The new year is here and with it come new plans for improving your health and wellness as we look towards the future. There seem to be new health food products and digital apps every day that adapt to our individual tastes and schedules. As unique beings, we want to make sure that we’re following a plan that’s right for us to better our physical wellness.

With that, there are functional ways that we can improve our health and wellness as we move forward through 2021. A doctor specializing in bodytite even recommends these methods for losing weight and bettering our overall health. By implementing slight adjustments to our everyday routine, we can start the process of achieving our personal health goals.

A Solid Sleep Schedule

You’ve probably heard this a dozen times, but that doesn’t lessen the message’s importance: maintaining a regular sleep schedule is critical for your health. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night adds a variety of positive effects for your entire physical makeup, including a stronger immune system–which is more important than ever these days.

Meanwhile, the negative effects of a continuous lack of sleep include:

• Heightened memory issues
• Higher risk of heart disease
• Lower sex drive
• Sudden changes in mood
• Difficulty with concentration

There are numerous functional adjustments that you can make in your nightly routine that aid in getting more sleep. No alcohol, cutting out caffeine late in the day, shutting down your electronics, and using a night mask or earplugs if you’re a light sleeper are all useful methods.

Also, if you’re a person who likes to check on their work before they go to sleep, then try using “night mode” on your computer or mobile device. This eliminates blue colors from the display, which will help with eye strain and improve your sleep quality. Better sleep means a better functional experience the following day.

The Best Foods with the Right Stuff

You already know that it’s best to avoid foods with high amounts of sugar out of your diet. But your daily nutrition doesn’t need to taste bad or follow a singular routine. There are food items out there that are full of necessary nutrients that our body needs, and that also taste great. You probably have already eaten a few of these recently but may not have known how healthy they actually were.

Fruit such as blackberries and blueberries are rich in fiber and antioxidants, which help your body with digestion. Salmon has those legendary omega-3 acids, which greatly aid heart health. Beans, meanwhile, are full of vitamin B and protein, which help strengthen your immune system and brain functions. Eggs have protein, as well as amino acids, which help to grow muscles. And we can’t forget about avocados. That lovely fruit helps with blood sugar and also lowers cholesterol.

These are just some examples of how everyday food items–some of which may already be in your diet–carry nutrients that can amp up your health and get you ready on a functional wellness path for the new you. Buy za’atar to help you meet your goals.

Small Goals, Big Results

Exercising always helps when trying to achieve a new fitness target. However, large goals that aim too high above their target usually miss. With this in mind, you’ll want to set a more reachable goal for your exercise.

This means creating a functional plan that can fit within your overall schedule. Going with that, start with a method such as a daily step goal. In time, you can work up to the number of 10,000 steps a day. (Daily, the average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps.) The Mayo Clinic recommends regular physical activity such as walking, which is categorized as “moderate-intensity.” Doing this can help reduce the risk for illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. This bit of exercise can be just what you need to add some energy to your new health plan.

It’s 2021, and that means a new and refreshing path for many areas of our life. In adjusting parts of our health and wellness, we’re creating new functional pathways and looking forward. Upgrading our health for the future is the best investment we can make in ourselves, and these tips will help guide you on your journey.

About the Author

Jennifer Bell is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey.