23 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2023

As we make our way through the New Year, we’ve frequently discussed resolutions and improving our lives. The most popular goals for 2023, according to a Forbes Health/OnePoll survey, are improved mental health, improved fitness, losing weight, improved diet and improved finances. Check out our 23 ways to improve your life in 2023:

General Tips

1. Become happier – While this is easier said than done, there are plenty of ways to improve your life to feel happier. Some great ways to become happier are spending more time with family and friends, relaxing, and helping others.

2. Better your future – You can better your future by finding ways to do what you love, setting goals, and learning new skills.

3.Take control of your life – One of the best ways to improve your life is by taking control of it. Put yourself in the driver’s seat by saying no to things that make you unhappy and prioritizing the things that are important to you.

Improved Mental Health

4. Stay connected – One of the biggest detriments to mental health is loneliness. Improve your mental health by connecting more often with others. Try texting, calling, or video chatting with friends and family, or join a local group that meets regularly.

5. Manage stress – Stress is a significant indicator of a strain on your mental health. You can manage your stress by discussing your stressors with someone, using calming techniques, and prioritizing relaxation.

6. Get quality sleep – Think about a car without a battery: it won’t start. The same goes for your brain. You can’t function properly without enough sleep. Jumpstart your mental health by getting plenty of restful sleep.

7. Stay active and eat healthy – When your physical health is out of whack, it can affect your mental health too. According to Helpguide.org, staying active can help “boost your energy and outlook and help you regain a sense of control.” Additionally, eating healthy gives you more energy and improves your mood.

Improved Fitness

8. Move more – There are plenty of ways to move more. You can add movement into your day by walking while you’re on the phone, taking the stairs, parking further away, biking to work, and working out while you watch tv, getting a standing desk or do anything else that gets you up and going.

9. Exercise 150 minutes/week – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults exercise at least 150 minutes per week to stay healthy. This might seem like a lot at first, but it’s as simple as exercising for 30 minutes five days a week. You can choose any way you like to get moving as long as you hit your target of 150 minutes of exercise per week.

10. Do strength training – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that adults spend at least two days of muscle strengthening per week. Muscle strengthening activities work on all major muscle groups, including legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. An easy way to achieve this is to spend one day working on your abs, hips and legs and one day on your arms, back, chest and shoulders.

11. Take a class – A great way to improve physical activity is by joining a class. You can try out different classes to find new ways to enjoy exercising, such as dance, CrossFit, Pilates, spinning, yoga or Zumba. Whatever activity you choose can be a fun way to start a healthy hobby and meet people with similar interests.

Weight Loss

12. Set a weight loss goal – As with any resolution, having a clearly defined plan will help you to be more successful. Try setting a SMART goal to help you with your weight loss. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. An example SMART goal for weight loss is: I will lose 12 pounds by the end of 2023 by tracking what I eat, running five days a week and strength training two days a week.

13. Use a food diary – Logging what you eat is instrumental to losing weight. When you use a food diary, you can more easily analyze what foods are helpful to your weight loss and which are harmful. A food diary also helps you find a calorie deficit to prevent overeating. It can also help you to see your eating patterns, such as consuming too many carbs and fats and little to no protein. 

14. Do cardio workouts – Not only can cardio help you improve your fitness, but it can also help with weight loss. Cardio can help you lose weight and keep it off when combined with a healthy diet, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some easy cardio workouts that can be done at home include dancing, bicycling, jogging in place, jumping rope and running the stairs.

15. Try strength training – According to MyFitnessPal, “strength training is the best form of exercise,” with benefits ranging from reducing the risk of stroke to reducing belly fat and improving mental health. Strength training is a great way to burn fat while building your muscles. It also helps you have better stamina for daily activities like climbing the stairs.

Improved Diet

16. Prepare meals at home – Preparing your meals at home means you can know exactly what’s going into your meal. Eating at home allows you to plan balanced meals, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, proteins and dairy. Eating at home also makes avoiding processed foods a much simpler task.

17. Plan your meals – Meal planning is a great way to improve your diet. Sit down every weekend and plan what meals you’ll be eating so you aren’t clueless and surprised when it comes to mealtime. Planning your meals takes the rush out of decision-making and helps you avoid highly processed junk food meals.

18. Avoid sugary drinks – Sugary drinks often lack nutritional value. They make it easy to consume a large sum of calories without a second thought, leading to weight gain. Instead of drinking empty calories, choose water, which provides hydration without the added calories. Other great options to quench your thirst include coffee, tea and unsweetened low-fat milk. 

19. Eat smaller meals more often – According to the Cleveland Clinic, eating smaller, more frequent meals can help satisfy hunger, stabilize blood sugar levels, decrease energy dips and aid your metabolism. Eating at least three meals a day with snacks in between can help you feel fuller for longer and have the energy needed to last throughout the day.

Improved Finances

20. Create a budget – Creating a budget can help you know where your money is going and that you’re meeting your saving and spending goals. A budget should include all of the income you regularly make in a month, as well as all of your expenses. Knowing where your budget is going can help you prioritize the allocation of your money and ensure you are saving a suitable amount for your needs.

21. Pay off debt – Debt comes in many shapes and forms, and paying it off is easier said than done. If you don’t have much money to pay off your debt, you can start by paying off your smallest debts first and working your way up. Or, if you have more money to pay off your debt, you can use the top-down method and pay off your most significant debt first and work your way down. One way to avoid debt is by never putting something on credit that you can’t afford to buy twice to ensure that when it comes time to pay your bill, you will have enough money to cover it.  

22. Start investing – Investing is a fool-proof way to make money. Investing involves buying assets that ideally increase in value. There are many different ways to invest, such as stocks, cryptocurrency, bonds, EFTs and mutual funds. If you’re considering investing, you can enlist the help of a financial advisor or get an online brokerage account.

23. Create a rainy day fund – Improving your finances means having financial security for the foreseeable future. Start creating a rainy day fund for emergency expenses to protect your financial future. Set aside a specific amount of money to save each month for your rainy day fund and put it into a savings account so you can earn interest on it.