Achievable New Year 2020 Resolutions for Healthier and Happier Living

Boost your energy and stress less.

We've got some important advice for you: This year, fill your resolution list with easy, good-for-you goals new year 2020.


 Try one of these simple lifestyle tweaks each day, and you'll not only jumpstart a healthier body and mind — you'll feel fantastic and so psyched to make 2020 your best year ever.


 There are tips here that will calm you down and ease your stress, help your skin glow, and organize the crazy in your life. You'll find easy ways to squeeze a little more fitness into your busy days and sane strategies for decluttering.


 Hoping to make 2020 the year you slim down a bit? We've got some surprising, fresh ideas that will help you get there. All of that, plus some advice that will help you take care of someone very important, the person you often forget to pay attention to in the madness of your crazy-busy life: you!

Eating right for your arthritis and your overall health begins with what you buy. So emphasize nutrient-rich foods and skip fatty, sugary, processed products that stoke inflammation and sabotage weight loss. Learn what to buy – and what to skip – for an arthritis-friendly diet.

Add more citrus to your grocery cart New year 2020.

When you see all those gorgeous in-season grapefruits, oranges, clementines, and pomelos in the produce aisle, grab an armful.

Wcan help keep skin looking healthy thanks to vitamin C, which aids in collagen production. In fact, an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that people who ate foods high in C had fewer wrinkles and less age-related dry skin than those who didn't. Try clementine sections sprinkled with pistachios or sweet grapefruit dipped in Greek yogurt for a snack.

Eat veggies regularly New year 2020.

Whether you're slimming down or just staying healthy, vegetables are your friends, says Mehmet Oz, M.D. One woman who appeared on his show — Tiffany, who lost 31 pounds — says, "I sauté onions, peppers, mushrooms, corn — whatever I have in the freezer — and toss that on a bed of baby arugula and spinach." Sounds delicious.

Book all your doctor's visits for the New year 2020.

Open your calendar app and make your appointments for the year in one sitting — not only will you get the anxiety-inducing nuisance over with, but exams will be less likely to get squeezed out as life gets bonkers. Start with your GP, and ask which screenings (e.g., mammogram, colonoscopy) you're due for. Slot those in, then move on to the dentist's office, etc.

Cut calories without going crazy New year 2020.

Who has time to eat healthy!? You do, with this our new cookbook. With recipes from Good Housekeeping's Test Kitchen, the cookbook makes it simple to use your Instant Pot to make nutritious, yummy meals.

To lose weight, most people need to cut calories. Eliminating 250 to 1,000 calories per day usually leads to about 0.5 to 2 lbs. (0.2 to 0.9 kilograms) of weight loss per week, experts say.

But often, only small changes to a person's diet can cut the needed number of calories and lead to weight loss, experts told Live Science. This is especially important because weight-loss experts emphasize making lifestyle changes that you can actually stick to over the long term.

Become a plant owner new year 2020.

Swing by the garden center after brunch this weekend. Just the presence of indoor plants can lower human stress levels, research shows, and one study found that actively caring for plants calmed the autonomic nervous system and lowered blood pressure. And when people work near plants, they report greater concentration, satisfaction, and perceived air quality.

• Before planting a garden or adding a plant to your potted collection, search online or ask an expert at a nursery questions about what conditions the plants need.
• Fout in what region the plants do best. Just because a plant isn't native to your area doesn't mean you can't grow it, but it's usually much easier to grow plants that do well in your region's climate, temperature and soil.

Do one thing at a time new year 2020.

Single-tasking is the opposite of multitasking, and it's better in virtually every way. Our brains may initially resist single-tasking because it's less stimulating. But working on one thing at a time lets us dive deeper and do a better job at each task.

Hyperfocus is the experience of deep and intense concentration in some people with ADHD. ADHD is not necessarily a deficit of attention, but rather a problem with regulating one's attention span to desired tasks. So, while mundane tasks may be difficult to focus on, others may be completely absorbing.

