Big, ambitious plans for the new year are common, but smaller changes are easier to stick with and can make a big impact.
Every year we set ourselves the same unrealistic goals: get fit, revamp our diet and shift the weight. But when we set ourselves ambitious, unclear goals like this, they rarely stick. A YouGov survey shows that a mere 28 per cent of people kept to their resolutions in 2022.
However, what we do know is that you can easily improve your health by making some simple changes to your daily routine and that small changes can have a big impact.
Try these tweaks as recommended by experts. They may look tiny, but they could turbo-charge your 2024.
1. Watch TV to help you drop off
We often hear that we should keep screens to a minimum before bed. But that isn’t always the case, says James Wilson, a sleep expert known as the Sleep Geek. The best thing you can do for a good night’s sleep is to relax and reduce your heart rate. So, if you find unwinding with a book difficult, but watching an episode of a favourite programme before bed helps you unwind, there’s no need to switch off the television.
“You can create an association in your body between watching the episode and dropping off,” says Wilson. Just make sure you pick a soothing show. So yes to Seinfeld and no to Succession.
2. Get outside in the morning light
The time to start preparing for a good night’s sleep is from the moment we wake up.
This is because bright light reduces the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone and resets your body’s internal clock. Stephanie Romiszewski is a sleep physiologist and chief medical officer at The Sleepyhead clinic in Exeter.
She says, “When you get outside, the light is everywhere so you naturally get more of it. But even artificial light helps us wake up. An alarm clock with a sunrise function, which slowly illuminates the room with bright light, can help if you’re sluggish in the mornings.”.
3. Add salt to your morning water
While it might seem counterintuitive, adding salt to your morning glass of water can help rehydrate your body in the morning, by adding all important electrolytes.
Stephanie J Moore, a clinical nutritionist, says “We lose huge amounts of fluid through the night through our skin and our breath” and that we need to replace that lost liquid to fire up our “blood, lymphatic system, brain and digestive tract.”
Moore says that it is best to drink room-temperature warm water with a squeeze of lemon or lime, combined with a sprinkle of Himalayan salt.
4. Frozen berries for breakfast
Berries are an excellent source of anti-inflammatory polyphenols, which can help protect you from heart and neurodegenerative diseases, says Moore. So why not add a handful to your first meal of the day? It’s easy to keep a bag of berries in the freezer, but if you’re not keen on berries, dark chocolate, coffee and black tea are also easy ways to get more polyphenols into your diet.
5. Eat a spoonful of fermented veg
A tablespoon of kimchi or sauerkraut could add five or six million healthy microbes to your gut, contributing “to a better, healthier microbiome,” says Moore.
The collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi and their genetic material that make up a healthy gut microbiome is linked with good health in many different areas of the body.
If you’re not keen on kimchi, another easy entry-level fermented food is natural, full-fat (unsweetened) yoghurt. Look out for ones that have “live” on the packaging.
6. Keep those vegetable stalks
Many of us throw away our broccoli stalks and lettuce stems, but these are full of healthy phytonutrients and fibre. Phytonutrients help protect us from chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Moore suggests chopping up the stems of a little gem or romaine lettuce and adding them to your salads. They can taste a bit bitter, she warns, but this shows just how good they are for your gut.
7. Do squats while watching TV
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get fit, everyday activities can be just as beneficial. Recent research from the University of Cambridge has found that as little as 11 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise proved to be enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17 per cent and cancer by 7 per cent.
So get off the bus one stop early. Or, if you’re dedicated, upgrade your Netflix binges by incorporating a spot of strength training. Personal trainer Dalton Wong, the founder of Twenty-Two Training, suggests doing squats and lunges while you’re watching TV or doing five squats before and after every time you go to the toilet.
8. Have a kitchen disco
It might seem silly to bust out the moves in your kitchen but it can be a great form of cardio. Wong says, “People are ashamed to dance but blasting your favourite tune is an easy way to burn calories and improve your fitness.”
He likens dancing to a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class because it raises your heart rate much like a spin class. Wong suggests dancing to a slower song for four to six minutes, then progressing to a more upbeat song for three minutes.
9. Reset your posture with a Post-it
Many of us spend a good deal of the day hunched over our desks, and yet we are still surprised when we have back pain. To improve your posture, Wong suggests putting a Post-it note at the top of your computer screen so that every time you see it, you sit up.
Another trick is to look around you and notice how other people are sitting and standing. If their posture is bad, fix yours. “This means seeing bad posture will automatically trigger you to improve your own,” says Wong.
