As we step into 2024, its’ time to embrace abundance in every aspect of our lives, and one way we can do that is through health improvement. By adopting straightforward approaches in nutrition, mental wellness, and overall health, we can more effectively align with our goals and resolutions we want to achieve this year.

This article is designed to provide you with simple tips to help set you up for better success this year. To help hit the ground running into 2024 so you can make it the most abundant year yet. 

Tip 1: Embracing Abundance Without Booze

One of the top things you can do to kick-off your best year is choosing to limit or even eliminate alcohol.

It’s not about deprivation though, it’s about creating less room for booze, and more for your health and well-being.

When we decide to limit or eliminate alcohol, we can create:

More Energy

Alcohol uses up our bodies resources and can often interfere with biological processes involved in generating energy. B Vitamins, which are an essential for energy production, are often impaired when we drink alcohol.

This means, when we decide to limit or stop drinking, we free up energy that can be used into creating healthy habits and better choices for the new year.

If you're interested in going alcohol-free, consider exploring the benefits of "natural pre-workout supplements for energy boost" as a healthier alternative.

More Purpose

When we decide to focus less on alcohol, we can fill it with more meaningful tasks that align better with a purpose-filled life.

Of course, Enjoying alcohol in moderation as part of social celebrations can be joyous. However, excessive indulgence leads to unhealthy habits that simply don’t cultivate positive life direction.

Better Health

This is probably the most important, but limiting alcohol can drastically improve both you physical and mental well-being.

When we consume alcohol, we not only impact our energy levels, but decrease our ability to focus, and create more brain-fog.

We can also inhibit our ability to burn fat, which simply just doesn’t align with any new year’s weight loss goals.

Limiting or quitting alcohol though is no easy feat for everyone, and in some instances, can be trapped from underlying addiction.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of going alcohol-free, we recommend this resource.

If you believe you could have a problem with alcohol, reach out to an addiction help line, such as Lifeline Australia or Beyond Blue.

Tip 2: Prioritise Nutritious Choices

Supporting your diet should always be a priority for any year, not just this one. In 2024 though, it shouldn’t be about restrictive diets, but creating abundance through nutritious choices.

Keeping in mind that everyone’s food needs and preferences can be different, we’ve selected nutrition tips that can work for most people. Diet is often not a one-size-fits-all approach, so make sure to adjust to fit your needs and see professional advice always.

Protein is Key

One key area people do not focus enough on, or consume enough of, is protein. Protein is important for building, repairing, and maintaining body tissue, regardless of if you’re training or not.

As we age, our body's capacity to synthesize protein diminishes. This means that as we can older, it becomes more vital to ensure adequate protein intake in our diet.

As a rule of thumb, we should be consuming 1.2-1.8g per kilogram of body weight.

Ideally, this should come from your diet, but using protein powder is a great way to always make sure you’re hitting these targets daily.

At Supplements Central, we’re constantly looking to stock the best protein supplements for muscle gain, weight loss, and more.

More on protein powder supplementation in this article.

Prepping for Success

When it comes to food choices, people can often fail to stay on track with their goals simply due to poor meal planning.

Often, people put it down to lack of willpower, but it’s simply just lack of preparation. Here are some tips to set yourself up for success in planning your meals.

• Map Out Your Week: Set aside time each week to plan your meals, Sunday is generally a good day. The key is to start small and keep it simple, don’t overcomplicate it. You can even start with just mapping out dinners and putting your plan somewhere that’s visible always.
• Plan Your Snacks: Having an array of go-to snacks can reduce your odds of opting for foods you perhaps shouldn’t be consuming. The key again is keeping it simple, something as small as cut up vegetables, an apple or tin of tuna can make a huge difference in your daily food choices.
• Create Friction: It’s OK every now and then to treat yourself but make it harder to do so. Creating friction and distancing yourself from less healthier options makes you less likely to do it. Freeze the chocolate muffins so you have to wait for them to defrost or put the potato chips out of sight at the back of the pantry.

This list is in no way comprehensive but serve as simply tips in creating a more abundant year in 2024.

Not Just Water, but Hydration

Staying hydrated is a common and well-known tool in supporting your health, but did you know you need electrolytes too?

Simply just drinking copious amounts of water is only half of the battle, but you need minerals, such as sodium to help get water into your cells.

In fact, drinking too much distilled water can dilute electrolytes in circulation, which ends up creating cellular dehydration!