Make your home more fragrant new year 2020.

Infuse your home with a warm sugar cookie fragrance by baking two tablespoons of vanilla extract in a dish at 300 degrees for twenty minutes. (You could also skip the container and just wipe the oven interior with some vanilla extract, too.)

Because smell is associated with the parts of the brain that process emotion and store memories, certain aromas can affect mood, says olfactory expert Rachel Herz, Ph.D., author of The Scent of Desire. Research shows that vanilla makes people more relaxed and joyful (mmm, baking), while peppermint can boost energy and lavender can zap stress.

Take the stairs new year 2020.

Take 10 minutes to run up the stairs in your office or home. A study in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that tired women who climbed stairs for 10 minutes got a bigger energy boost than those who had the caffeine equivalent of a can of soda or half a cup of coffee (and burned calories too!).

Sanitize your phone weekly new year 2020.

We all rely heavily on our cell phones and need them to work efficiently every day. For most of us, the first thing we think about when someone asks, "have you ever cleaned up your cell phone" is how to remove junk files and the hundreds of bad photos to gain some storage space. Like, now! We check our phones a gazillion times a day, and if you've taken yours into the ladies' room, you're not the only one.

Plan a vacation in new year 2020.

Women who vacation at least twice a year have a lower heart attack risk than those do so rarely. And researchers have found that even thinking about an upcoming trip can boost happiness for weeks. REI's Outessa weekend retreats for women are relaxing and active: Enjoy sunrise yoga, kayaking, rock climbing, and hiking with your crew.

Start doing yoga with your partner in new year 2020.

A Sunday morning couples' class could make Sunday afternoon much more fun.It teaches you to make quick decisions. 

Proprioception, or the awareness of your body moving through space, takes practice. AcroYoga trains you to master self-control without rigidly attaching to external circumstances, because anything can shift and knock you off your center.

Experts at Loyola's Sexual Wellness Clinic believe partner yoga helps couples get more comfortable with each other's bodies, a boon for better sex.

Listen to novels while you work out new year 2020.

Exercisers who saved an audiobook for the gym worked out 51% more often than those who didn't, per a study in Management Science. Sweat while listening to an intense thriller, and the treadmill time will fly by.

Try hydrotherapy in new year 2020.

When used, hot water causes sweating and relaxes muscles. It is a very effective method of treating poor circulation, arthritis, rheumatism and sore muscles, and is often combined with aromatherapy. On the other hand, cold-water hydrotherapy helps to stimulate underlying muscles, as well as blood flow to the skin. Feeling sore? Clients at The Spa at Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, California, switch between 10 minutes in a hot sauna and 30 seconds in a 60°F bath, a treatment known as hydrotherapy. 

Done new exercise move in new year 2020.

Often, the best way to start a fitness routine is to just ease into it. Sometimes it’s as straight forward as trying out one simple move to set you on the right track.We mapped out Plyometric exercises — like burpee push-ups — get you fast results, says fitness expert Jillian Michaels: 

1. Squat and place hands on floor (as shown).

2. Jump feet into plank.

3. Drop chest to ground and perform a push-up.

4. Jump feet forward into squat position.

5. Jump up, reaching hands over head, and repeat sequence for 30 seconds. Rest. Do two more sets.

Make it easier: Step back instead of jumping and do push-up on knees.

Explore new hobbies new year 2020.

Another sleepy Sunday? Today's the day you try Ethiopian food, attend a ballet, or take a painting class — whatever feels fun. When researchers followed 7,500 people for 25 years, they found that those who complained of major boredom were roughly twice as likely to die from heart disease.

Play upbeat music new year 2020.

Blasting any happy-making tune can work multiple mind-body wonders including reducing pain during exercise, elevating mood, and lowering stress, research shows. So make a playlist — any songs that oat your spirit will do the job new year 2020.