15 Realistic Lifestyle Changes for Your 2019 Resolutions
15 realistic lifestyle changes for your 2019 resolutions. Pictured: Empty country road. PC: Pixabay.
A new year means new and improved resolutions. This time around, try adding one of these small and realistic goals which can lead to long-lasting, positive lifestyle changes.
It all starts with you:
Health and Wellness
Take care of your being.
1. Eliminate one processed food from your grocery list every week.
If eliminating an item sounds difficult, try adding a vegetable or fruit to the list.
Eliminate one processed food from your grocery list every week | Pictured: Farmer’s market.
2. Plan out your ideal self-care day.
Once in a while, we need a day to recharge. Take some time to plan out a health and wellness day. Then prepare a self-care kit to be used when needed. Future you will appreciate it.
Plan out your ideal self-care day. Pictured: Lemon ginger tea ingredients.
3. Have one thankful thought every day.
This is probably the hardest thing to do. it’s easy to focus on the negative, but it’s important to remind ourselves of our daily blessings.
Have one thankful thought every day. Pictured: Couple hugging and laughing.
Nurture your bank account:
FINANCES
Get one step closer to financial freedom.
4. Make a budget.
get in control of your money and track where your money goes. Try using the free budget tracker, Mint.
Make a budget. Pictured: Growing stacks of coins and a pot of coins.
5. Change your bank passwords.
Not a glamorous resolution, but a smart one. Refresh those bank passwords - it’s probably been a while.
Change your bank passwords. Pictured: Person taking out their credit card from wallet.
6. Start a piggy bank.
Challenge yourself to saving one dollar per week. At the end of the year, treat yourself. Or give it to charity. If you can commit to this, you can trust yourself to save so much more.
Start a piggy bank. Pictured: Jar of coins.
Be a constant-learner:
Self-Improvement
Learn, grow, explore.
7. Create a 2019 reading list.
Find one book to read per season, per month, or per week. many lifetimes worth of books exist. Which books do you want to read during yours?
Create a 2019 reading list. Pictured: Tea cup on stack of books.
8. Create a bucket-list in your city.
Sometimes we forget to take advantage of the place we live in. Pretend you’re a tourist and commit to visiting a new restaurant, museum, store, park or attraction.
Create a bucket list in your city. Pictured: Skyline of Paris.
9. Try a new hobby.
paint. Sing. Dance. Juggle. Code. Volunteer. Skydive. Try something that puts you out of your comfort zone.
Try a new hobby. Pictured: Tubes of paint.
Because relationships matter:
FAMILY & FRIENDS
Be there for the ones you love.
10. Call a loved one once a week.
the people in our lives matter the most. Never forget to tell them how much you care.
Call a loved one once a week. Pictured: Black and white photo of old landline phone.
11. Send a birthday card.
There’s something Special about getting a handwritten letter from a loved one. Buy a birthday card and set a reminder to mail that letter a week before their birthday.
Send a birthday card. Pictured: Row of mailboxes.
12. Prepare a surprise home-cooked meal.
Pick a random day and Surprise someone you care about with a lovely home-cooked meal. Whether you decide to make a fancy three-course dinner or a rendition of their favorite mac and cheese, it’s the thought that counts.
Prepare a surprise home-cooked meal. Pictured: Table with fresh ingredients.
Give back:
COMMUNITY
Practice kindness and compassion.
13. Research nonprofits that mean the most to you.
Take some time to learn about the wonderful non-profits in your area. You can start with Guidestar, Charity Navigator or Great Nonprofits.
Research nonprofits that mean the most to you. Pictured: Person drinking tea and surfing the web.
14. Find one volunteering opportunity.
Volunteer in the community. Make an immediate impact. If you don’t know where to start volunteering, Check out Volunteer Match.
Find one volunteering opportunity. Pictured: Four people with ‘volunteer’ shirts.
15. Make a small monthly recurring donation to your favorite nonprofit.
Every dollar goes a long way. Make a tangible impact on our future.
Make a small monthly recurring donation to your favorite nonprofit. Pictured: 2 children walking together.
What are your realistic 2019 resolutions?
Author
Marushka Hirshon is a Tahitian-American nonprofit founder, community organizer and freelance journalist. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Science, Technology and Society with a focus in Environment and Sustainability. Follow