10. Do a quick stretch every hour
Stretching is a great way to get some movement and head off aches and pains. For every hour that you’re sitting at your desk, Wong recommends doing 30 seconds of stretches for your neck, hips and back.
Try a few simple neck stretches to get started. We often keep our heads in a fixed position, so the neck can become very tense. Side and front of neck stretches are very beneficial, as are turning your head left and right and drawing circles with your head.
11. Cancel weekend plans
“When you’re always ‘on’ everything feels more overwhelming,” says Dr Jessamy Hibberd, a clinical psychologist and author of How to Overcome Trauma and Find Yourself Again. “It is important to schedule in some downtime. It acts like a mini holiday, so you come back with renewed motivation and everything feeling back under control.”
Dr Hibberd suggests blocking off two or three evenings a week or a block of time at the weekend to rest and recover. “It allows you to appreciate your life and all the good things that are already going on.”
12. Turn off your phone updates
Disable your phone notifications, even if it’s just for a few days. If you can’t face turning them off 24/7, avoid your phone for the first hour after you wake up. Dr Hibberd recommends downloading an app to check how many times you unlock your phone each day. This will help you shave some minutes off your screen time, which can help to improve sleep, reduce stress and bring better focus and brain functioning.
13. Try a walking meditation
Mindfulness can feel like a wishy-washy concept, but in fact, numerous studies show it can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
“Mindfulness is a practice of awareness helping you become more focused on the present, on the life you’re living rather than a past that’s gone or a future that’s yet to arrive,” says Dr Hibberd. She suggests taking 5-10 mins a day to focus on an exercise to help you become more aware and more relaxed.
Start by tuning into all of your senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell. For example, when you walk, notice how your feet feel on the ground and in your shoes. Walk at a natural pace but pay attention to the lifting and falling of your foot.
Whenever anything else captures your attention, bring your focus back to the sensation in your foot. Then, for a few minutes, expand your attention to take in the sounds around you. Next shift your attention to the smells, then the sights, the colours and the objects. If you start daydreaming, refocus your attention on your senses.
14. Go to bed half an hour earlier
Research shows that good sleep can reduce the risk of depression, with seven to nine hours of sleep a night decreasing the risk by 22 per cent.
Prof Barbara J Sahakian, a neuroscientist and professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge, says: “Having seven hours of sleep each night in middle age and old age is essential for good brain health, but also for better cognition and wellbeing.
“Getting the optimal amount of sleep is good for your thinking, memory and creativity, as well as improving your mood and energy levels. We consolidate our memories during sleep, so what we learned can be remembered well the next day.
“Your brain recharges itself during sleep, as well as removing toxic waste by-products.”
Pick a regular bedtime that you can stick to, even on weekends. Figure out what time you need to get up then count backwards to establish your bedtime, allowing for seven or eight hours of sleep.
15. Download a brain game
Keep your brain active and sharpen up your grey matter. Anything that gets you out of your comfort zone will help stem cognitive decline, whether that’s the a crossword or a puzzle designed to challenge your memory or logic.
Prof Sahakian, says: “Stimulating games that activate networks in the brain are great for improving cognition while having fun”. She recommends downloading one of her cognitive training apps The Decoder, an attention/concentration game based on scientific evidence. “Playing the game helps you to stay more focussed and concentrate,” because the cognitive process used in The Decoder “activates a fronto-parietal network in the brain”.
16. Snack on tinned mackerel
We’re all well aware of the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish for brain health, but it is also a big hitter when it comes to fighting inflammation and could even improve your hearing. People with particularly high blood levels of DHA were 16 per cent less likely to have difficulty with their hearing compared with those who had relatively low levels, according to recent research at the University of Guelph, in Canada.
“If you’re buying a supplement, look for the EPA and DHA content”, says HumanPeople’s Dr Geoff Mullan. But the cheapest, most convenient way to up your omega-3 quota is by eating tinned fish. “Mackerel and Herring are better than salmon and sardines contain some of the highest levels of omega-3 of any fish,” says Dr Mullan. “And all those edible bones, which are crushed up in them, are a fantastic source of calcium for women who are at risk of osteoporosis.”
Adults should consume 250-500mg of DHA per day (which equates to roughly two portions of oily fish a week).
17. Finish dinner by 8pm
Yes, how much you eat does matter, but when is just as important. Research shows that eating a late supper or snacking after 8pm can lead to worse blood sugar control and then weight gain. Similarly, a study by Surrey University showed that people who finished their dinner after 8pm were more likely to wake up hungry, despite eating later at night.
