.
While we started with weight management, now we’re working to expand our behavior change platform to help people with chronic and non-chronic conditions, such as stress and anxiety, hypertension, and diabetes, and build a healthier world for all.”
This could be the exact online tracker and guidance you need to help make those live altering changes you’ve been striving for but failing. It’s definitely worth a shot, a new you and some new wellness rituals might be an app download away.
A Possible Wellness Ritual—The Salt Fix
Salt licks might not just be horses anymore! Dr. James Dinicolantonio has an interesting theory that our focus on reducing salt is actually worsening our diets in his book The Salt Fix. And adding salt could be the solution for losing weight and lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. Now this isn’t a chance to open up the floodgates on salty snacks but it is a chance to really look at your diet and calibrate it to your body’s needs.
Just like we’ve moved away from the all fat is bad diet trends of the ‘90s, it’s time we drop the salt is evil mantras and start looking at salt as a tool and not as a villain. This is especially true if you are trying to stay extra hydrated in the new year because sometimes drinking too much water can flush out your kidneys. So if hydration is your goal in 2024, keep in mind, you might want to add a little sodium (aka salt) to your water intake to keep those kidneys running smoothly.
As with any new diet idea, it’s always best to consult a doctor first. So take this advice with a grain of… oh, you get it.
Breakfast Is Still Important If It’s Protein
Breakfast has long been said to be the most important meal of the day. But in actuality, it’s what you eat for breakfast that matters. If you are filling your morning up with sugary treats like donuts, you aren’t giving your body as much of a helpful head start as you could be. Instead reach for a high protein breakfast to support muscle health, weight loss, and keep yourself full for the rest of the day. For some helpful tips on how to sneak more protein into your diet, click here. And for those attempting that veganuary, here’s a guide on how to put more protein into your diet.
So whether you are looking at a mental or physical shift in 2024, we hope these tools might help you find your way to a few new wellness rituals, a healthier you and a better year to come.