Everybody knows the beginning of the year is when gym membership doubles or triples. Everybody wants to start on a clean slate and it’s understandable. However, everybody also knows that the success rates of new year health resolutions are pretty low.
In fact, around 80 percent of those who make resolutions for the fresh year fail by just the first week of February. The reason for this is that most resolutions are fueled by remorse from the holidays. Like a last hurrah, people would go on binges over the festive days and then make healthy plans as soon as the clock strikes 12 on January 1st.
If you are old enough to have made around 15 to 20 sets of resolutions in your lifetime, isn’t it already time to be serious about your health? If you think so, too, then below are different kinds of health investments you should be making as soon as possible. They come at different price ranges, so suit yourself.
1. Water bottle
You have read this a million times by now, and if you don’t have one yet, why? Water is probably the most underrated health-related consumable ever. There are so many benefits of drinking water. Skin elasticity, healthy kidneys, healthy heart, name it.
To remind yourself to drink water all the time, make sure that you have a water bottle near you. Remember, out of sight, out of mind. At the same time, owning a water bottle is environment-friendly.
It’s up to you how big of a water bottle you want to have. If you work in an office where you have access to refills, one with 300 ml to 500 ml capacity is good enough. When you go on trips, a giant water bottle that can hold around 1500 ml of water is ideal.
2. Menstrual cup
This one is something everyone who gets a monthly period should invest in. The most common sanitary products are pads and tampons. However, getting a menstrual cup has amazing benefits you might want to consider.
One, cups are cost-effective. There are affordable menstrual cups that range from $20 to $50. And the good thing about them is they are reusable and you can use good ones for up to 10 years. That makes cups environment-friendly, too. They are made of silicon, a material known to be resilient and sturdy. Before and after use, you just have to wash them thoroughly and wait for your next menstruation.
You can also say goodbye to the icky feeling and the rashes that pads bring. Also, to the pain that comes with pulling out a dry tampon. There is a bit of a steep learning curve when you start using a cup, but you will eventually figure it out. A bonus is that you get to know the female anatomy so much more because of menstrual cups. Bodies are truly amazing.
3. Spa-at-home setup
If you spent your 2021 on a work-from-home setup, you know what lower back pain feels like. No matter how hard you try to correct your posture each time you slouch, sometimes you just can’t help it. Back pain is not the only problem you have, for sure. There is the stress that creeps up every time you are running on a tight deadline or when you fail to secure a goal.
The cortisol you get from the stress from work is something you should leave behind in 2021. One way to address that is by availing of a spa membership. But if driving to get some relaxation is not your cup of tea, you can always bring the experience home.
Quick and easy relief for back pains is your own massage recliner chair. Not only does a massage chair help with back pain, but it also soothes your whole being so that you dust off some stress that you have.
4. Food scale
Enough with the restrictive diets, you subscribed to on and off the past year. It’s time to finally get down to business and understand how weight loss works. The simplest way to do this is to understand how your body spends energy.
Basically, you just need to find out how much your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is. Subtract around 200 to 500 calories from that number and that is how much you should be eating every day. A food scale will help you stick to your calorie requirement daily. You will see progress soon enough just by being mindful of what you eat.
If health was not part of your priorities in the past year, this 2022, it should be. Live a happy and healthy long life starting from this year.
