5 Popular Lifestyle Trends for 2019

We are now approaching the end of the first month of our New Year’s goals and resolutions. This is a good time to check our progress and make some adjustments if there are some goals that are going well and others not so much. If you’ve planned  to make changes that would create a healthier lifestyle, then you are on to something. 80% of the blog postings and articles this month all over social media and in popular lifestyle magazines have been about just that. Here is a list of the top five trending New Year goals and a couple of tips to  help you get started.

Healthy Eating Habits

There’s lots of talk about healthy eating habits. These are generally accompanied by suggestions for one diet or the other. You want to be careful because this is not a one size fits all situation. Healthy eating habits will vary from person to person. One thing to always remember when you are deciding on an eating plan (let’s not call it a diet, because diets are temporary) is to make changes that are realistic for your lifestyle. Before, you decide to start one of the many trending eating fads like keto, gluten-free or vegan, do your research and make sure its the best plan to help you reach your goals and help you towards a permanent pattern of  healthier eating.

If you don’t want to get caught up on the popular eating fads there are some small and simple, yet effective steps, that you can start off with that are easy to stick to:

• Drink plenty of water & less of the sugary drinks
• Eat out less
• Eat more greens
• Have your last meal of the day before 7:00 p.m.
• Reduce the amount of processed foods you eat by staying away from boxed and canned foods

Use these simple habits to get started and then you can begin to build on them.

Wealth Building

This is a conversation that is being talked about a lot more these days. In some cultures building wealth has been a concept that’s  been bred since birth. In others it’s a new realization, which the participants are eager to catch up on. Wealth building is a way to ensure security for those who are coming behind us, especially when we have dependents. Building wealth is not as complicated as it may sound. If you want to start building wealth, here are a few simple ways to get started:

• Invest in a life insurance plan
• Invest in the stock markets
• Create a secondary source of income
• Start an additional pension plan outside of the one with your full-time job
• Invest in a piece of land or property

There are a ton of articles online that talk about wealth building, start reading and find professionals in the industry who can answers questions for you or point you in the right direction. It’s never too late to start but it’s always better to start early.

Spend Time with Family & Friends

Sometimes we have to experience tragedy and heart ache to remind us of how important family and friends are in our lives. We have to work on changing that. Having healthier, stronger relationships with those closest to us is so important because its speaks to a much wider responsibility of setting good examples for our kids, creating positive and safe environments, and raising our kids to be productive members of society. It also speaks to our ability to work together to get ahead as a family not just financially but also physically and mentally.

If you are spending the majority of your time with people who are outside of your immediate support system, then I’m afraid you may be doing yourself an injustice. Though we may have good intentions, often times daily life can get hectic and we forget to make time for the things that are most important to us. Here are a few ideas that can be worked into your schedule to assist you in finding ways to spend time with your love ones:

• Monthly get-togethers – popular things to do are to create a round robin brunch or dinner party where a group of you take turns hosting.
• Start a club or common interest group with your friends like a book club, wine club, walking club or a gardening club.
• Set aside a day every week or month to call or Facetime family & friends living overseas, to check in and catch up.
• If you have lots of kids in your circle, you could do monthly picnics or fun bowling nights.

Making time to spend with friends and family must be deliberate. With so many negative things in the world so easily accessible through the internet, we have to learn to create positive spaces and experiences.

Mental Health Awareness

Lately mental health is a really hot topic, that is being discussed in the workplace, schools and community groups. It’s important to people of all ages and especially those people who are responsible for raising kids and caring for seniors or sick family members. Being aware and giving attention to your own personal mental health is a good place to start. Here are a few of tips that I use to stay on top of my own mental health:

• Set aside time each day for yourself, even if it means waking up half an hour earlier to get that time before you start your day.
• If you are having trouble dealing with stress or just feeling overwhelmed, seek assistance. Life coaches are great at helping you to destress and organize.
• Start your day off with a positive daily word or a positive audio selection to set the mood for the day.
• Schedule phone free time weekly or at least one day a month.
• Journal – writing things down helps to destress and clear your thoughts so that you can focus.

Add Physical Activity to Your Daily Routine

Get moving! Many of us have jobs that require us to sit for a good part of the day. We then get in our cars and sit again to drive home. Physical activity is important for our heart health and can help to relieve stress and tension. So, if a complete work out isn’t something that you can add into your daily schedule try starting with 15 minutes of activity a day. Here are few tips to get you started:

• Take the steps instead of the elevator wherever possible.
• Take a brisk walk around the block before or after you eat lunch.
• Catch the ferry in and walk to work

Adding activity to your day does not have to be complicated. It can be done by starting small. Just think if you started off at 15 minutes a day and increased it by 15 minutes every month.

Every year we make new goals and promises to ourselves to change something or improve something in our lives. Most times these changes are for the better. However if we are not focused, we end up with the same promises year in and year out with little to no progress at all. Let’s pledge together that in 2019, we will stop procrastinating,  look for solutions and not excuses, think limitless, and strive for that hardcore, unstoppable GloUp!