2023 Must Do Wellness Tips
19th Nov 22
Looking for ways to improve your health wellness this 2023?
Whether the New Year is fast approaching or in full swing, why not start out on the right foot! Even a small, but positive change in your habit and attitude can have a great impact. If you’re scratching your head on where to start. Good news – we’ve asked six experts from the health and wellbeing world to share their top tip with us that are a must to take into 2023!
Here’s to a healthier and happier New Year ahead.
1. Attentive Drinking for the Year Ahead
Archana Patel, a Health, Nutrition and Alcohol Reduction/Free Coach at Archana Patel, Health, Nutrition and Alcohol Reduction Coach
My top tip for 2023 is to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink. Often, we fall into the trap of drinking for the sake of it. Yet, after the initial buzz, our wellbeing can be affected in many ways.
It stops us sleeping well, often we wake with ‘hangxiety’ – worrying what we might have said or done the night before. We feel jaded in the morning, our mental health and mood is negatively affected. And all good intentions to follow other wellbeing practices (think eating well and exercise) go out of the window.
Reduce or stop drinking
Reduce or stop drinking, and your wellbeing will soar. Better mental health, more time to pursue your passions, tons more energy, confidence, consistency with other ‘healthy’ habits, self- belief to seek out new opportunities, the list goes on.
All these things became reality for me when I reduced, then stopped, drinking.
You may have drunk excessively over the festive period, even if you didn’t want to. I understand, the social pressure can be huge.
But do this one thing going into 2023 and your wellbeing will be given a boost. It’s not easy going against the grain but find the support you need and discover the magic for yourself!
2. Give Yourself More Loving this 2023
Catherine Taylor, a Psychotherapist from Catherine Taylor Changing Lives
Self-Love the soil of great change and new beginnings! New year, new beginnings. How many of us have made New Year’s resolutions to find ourselves failing as we head towards spring? Only to renew the resolution later in the year.
Why is it temporary when change should remain constant, and we should build on that constant. Willpower is a great asset, positivity, and willpower two great assets. A lot of us could say we have a strong will and positivity and we wouldn’t be wrong. What then makes us fail?
Making positive change
Sometimes willpower and positivity take us a long way and we achieve. Yet, when we slip backwards, we become disappointed in ourselves and feel like we have failed.
Willpower and positivity are like daffodil bulbs and seeds for the garden. If they are not planted in fertile soil, we still have the bulbs and seeds, but not the sustenance for growth that takes us through every year consistently
Well, those of you who know about my belief for making great changes and new beginnings will know that the sustenance I am referring to is self-love.
May all your resolutions for 2023 be rooted in self-love.
3. Ditch the Ultra-Processed Foods this Year
Jackie McWilliams, a Workplace Well-Being Coach at Generation Well
Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) are hard to ignore when you go food shopping. Here’s an interesting read on what is a UPF (an ingredient list of 5+ items and, there’s a 70-80% chance that it’s an UPF).
UPF’s are coming under intense scrutiny (e.g., Imperial College London, British Medical Journal). The links between regular consumption of UPF’s and premature death and serious illness continue to grow. Side-effects can show up as –
- Moods swings
- Depression
- Hyper-activity/ learning difficulties in children
A taste of things to come in later life, perhaps as research is now linking regular UPF consumption to the occurrence of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and Obesity.
Treat ‘Good Food Options’, e.g., fake meat, foods labelled as gluten free, low sugar/fat, with caution.
Breaking the cycle for 2023
If you have ‘picky eaters’ in the house, try this,
- Search for foods/ drinks with shorter ingredient lists
- Switch kid’s high sugar/salt snacks and fizzy drinks more healthy options, on alternate days
- Mix UPF cereals with less processed cereal e.g., Weetabix
- Involve the whole family in meal-planning
- Get the kids to help with preparing home-made spaghetti Bolognese, pizza
In April 2020, I switched to a whole food diet, after struggling with IBS, sleep issues, brain fog and just feeling under-par.
In the first year of giving Ultra-Processed Foods their marching orders my IBS settled, I lost three stone and my sleeping improved dramatically.
4. Make Sure Motivation Gets a Look In
Joe Roe, a mental health coach at Joe Roe the Mental Health Coach
Let’s Get Motivated!
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself to tap into your wellness goal and increase your motivation and mojo.
To support you to think about your goal, example answers are provided about being calmer in 2023.
1. What is your positive goal outcome that you are motivated towards achieving?
- Turn ‘I want to stress less’ into ‘I will live a calmer life’ because your brain will pay attention to your resourcefulness
2. What is important to you about achieving your goal?
- When I am calmer it will improve my overall wellness, I will feel more organised, and it will improve family relationships
3. What do you believe about achieving this goal?
- I believe it is possible to be calmer because I have lived a calmer life in the past
4. What do you need, to enable you to achieve your goal?
- Say ‘no’ more often, have a central electronic diary, listen to chill-out music, and enjoy family walks in nature
5. What will bring you that extra special mojo boost, to reach your goal?
- My 2023 mojo motto is ‘to fill up my cup first so that I can be calmer for myself and others’
5. Cultivate an Acupressure Routine this New Year
Paula Wilson-Young, an Acupuncturist and Wellbeing Educator at Health Rediscovered
My top tip for 2023 would be to include a general acupressure routine into your day. It helps to regulate the flow of qi, creates a simple daily mindful practice, and helps you connect in with your body more.
I like to do this as part of my morning routine, stretches, acupressure and then meditation. It helps me feel invigorated, calm and sets my intention for the day – to help look after and appreciate this body of mine.
There are many points you can choose from, but my two favourites are:
- Stomach 36: three leg mile, it is known as the sea of nourishment: it supports the digestive system, improves energy and empowers the virtues of groundedness. Slide your finger down from the outside edge of the kneecap until you fall into a big dip approximately a hand width under the kneecap.
- Heart 7: spirit gate, a great one for helping to calm and sooth our heart and mind. On the pinkie side of the wrist, to the inside of the round bone. You can use this link to get a video of me showing you how to find these points, (and others) to help improve mental health.
6. Be in the Here and Now this 2023
Rebecca Brothers, a Pilates and Mindfulness Teacher at Pilates and Wellness by Rebecca Anne
The concept I want to highlight comes from Mindfulness teachings, which is to allow yourself to be fully present and enjoy the here and now.
We tend to spend so much time regretting or trying to understand why things have happened in the past. Things that are now just memories, which we can’t change. Or we worry about the future – what is coming. I think this was dramatically highlighted by the pandemic.
It’s easy for our minds to go into the monkey mind process. Fuelled by so much news and media hype, this can lead to the downward spiral of destructive thoughts. But our thoughts are just thoughts – they are not truths. We spend so much time worrying about tomorrow, that we forget to enjoy today.
Stay Present
We need to focus on where we are today, this moment, and be fully present focusing on the one activity and not multitasking. Take this with you into 2023 and practice, as it does take time.
Enjoy watching the film, playing with children or pets, walking in nature or whatever it is you are doing. By doing so, it will help you feel calmer, happier and gives mental clarity.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
Which tips are you making friends with this year?
Whether this year you are aiming to kick your monkey mind into touch, increase self-love or just reduce your alcohol intake. There’s no better time to start but NOW!
If you need a helping hand, either reach out to the wellness practitioners above. Or check our wellbeing platform full of more dedicated wellness practitioners over at Wellbeing Umbrella.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this Site is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Please consult a qualified health care professional to diagnose your health condition and prevent self-diagnosis. We do not dispense medical advice or prescribe or diagnose illness. Read full medical and health disclaimer.
