🎉 Happy New Year! 🥳
Sure, it’s an arbitrary date set by some Roman rulers with no tangible astronomical meaning; but who cares!? It’s natural to want both something to celebrate and an opportunity to pull back, take stock, and hit a bit of a reset button.
I’m a big fan of all of that.
Perhaps you are, too.
BUT we’re also in a world that often feels overwhelming & I’m hearing from all corners of my life that people feel tired and a bit fried.
What’s a well intentioned wellbeing-minded person to do?
Here are 12 simple steps (in order) that you might want to consider as you’re looking to build wellbeing in 2024:
The More|Better substack is a weekly dose of fitness, wellness, and wellbeing content here to help you make sense of all the nonsense. Written by personal trainer, wellness coach, and positive psychology practitioner Darlene Marshall.
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Getting Clear on Our Challenges
IMHO, effective stock-taking begins with realistically looking at the problems we fact. So here are a few quick stats on how much of us are doing:
1 in 3 American adults report not having had enough sleep in the last 24 hours on any given day (source)
40% of American adults say they fell asleep unintentionally (a sign of being under slept) in the last month (source)
10% of Americans eat enough vegetables (source)
30% of Americans have metabolic syndrome (often a product of not moving enough, being under-rested, and eating a highly processed diet) (source)
UNC Chapel Hill’s research asserts only 12% of American adults are fully metabolically health (source)
Widespread loneliness is affecting most Americans (though there isn’t consensus about how many of us) (source)
The stats aren’t to scare you, only clarify the problem.
Public health discourse is often super prescriptive about how these problems get solved - and it’s often with complicated programs that most people don’t know how to sustain.
Instead, I’d like to offer you 12 steps (okay, 16 if you count the top line) to support your embodied wellbeing in 2024
Ready for some sustainable wellbeing in 2024?
Here’s my recommended Back To Basics Tick List:
Have a savory breakfast
Consistent meal times every day
Tell diet culture to eff off
Titrate up the veggies (start with cruciferous)
start simple - just get moving
build up your steps
get strong in your body; makes you strong in your self
Make meaningful connection
go out of your way to build relationship
learn how to really listen AND feed the conversation
be authentic with those you're closest with (easier said than done)
Yes, these sound simple. Some remarkably so. But in 2024 I think it’s time to get back to some basics - like, our foundational human needs. You’re going to be hearing a lot of that from me in the coming weeks.
Let’s go, 2024!
Need support making sense of your own wellness? I’m available for long term coaching and consultations are always free.
Here’s the link to my calendar so you can book a call.
Good Read, Darlene! Thanks!