Have you already made your New Year’s resolutions? Even though skeptics suggest not to bother, I believe January is the ideal time to make basic and realistic improvements.
Positive, goal-oriented resolutions are easier to maintain than those that require quitting a negative habit, according to a study conducted by researchers at Stockholm University in Sweden.
Their findings, published in the journal PLoS One in 2020, were based on a year of observing the habits of one thousand individuals.
To motivate your resolutions I have some recommendations based on my experiences and my podcast, Just One Thing.
Start ‘intelligent’ exercises
I have kept a New Year’s commitment I set years ago to perform daily press-ups and squats. They are beneficial not just to my back and muscles, but also to my head.
Professor Damian Bailey, director of the Neurovascular Research Laboratory at the University of South Wales, informed me that pushing against gravity (e.g., by performing squats or press-ups) boosts blood flow to the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
It also increases the production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which promotes the creation of new brain cells, which is why I refer to these workouts as “intelligent.”
It has taken some time, but I can now perform about 40 press-ups and squats per day.
Before beginning, consult a physician if you have a preexisting back condition or high blood pressure, and start carefully with a few repetitions per day.
Eat more leeks
Despite my knowledge of the consequences of excessive sugar (it’s terrible for your teeth, waistline, and brain), I cannot resist cookies or chocolate if they are in the home.
Where does this desire originate? Surprisingly, there is growing evidence that sugar-loving “bad” microorganisms in our stomachs are partially to blame.
Feeding your “good” microorganisms with fiber is an effective means of combating these cravings.
Dr. Evelyn Medawar, a neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, recently conducted a study in which obese patients were given daily supplements containing either 30g of inulin, a specific form of fiber, or a placebo. Her team collected feces samples, assessed the participants’ food appetites, and performed brain scans. Not only did they observe favorable changes in the microbiota of the inulin eaters after two weeks, but brain scans also revealed that their food cravings had decreased.
Therefore, vow to consume more inulin-rich foods, such as garlic, leeks, onions, chicory root, bananas, and Jerusalem artichokes. And when sugar cravings come, choose an apple or handful of almonds rich in fiber.
Put away your phone
I love my phone. This device serves as my encyclopedia, navigator, camera, and entertainment system. I occasionally use it to make phone calls.
Like most adults in the United Kingdom, I spend close to four hours every day using it. And if you are spending that much time staring at a screen, it is likely affecting your sleep and mood.
The good news is that a recent German study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology indicated that reducing phone use by just one hour per day reduced depressive and anxious symptoms and enhanced life satisfaction and physical activity.
I’ve discovered that putting my phone in a drawer is an efficient strategy to reduce my usage. Outside of view, out of mind
Talk with neighbors
Many people live alone and have no nearby companions, so why not resolve to converse with your nearest neighbors?
According to the Campaign To End Loneliness, 500,000 older adults spend the majority of the week without seeing or speaking to anyone, and 20% of all older people report that the television is their primary companion.
Professor of psychology for education at Manchester University, Pamela Qualter, told me that getting to know your neighbors can have a profound effect on you and them.
The Kind Challenge, an international study in which she participated, discovered that performing little acts of kindness for neighbors, such as saying hello, lessens the likelihood of feeling lonely and socially isolated and can make a significant difference.
Use sunglasses
If you haven’t had your eyes examined recently, resolve to schedule a sight test.
A recent eye exam revealed that I have cataracts or clouding of the lenses in my eyes.
Age, diabetes (type 1 or type 2), and a family history of cataracts are all risk factors, but according to the optometrist, prolonged exposure to bright sunlight can also hasten the onset of cataracts, as well as exacerbate other serious eye conditions such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
My New Year resolves to wear my new prescription dark glasses whenever the sun is out, even in the winter.
I’m also hoping they will help me achieve another New Year’s resolution: to appear more refined. On the off possibility…
Acknowledgment of gratitude
Have you written a thank-you message for your Christmas gifts and Christmas meal?
Writing thank-you letters was formerly considered kind, but these days a text message or nothing at all is more common than a handwritten note. Which is unfortunate since we underestimate the significance of a note.
In an experiment conducted by experts at the University of Chicago, participants were asked to write a letter of thanks to someone who had done them a favor. It turns out that the author of the note grossly misjudged the recipient’s happiness. Additionally, they discovered that people worried about how to express gratitude.
My recommendation is to stick to the standard format: thank them for the present, explain why you appreciate it, and conclude with “I hope to see you soon.” It functions for me.
For many, New Year’s Eve is a time to let loose and celebrate. Is there any scientifically established strategy to prevent a hangover other than limiting one’s alcohol intake to two glasses?
In a 2008 review, Dr. Joris Verster, a pharmacology researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, discovered that darker-colored drinks, which contain more congeners (chemicals that give drinks their color and flavor), result in more severe hangovers.
Therefore, stick to beer, vodka, or white wine and avoid brandy and rum.
His team also investigated if taking water after consuming alcohol would reduce the likelihood of a hangover, something I swear by.
When his study participants were asked to rate the intensity of their hangovers after drinking or not drinking water before bed, there was no difference in hangover severity.
Because paracetamol is metabolized by the liver, which may still be straining to process the alcohol when you awaken the next morning, you should generally avoid taking it.
Ibuprofen is preferable because it does not have the same effect on the liver (although it can irritate the stomach). As for other hangover remedies, there is no evidence that “hair of the dog” (i.e. drinking more alcohol the next day) or electrolyte drinks are effective.
Due to alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency, I have a very low tolerance for alcohol, which causes me to flush while consuming even moderate amounts of alcohol. It also results in awful hangovers for me. I shall therefore adhere to my customary diet. Probably.
