Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See all Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See all News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet is not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See all Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See all Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See all Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Mind & Body Chevron Right
  3. 12 Ways to Have Your Happiest and Fittest Year Ever

12 Ways to Have Your Happiest and Fittest Year Ever

By Alice Oglethorpe
December 23, 2015
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
New year, new chance to live well. Experts share simple ways to enjoy your happiest, fittest, and most prosperous year yet.
Start Slideshow

1 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Small steps, big results

Credit: Getty Images

There's a reason many of us make new year's resolutions in January: Starting the year strong sets you up for success down the road. "After an indulgent holiday season, people want to get back on the wagon in every area of their lives," says Susan Blum, MD, founder and director of the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, N.Y. But instead of making huge resolutions that you'll forget by February, it's smarter to take little actions. Need a place to begin? Here are baby steps that make a big difference.

The Experts: Lauren Slayton, RD, a nutritionist in New York City and author of Little Book of Thin; Susan Blum, MD, author of The Immune System Recovery Plan; and Farnoosh Torabi, author of Psych Yourself Rich.

1 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Stop winging it

Credit: Getty Images

So much of eating is impulsive—you're hungry and you grab whatever is there. Be proactive so you're not starving at noon and your only option is an overstuffed sandwich. Every morning, do a mental walk-through of your day to plan what you're going to eat when. If you won't be able to find something healthy, brown-bag it. (Related: Healthy Snacks for Every Craving)

2 of 13

3 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Debloat the healthy way

Credit: Getty Images

Chances are you're feeling a little puffy after the holidays. Lemons, asparagus, avocado, quinoa and ginger are all great at getting rid of your bloat; they help you lose sodium and retain less fluid. You can also try this yoga routine that relieves bloating.

3 of 13

Advertisement

4 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fall in love with fermented foods

Credit: Getty Images

You've already heard that probiotic foods are some of the best things you can eat for gut health. But you may not know that yogurt isn't the only source of good bacteria. Try kombucha tea, kimchi (a spicy Korean cabbage side dish) and kefir (a tart milk drink).

4 of 13

5 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Keep your own medical file

Credit: Getty Images

Get a binder for your health records and test reports; also, scan them and save them to your hard drive. Having copies lets you be your own advocate. Bring them with you every time you visit a physician. That way, each doctor will be on the same page and better equipped to help you stay well.

5 of 13

6 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Get tested

Credit: Getty Images

Besides the obvious annual exams (e.g., a gynecologist visit), you also need a skin cancer check (visual screenings are key to detecting skin cancer and stopping it early—just be sure your doc is giving you a thorough screening). Also, once you hit 50, you should get a colonoscopy every 10 years.

6 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Set a bedtime

Credit: Getty Images

Sleep is one of those things everyone knows they need more of but can't quite figure out how to get. So treat yourself like a kid and set a time you have to be in bed by (say, 11 p.m. if you wake up at 7 a.m.). An hour before, turn off all your electronics. Browsing Pinterest on your iPad up to the moment you shut off the lights is only going to make it tougher to drift off and sleep soundly.

7 of 13

8 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Check into your investments

Credit: Getty Images

Most people sign up at the beginning of a job for an investment plan and never look at it again. But you need to periodically make sure it's still the right mix of stocks and bonds for your age and comfort level with risk. Spend a moment reviewing where your money is invested. A good rule of thumb: Take 100 and subtract your age to find the percentage you should have invested in stocks (a riskier choice). So if you're 40, 60 percent of your fund should be in stocks and the rest in safer investments.

8 of 13

9 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Learn your credit score

Credit: Getty Images

While you can get your credit report for free every year, you have to pay to find out your actual score. It's worth it, though: This one number determines whether you can get a mortgage and what the interest rate on other loans may be. Head to myfico.com for your rating.

9 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Switch from manual to automatic

Credit: Getty Images

Sign up for automatic bill paying for every predictable monthly bill you have. You'll avoid accidentally skipping a payment (it's even happened to me!), lower your stress and may even boost your credit score. Bonus: Some creditors give you incentives for automating your payment, like a lower interest rate on your student loans.

10 of 13

11 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Take some measurements

Credit: Getty Images

Weighing yourself can be so dispiriting. You might be disappointed by the number, and some of it is water weight versus all those holiday cookies. Instead, measure three areas: around your chest, the smallest part of your waist and the circumference of a thigh. You'll get a starting point so you can see how your workouts are changing your body. (It doesn't get more motivating than losing inches!)

11 of 13

12 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Slip into a swimsuit

Credit: Getty Images

If you've taken a few months (or years) off from exercise or you have some weight to lose, pools are the perfect place to work out. Swimming and water aerobics are certainly challenging, but don't put much strain on your joints.

12 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 13

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Double up

Credit: Getty Images

To see faster results, follow the lead of pro athletes and squeeze in a few two-a-days. While a good goal is to exercise four days a week, in the month of January try to work out in the morning and evening on two of those days. No need to go all-out both times—the second workout should be easier, like going on a bike ride or taking a power walk. Then, in February, you can switch back to one-a-days, knowing you've already made major progress.

13 of 13

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Alice Oglethorpe

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 13 Small steps, big results
2 of 13 Stop winging it
3 of 13 Debloat the healthy way
4 of 13 Fall in love with fermented foods
5 of 13 Keep your own medical file
6 of 13 Get tested
7 of 13 Set a bedtime
8 of 13 Check into your investments
9 of 13 Learn your credit score
10 of 13 Switch from manual to automatic
11 of 13 Take some measurements
12 of 13 Slip into a swimsuit
13 of 13 Double up

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

12 Ways to Have Your Happiest and Fittest Year Ever
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.