18. Stand on one leg when brushing
Balance begins to decline from the age of 30, and from the age of 50 we become more vulnerable to falling, says Professor Dawn Skelton of Glasgow Caledonian University.
Every time you brush your teeth use this as a cue to get your balance back in shape. Balance on your left leg for 30 seconds, then change legs. Repeat twice on each leg. Use the tips of your fingers on the sink for balance, if you need to initially, but work towards taking your hand away. Now repeat the exercise with your eyes closed. It’s normal for one side to be easier than the other, though you should work on training out any asymmetry.
19, Swap biscuits for nuts
You don’t have to cut out sugar altogether, that’s not realistic, but most of us could do with cutting back on sweet treats.
If you tend to reach for a biscuit, or three, with a cup of tea, try a handful of nuts instead. Nuts are a wonder food. A study earlier this year found a 19 per cent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease among the highest consumers of nuts and seeds.
“They are brimming with healthy mono and poly-unsaturated fats, protein and essential micronutrients such as folic acid, niacin, calcium, magnesium and potassium and can help to reduce harmful blood lipids such as LDL cholesterol,” explains Telegraph nutritionist Sam Rice.
They are also a valuable source of fibre, which most of us in the UK don’t consume enough of. But remember they are still high in fat (the healthy kind) and calories, so don’t overdo it. Opt for unsalted varieties and stick to around 30g a day – a small, cupped handful.
20. Boost your B12
Can’t think where you’ve put your keys? If you’re struggling with brain fog or feeling tired all the time, there’s a fair chance it could be down to a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Recent research shows this affects around 6 per cent of the population under 60, rising to 10 per cent in those over the age of 75. Key sources for vitamin B12 are oily fish, shellfish, meat, eggs and dairy. Plant-based sources are harder to come by, but look out for fortified soy milk, tofu and cereals as well as good old-fashioned Marmite.
Vitamin B12 is also available in multivitamins and mineral supplements at pharmacies.
21. Eat more oats
Have oats for breakfast – they are “high in soluble fibre, which helps with lowering cholesterol levels,” says Victoria Taylor, a senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), “as it binds to the cholesterol in your body and helps it to pass through. Ideally top it with seasonal fruit or frozen fruit, which also counts as part of your five a day.”
22. Test your blood pressure
Invest in a blood pressure machine and keep track of your numbers. High blood pressure affects one in three UK adults, accounting for more than half of all heart attacks and strokes.
“Most people in the UK have blood pressure that’s higher than the ideal, but as a general guide, normal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg,” says Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and the chairman of Blood Pressure UK. “Normal” blood pressure varies from person to person, so it’s vital to find out what your blood pressure is on an average day. “If you’ve been monitoring it over time, you’ll then notice if it’s changing and getting higher,” says Ruth Goss, a senior cardiac nurse for the BHF.
23. Walk faster
According to a recent scientific study, people who walk quickly live longer than those who walk slowly. Data from almost 400,000 Britons followed for more than a decade show people who consider themselves to be “brisk walkers” are more than a quarter less likely to die of cancer than their saunter-prone peers.
But how fast is fast? For the study, four or more miles an hour was classed as a brisk pace.
“Engage your arms just as you would if you were running,” says Nina Barough, author of Walking For Fitness and founder of the breast cancer charity-fundraising MoonWalk. “Increased pace comes from our arms, not feet.
The next step towards a faster pace is to streamline your stride by putting one foot directly in front of the other and shortening your stride. A good power walker should aim for 5mph.”
24. Do three minutes of exercise
Even small amounts of exercise can produce mood-boosting endorphins, but what’s more, according to Dr Ali Novitsky, physician and founder of Exercising Intimacy, regular bursts of high-intensity exercise can raise your body’s testosterone levels over time. Testosterone is often thought of as a “male hormone” but it is important for general health, helping to regulate bone and muscle mass, your body’s storage of fat and red blood cell production.
Dr Novitsky recommends a combination of exercises using your own body weight. “For 20 seconds pretend you’re jumping rope, then do 20 seconds of push-ups either on your knees or your toes, and then for the other 20 seconds you’re doing non-weighted air squats, just a little squatting movement.” Repeat twice and you’ll find you’ve got the blood flowing in the shortest possible time.
If you’d prefer something a little less intense, you can try to incorporate a three minute wall squat into your daily routine. Put your back flat against a wall, drop down to a squat, then hold it for 30 seconds. “Then stand up and march on the spot for 30 seconds, hold that wall-squat again for 30 seconds, march on the spot, and repeat,” says Dr Novitsky.
