New Year’s resolutions have earned a joke of a reputation. Let’s face it, we set high expectations for ourselves only to give up on them next month (or, let’s be honest, next week).
Improving yourself doesn’t have to be a challenge, though. By implementing small changes to your life and setting achievable goals, you can create healthy habits in no time.
In the spirit of the new year, we have compiled a list of three achievable New Year’s resolutions that involve small changes and big impacts.
Walk More
Walking more is a simple resolution to make. This small change can have meaningful impacts on your personal health and the environment.
Increasing the amount of walking that you do can transform your health in numerous ways. Yes, walking can aid in weight loss and overall fitness, but did you know that walking also has cognitive benefits?
For instance, walking has shown to alleviate and prevent depression. Avid walkers report having improved self-esteem, a brighter mood, and less stress. Walking can also help your insomnia and creative blocks as it is shown to relieve sleeping disorders and boost creativity.
Increasing the amount of walking you do also helps the environment by displacing pollution caused by fossil fuels.
So, if you can help your body AND the environment, walking seems like a no-brainer! Walking more is an easy resolution to keep if you live at The Daniel. With over 50 restaurants and local businesses less than a mile from our location, there’s too much exploring to do to stay off your feet!
Click here to learn more about the health benefits of walking.
Recycle
Working to decrease your carbon footprint is a great resolution for anyone to make. While biking from the suburbs to the city and cutting beef from your diet may be a touch too drastic for most of us, recycling is a barely noticeable change with significant implications.
Did you know that the average American generates over four pounds of trash per day? According to the EPA, 75% of this waste is recyclable material. That’s great! Except Americans only recycle about 32% of the waste they produce. Less great.
Perhaps that’s because most Americans don’t understand the environmental impact that recycling can have. For instance, did you know that aluminum and glass bottles can be recycled and reused infinitely? That’s right!
When manufacturers use recycled materials in manufacturing rather than synthetically creating new materials, they are able to save a substantial amount of energy and water. For every aluminum can you recycle, you save enough energy to listen to an album on your iPod. Recycle 100 and you would have enough energy to light a room for two weeks!
Recycling is also better for the economy than landfills. It costs 40% less to recycle a ton of waste than it does to keep it in a landfill and the process demands more employees, resulting in increased employment. If the United States were to recycle at full potential, it would result in the creation of 1.5 million new jobs.
Recycling is a resolution that can have a positive impact for many New Years to come. To start, call your trash collector and ask about their recycling program or click here for a map of recycling center locations in Knoxville. There is one conveniently located just a block away from The Daniel!
For more information on the environmental benefits of recycling, visit the Do Something Organization or BYU online. To learn more about the economic impacts of recycling and the benefits of each specific type of recycling, visit Recycle Across America online.
Clean Up
Did you know that living in a clean environment can improve your overall health? Sanitizing the surfaces in your home removes germs and bacteria that can lead to illness and infection. Decluttering is also helpful as it decreases the possibility of injury. Cleaning is also a stress-reducing activity that in turn create a less stressful environment by ridding a space of its accumulated clutter.
We know, we know. Hearing ‘cleaning’ as a New Year’s resolution sounds daunting. At this point you’re probably recalling days wasted in rubber gloves scrubbing floors, counters, windows, appliances…
But maintaining a clean environment doesn’t have to be a big chore. By taking small steps every day to maintain a clean environment, you can completely transform the way you live with little real effort.
The easiest step with the biggest impact is decluttering your space. Take a maximum of 10 minutes a day to pick up after yourself and put everything in its rightful place. Just this one step can make a world of a difference, especially in smaller spaces.
Tackling a chore list can be overwhelming if you do it all at once. Instead, try creating a chore calendar to outline what exactly needs to be done each week. Start by separating your chores into weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly responsibilities. Then, choose which chores should be completed separately and fill in your calendar according to your schedule. You can spread your responsibilities out throughout the week or assign yourself a ‘cleaning day’ each week. Then, roll up your sleeves and start cleaning!
Change can be hard when it’s forged by mountainous resolutions. However, taking small steps to improve your life can have tremendous benefits in the long-run. Looking for change in your life? Think about trying out some of our suggested resolutions in 2017.