A Commitment to Wellness in 2020

Did you have a holiday party recently with coworkers or close friends, maybe a celebratory dinner with spouses and significant others in tow? Perhaps someone remarked that they couldn’t believe how quick the year flew by? Maybe you feel that way, too, like all the events of 2019, since that last holiday party, somehow neatly fit into a three-month span, four at the most. Well, before another year slips away into obscurity, leaving you wishing you did more or did things differently, press pause on your fast-forward lifestyle and take a moment to ponder not just where you’re going, but how you’ll get there. That’s right. It’s time to identify those necessary New Year’s resolutions. And just in case this task seems a bit overwhelming, we’re happy to offer a few suggestions for being the best you in the year to come. Happy New Year.

Commitment to Eating Healthy

For such a simple commitment, maintaining healthy eating habits throughout the year is one of the hardest goals to achieve. In fact, it’s one of the most often broken resolutions out there. This year, shed those flimsy, transient words like “diet” and think about what you eat as part of your lifestyle, something tangible, long lasting, and concrete. Do you need to make big structural changes, like driving past the fast food joint and stopping at the farmers market? Maybe you already buy organic prepared foods, but you’d like to try your hand at home cooking a few more meals, a few more days out of the week? Either way, eating healthy starts with self-awareness. Identify and select the locally grown and sourced foods in the area where you reside. When the option is available, choose organic foods to keep those harmful industrial pesticides out of your body. If those mid-afternoon munchies turn your stomach inside out, opt for nuts or fruits instead of salty chips. And for the simplest, purest way to stay healthy, wash it all down with a tall glass of water. Remember, your body is a biological machine—what you put in is what you get out, all year long.

Commitment to Exercising

So you’ve made the commitment to change your lifestyle to incorporate healthier eating habits. Double down on that strong resolution by also committing to regular exercise. Did your brain immediately conjure up an image of an overly lit indoor gym or a grueling workout on a stationary bike? Think outside the box. In fact, walk right outside that box and exercise outdoors. You don’t need four walls and a TV screen in your face to get physically fit, because the health benefits from regular exercise are not conditional on where the exercise takes place. Take advantage of your natural surroundings. Grab a stand-up paddleboard and work your core along Ala Moana Beach Park’s swimming channel. If you’re next level, grab a friend and take off on a downwind open-water paddle. Create running or walking paths in your neighborhood at varying lengths, so you can fit in that jog whether you have 20 minutes or one hour. Yoga is more popular than ever, and it’s easy to find a style of yoga that fits your lifestyle. Are you an athlete looking for stretch and strength? Are you a teacher or business professional looking to de-stress? There is a style of yoga, and a type of outdoor activity, that can get your blood flowing and be enjoyable at the same time. Best of all, it’s all just steps from your front door when you call Ward Village home.

Commitment to Connecting 

As human beings, belonging is an essential part of the human experience and connecting with our peers and forming community is imperative for a healthier you. There are so many ways to engage culture and community, to find like-minded sentiment or expand your understand of people and places. One of the most rewarding ways to accomplish this goal is through the arts. Attend a ballet. Support your local community theatre. Take in an evening of jazz or post up for a few hours at your local art exhibition. By engaging with art, we bolster empathy and understanding by reflecting on life from others’ perspectives. Art is learning. Art is feeling. And art is sharing. It’s the chicken soup for the soul. And whether you fancy yourself an artist or not, take those things that you’re feeling, those dreams, those ambitions, those fears, and create your own art. It might just be the healthiest thing you do all year.