5 Quick & Easy Ways to Get Healthier in 2022 – Here’s What I’m Doing

We all want to be healthier and stronger in 2022! I do! I’m always on the lookout for quick hacks that don’t take too much effort to integrate into my life. Today I’m sharing 5 that I’m working to put into practice in my own life in 2022.

Ways to Get Healthier in 2022 – First, Take a Look Back

First, before we jump in on 2022, you might want to take some time to do a brief evaluation of 2021! I found it so helpful. The encouraging people at Joy Creative Shop came up with a tool that can help, and they made it FREE! It’s their version of the good, the bad & the ugly! But of course, since they’re Joy Creative Shop, it’s called…the good, the great, and the can do better! 😂 It will help you take some time to reflect on what 2021 meant to you and how you can head into the new year better than ever! Download it HERE.

5 Ways to Get Healthier in 2022

1. Strength Training

I’ve been recovering from a herniated disk in my back since August (a frustratingly slow recovery), so getting back to full strength is high on my to-do list! Also, I was sick in December, and I’m still recovering from that. I don’t know about you, but I continue to be amazed at how much longer it takes to bounce back from things now than it used to! 😆

I’m not a big fan of exercise! I do it because I want to be as strong and healthy as possible so I can do all the things I want to do! I typically exercise 4-5 days a week, with a 20-30 minute cardio session followed by 20-30 minutes of strength training.

I prefer bodyweight strength training to lifting weights because I can do it no matter where I am. I use these handheld weights and these 5 fitness bands at home, and when I’m away, I just take the bands. They come with color-coded resistance levels, a portable travel carry bag, and an instruction guide, which is so helpful!

2. Better Quality Sleep

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We all know how important good quality sleep is. 😴 When I don’t sleep well, I’m tired, of course, but I’ve also realized it takes a significant toll on my emotional and mental health! When I don’t sleep well, I feel unmotivated, discouraged, and depressed about, well, everything! 😕 Does that happen to you too?

After seeing ABC News anchor/correspondent and former insomniac Diane Macedo interviewed in December, I bought her book, The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More. I’ve learned so much!

After trying the typical sleep tips, to no avail, she set out to do her own research. She shares it in this book, along with easy-to-implement solutions based not just on science and experts but also on her own struggles. She dives into sleep biology, helping you understand sleep facts from fiction, and she suggests counterintuitive approaches that have really worked to shift my mindset when it comes to getting good sleep. I highly recommend this book!

One thing that every sleep expert agrees on is the importance of temperature regulation when you sleep! Whether you’re struggling with nightly hot flashes or fluctuating nighttime temps make regulation challenging, I will tell you that Soma’s Cool Nights sleepwear has made a huge difference for me! These pajamas feel cool to the touch and are comfortable to sleep in all year round. The Cool Nights fabric is lightweight rayon that won’t stick to your body. Night sweats are a thing of the past, and they’re seriously cute! You can browse the whole collection HERE.

Cool Nights Modern Sleep Shirt | L to R on my Bedside Table: Be Still: 90 Devotions for the Hopeful Heart by Cleere Cherry | Monogrammed Acrylic Tissue Box | Pink Charging Station (similar linked) | Portable Mini Humidifier (So good for my skin + I never wake up with sore throats from dry air anymore!)

3. Improved Oral Care

Did you know that poor dental habits can have a ripple effect throughout your body? It’s true! The latest research shows that oral health is undeniably linked to heart disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and inflammation. So oral care is super important! Want to review your brushing technique? See this brief article. Be sure to floss every day too!

The older I get, it seems like the more stuff I get stuck in my teeth! 🙄 There’s nothing worse than coming home and realizing you’ve been talking and smiling with a piece of lettuce in between your teeth all afternoon! (I mean, so I’ve heard…😂) I found this two-pack of little flossers on Amazon that come with their own on-the-go pack and snatched them up! (Replacement flossers HERE.)

4. Be a Better Breather

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal by investigative journalist James Nestor entitled The Healing Power of Proper Breathing talked about the “lost art of breathing.”It got me thinking about how I breathe!

“Most of us misunderstand breathing. We see it as passive, something that we just do. Breathe, live; stop breathing, die. But breathing is not that simple and binary. How we breathe matters, too…The way that we take in that air and expel it is as important as what we eat, how much we exercise and the genes we’ve inherited.”

The Healing Power of Proper Breathing, Wall Street Journal

According to the experts Nestor interviewed, breathing correctly will help us live longer and healthier. On the other hand, breathing incorrectly can exacerbate and sometimes cause a host of chronic diseases. Poor breathing habits can even change the physical structure of our skeletons, depleting essential minerals and weakening our bones. Aging doesn’t help matters! By age 50, we’ve lost about 12% of our lung capacity, and then the decline speeds up. As we get older, we breathe faster and harder.

In his book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, Nestor gathered expert advice about improving and reversing this problem by learning to breathe properly. The first step? Extend your breaths to make them a little deeper and longer. Inhale gently through your nose to a count of about five and then exhale, again through your nose, at the same rate or a little more slowly if you can. Ideally, you’ll be taking about six breaths a minute.

Breathing like this protects the lungs from irritation and infection while boosting circulation to the brain and body. Stress on the heart relaxes, and the respiratory and nervous systems function at peak efficiency. Even a few minutes of inhaling and exhaling at this pace can drop blood pressure by 10 to15 points!

5. Strive for Better Work/Life Balance

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Cool Nights Pajama Top | Cool Nights Tassel Tie Ankle-Length Pajama Bottoms | Antique White Pom Pom Throw | Anduze Tabletop Urn (similar linked) | Silk Peonies

Whether you work outside the home, you’re a work-from-home girl like me, or you work as a homemaker, we all know we need to work to seek balance. If you’re like me, you need to get off your devices, turn off the mental to-do list that keeps playing in your head, and more. For me, getting in my jammies right after dinner helps signal to my brain and body that it’s time to wind down.

Another tool that has helped me is Joy Creative Shop’s Hourly Schedule Notepad. It allows me to break down my day visually and plan in advance to take breaks, eat at appropriate times, and stop when I need to!

Last year, I got a little burned out! I was struggling to make time for my friends and family, as well as things like doing a good job taking care of our home, cooking nutritious meals, and caring for my health. I seriously thought and prayed about shutting down Empty Nest Blessed! In fact, you may have noticed that I’ve pulled back and slowed down a little bit in the past two months.

Instead of quitting, I decided to recommit myself to seek balance in my life. I’ll continue to share more of my day-to-day life, favorite products, outfits, etc. on Instagram and Facebook (especially on my Stories), so if you like that kind of content, be sure you’re following me there! Also, just so you know, I’m never going to be your TikTok girl 🤣!

Here on the blog, I’ll continue to do my best to serve you by sharing rich, helpful content that’s encouraging, inspiring, and most of all, a blessing (but maybe not quite as much of it)! Look for more on what you can expect to see in 2022 in this weekend’s post!

What are some quick & easy ways you’re seeking to get healthier in 2022? I’d love to know! So leave me a comment and share, okay?