Every single day, we have a chance to be our best selves. Many of us think of the New Year as a great time to have a fresh start– and it is. If you want this year to be the perfect opportunity to be your healthiest self, you aren’t alone. Why not take a moment to dig into the concept of “New Year, healthier you”? It’s a little different for each person, but you’ll most likely benefit from a few cornerstones of better health. These include a better understanding of what renewed health commitment looks like and how to achieve a better relationship with food through allergy and intolerance testing. You’ll also learn how you can take a multifaceted approach to health.
Is health really important?
So many people focus their New Year’s resolutions on health, which is fine. But let’s take a moment to the one question that very few want to ask: is daily health really important? In a nutshell, yes. Positive approaches to good health are as important as you think. As we’ll discuss below, taking positive steps doesn’t have to include hard-to-maintain changes.
Taking a proactive approach to health is a very common thing, too. An impressive 94% of New Zealanders prioritise health significantly. This means plenty of information is out there to help you do the same!
What does a renewed health commitment look like?
As mentioned earlier, you can approach it in a very realistic and sustainable way. A healthier you comes partially from finding a way that matches your lifestyle. The other part is sticking with it in a rewarding and energizing way.
New Zealanders take many approaches to their health. Some of the most common ones include focusing on diet and exercise, relying on health and wellness apps for convenience, and looking at alternative medicine, supplements, and other unique approaches.
You can do one or all of these approaches and feel confident that you are focusing on your health in a way that you can sustain all year and beyond.
We recommend starting with a diet if you want the simplest way to focus on your health. Since we eat 2-3 meals daily, this is a great way to emphasise a healthy lifestyle!
How to enjoy a better diet
There are so many diets out there that it’s easy to get lost when looking for information on which is suitable for your lifestyle and health goals. Within New Zealand, there are two specialist-approved diets that you can try for great short-term and long-term results. These are the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
The Mediterranean diet is a great option for those generally in good health. There are many resources to help you adapt to it so that it doesn’t feel like a chore. The DASH diet is a wonderful option to prevent high blood pressure. If you have a family history of hypertension, you can consider this diet to help you do your part to keep your heart health a priority.
Regardless of which of these diets you consider, you’ll notice that both have a varied diet with plenty of greens, fruits, and proteins. If you are unfamiliar with a lot of these foods, you’ll want to consider getting allergy and intolerance testing first so that you know if there are any substitutions or replacements you’ll need to make for your safety. Food allergies and food intolerances are very commonplace and knowing what your personalised needs are is a good idea for a blank slate!
Your health is waiting
Committing to your health is a great way to live the mantra of “New Year, healthier you.” Regardless of your starting point, better health is always a good idea. Taking a healthier approach to your life is best done in small steps to maintain each health focus. Add in new approaches when you feel ready to do so.
Let’s walk through an example. A healthier you can start with something as simple as allergy and intolerance testing. Those results will help you create a safe, practical meal plan based on the Mediterranean diet. You can add exercise once you are used to eating that diet regularly. Use apps and other technology to help make this easier for modern life.
This positive health snowball can lead you to step back at any point and see that you are prioritising your health in tangible, sustainable ways. Living healthier starts with small, simple changes. The results will last you weeks, months, and years into a wonderful and profitable future! If you’re ready to get that for yourself, you now have the steps to help you get there.