A simple, budget-friendly tip to creating a better, hydrating source of water is adding a pinch of Himalayan salt into your water bottle. If you want to go one step further, you can invest an Electrolyte Hydration Mix, but this is a little more costly.

Tip 3: Set Realistic Goals

Start by setting attainable health goals. Whether it’s losing weight, gaining muscle, or simply being more active, ensure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic. Remember, small, consistent changes often lead to significant long-term results.

• Break Down Larger Goals: If your goal is large or long-term, break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. This makes it less overwhelming and easier to plan.
• Write Your Goals Down: There's power in writing your goals down. It makes them more tangible and serves as a constant reminder of what you’re working towards.
• Review and Adapt: Regularly review your goals to check on progress. Be flexible and willing to adapt your goals as needed.
• Celebrate Milestones: Recognize and celebrate your progress. This keeps you motivated and acknowledges the effort you’ve put in.

How to create SMART goals

• Be Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• Ensure Measurability: Your goal should have concrete criteria for measuring progress. Determine how you will track your progress and how you will know when the goal has been achieved.
• Keep it Achievable: Set goals that are realistic and attainable.
• Ensure Relevance: Your goal should matter to you and align with other relevant objectives. Ask yourself why the goal is important and how it fits into your broader personal or professional aspirations.
• Set Time-Bound Parameters: Your goal should have a deadline. This creates a sense of urgency and helps you stay focused and motivated.

Tip 4: Incorporate Regular Physical Activity

Exercise is vital for maintaining physical health. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it’s jogging, swimming, cycling, or yoga, and make it a part of your routine.

Aim to build to at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week, alongside muscle-strengthening exercises. Consider initiating a routine with small exercise increments can pave the way to adopting a healthier lifestyle.

• Join Local Fitness Groups: Joining walking groups or participating in local park run.
• Any Physical Activity is better than No Physical Activity: The 7 minute workout app is ideal for those seeking a quick yet impactful workout routine, appealing to busy individuals who may not have the time to commit to longer exercise sessions. Though the creators intended it to be performed in 2–3 circuits, you can do the workout just once and still get your heart rate up. 
• Integrate Exercise into Daily Activities: Turn mundane tasks into mini workouts. For example, do calf raises while brushing your teeth or squats while waiting for your coffee to brew. Where possible, take the stairs instead of an elevator.
• Decrease Sedentary Behaviour: Break up long study sessions or workdays by implementing short movement breaks throughout the day. If possible, request a standing desk from your workplace.

Tip 4: Prioritise Sleep

Good sleep is essential for physical health. It helps repair your body, manage weight, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

• Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule: Set your alarm for the same time each morning and aim to go to bed at the same time each night.
• Unplug from Electronics: Try going device free one hour before bed.
• Create a Sleep-friendly Environment: Block out the light with blackout curtains or an eye-mask.
• Reduce Caffeine: Drinks containing caffeine, like coffee, tea, some soft drinks and energy drinks, are all stimulants, so it’s best to avoid them in the afternoon and evening.
• Don’t Have Dinner Too Late: A full stomach at night can make it harder to fall asleep. If you can, aim to have dinner at least two hours before you go to bed.
• Try a Relaxation Technique: For inspo Headspaceand Smiling Mind have a bunch of helpful exercises.
• Try a Soothing Scent: Essential oils like lavender, chamomile or rose may help to calm your mind and create a more relaxing space. You could drop some into a diffuser, create your own mist and spray it around the room.

Key Takeaways

Let’s look at some key takeaways for this article so you can embrace abundance in 2024 and improve your well-being to make this year your best one yet.

• Reduce or Eliminate Alcohol: Limiting alcohol intake increases energy, purpose, and overall health. Consider alcohol-free alternatives like natural energy supplements.
• Prioritise Nutrition: Focus on a diet rich in protein, plan meals and snacks wisely, and stay hydrated with electrolytes, like Himalayan salt in water.
• Set Realistic Goals: Employ the SMART framework for goal setting - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
• Regular Physical Activity: Incorporate exercise into your routine, like joining fitness groups, using workout apps, or integrating physical activity into daily tasks.
• Prioritise Sleep: Ensure 7-9 hours of quality sleep, maintain a regular sleep schedule, reduce electronic use before bedtime, and create a sleep-friendly environment.

This year, have a balanced approach to health. This means focusing on moderation, nutrition, goal-setting, physical activity, and quality sleep. Doing this can help you really hit the ground running on your New Years goals this year.

Written by:
Stephen Brumwell, Nutritionist (ANTA #40048)
Teigen Faux, Exercise Phyioslogist (Honours)