There’s no time more popular for self-improvement than the turn of the new year. If one of your new year’s resolutions is to take better care of your body, you are not alone. However, new year's resolutions have a reputation of falling by the wayside. People tend to start out strong and then taper off their efforts as the months roll on. Instead of making lofty goals, start by making small, attainable changes for your health. If GI health is of importance to you, work on making these small improvements to bring about big changes.  

Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise, of the right intensity level, is a huge factor in determining your physical health. It’s recommended for adults to get 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity. This can sound daunting for someone who’s currently not exercising, but if you break it down, it’s roughly 20 minutes per day of moderate-intensity work. With Boston’s chilly temperatures, finding a fitness studio or gym that fits into your schedule and budget can help with your fitness goals. From Boston Sports Clubs to Equinox and plenty of personal trainers, you will be able to set goals for yourself and meet them at your own pace.

Sleep Consistent Hours

One of the most overlooked aspects of our lives is sleep. Whether you’re getting too much or too little, getting the right amount of sleep is a crucial factor in regulating many of your body’s functions (if you’re taking our advice from the last tip, sleep has a direct correlation with the results you see from the gym!). So it’s incredibly important that you are sleeping between 7-9 hours per night. Too much or too little can throw your body out of rhythm and prevent you from seeing the results that you’re working so hard for. Studies have also shown that half of adults worldwide are not getting the correct amount of sleep. Here are some tips to help you get to sleep faster and for longer:

• Set out to get eight hours of sleep, plan your schedule so you will be able to get to bed on time.
• Keep electronics out of the bedroom! This may be difficult with your cell phone, but it is recommended to keep it far from where you’re sleeping.
• Get to bed at least 30 minutes before you plan to sleep and put your electronics away. Use this time to reflect on your day whether that be through meditation, reading,  journaling, or just simply thinking to yourself.

Sleep impacts not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health. In essence, practicing ‘good sleep hygiene’ can improve several aspects of your life.

Cook Healthier Food

In our modern world, everyone is busy. Whether its carting children to sports practice, working long hours, or fitting in the gym, preparing meals can be difficult to schedule. Luckily, there are plenty of workarounds to ensure you have access to healthy ingredients to create nutritious meals for yourself and your family.  The internet has a wealth of resources for healthy meal planning and recipes and with the help of meal delivery services and grocery delivery applications, you can start to automate your healthy eating. In addition to saving calories and being able to control what you put in your body, you will save yourself money from eating out and ordering take out. Special bonus: cooking is fun! Especially when you’re cooking with the ones you love.

Take Probiotics 

Probiotics are one of the most effective ways of improving the health of your gut and proactively relieving GI discomfort. Probiotics help to keep the balance of bacteria in your gut within an appropriate range and can help to regulate your bowel movements. It’s important that you speak with a gastrointestinal expert before taking any supplements.

These improvements will help you see noticeable results in 2020 and beyond. Most of all, you can be one of the few people that were able to keep their new year’s resolution. This is the year that you take steps towards reaching your physical health goals. Your body, mind, and wallet will thank you for it.