Five ways toward a healthier and happier 2024
Did you set any goals for 2024? New things you want to accomplish or old habits you want to break? How’s that going for you? This message shares some simple strategies–five ways toward a healthier and happier 2024.
Change is tough–but if the changes aren’t too far off from our regular habits, we’re more likely to succeed. And . . . if the change is fun, that’s a definite plus.
Five ways toward a healthier and happier 2024
1. Add more fruits and veggies to your daily food intake
Fresh fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, antioxidants (to boost your immune system), and fiber (for a healthy gut and good bowel health). Choose brightly colored fruits and veggies for the most nutrients and prepare them in a healthy way (fresh or frozen whenever possible). Try to avoid fried veggies or fruits with added sugar.
2. Move more
Regular physical activity strengthens our heart, muscles, and bones. An active lifestyle helps with weight management and prevents chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, or obesity. While thirty to sixty minutes of physical activity daily are recommended, smaller increments of five to ten minutes throughout the day are also very beneficial. Walking, water aerobics, cycling, yoga, and chair exercises provide significant benefits, no matter our age.
3. Drink more water
Water is a healthy beverage and our body craves it. If coffee, tea, or sodas are your drinks of choice, try replacing some of those with water. Avoid sweetened beverages and diet drinks as much as possible–neither offer any beneficial nutrients and contain an abundance of sugar and chemicals.
4. Give your brain a boost
Healthy nutrition, regular physical activity, and adequate water nourish our brains. Learning new skills and tasks to challenge your brain keeps it stimulated and sharp. It’s important to get adequate rest. Strive to be a lifelong learner, too.
5. Give time and honor to your relationships
For believers, our relationship with our Lord is foremost. We nurture that relationship by spending time in prayer, reading and studying Scripture, and joining in fellowship with others.
Our family and workplace relationships need nurture as well. We aren’t created to live in isolation. Enjoy social times. Plan quality time with family. Be careful not to be so busy that your family relationships suffer.
Taking care of our bodies, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, honors the gift God granted us when He created our amazing human body.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Can I pray for you?
Are there one or more of the activities above you’d like to work toward? Please let me know if I can pray for you. I know change is hard.
Additional wellness tips and activities for a healthier lifestyle can be found at katherinepasour.com/wellness.
Honoring God with My Body: Journey to Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle provides practical advice, achievable goals, and encouragement for those seeking a healthier lifestyle. If you’re striving to make some healthy lifestyle changes in 2024, you’ll find guidance within the pages of this individual devotional and Bible study. A leader’s guide is included for those desiring a group Bible study to foster a supportive environment. ( It’s on sale at Amazon).
Wonderful post, Katherine. It’s so nice of you to offer to pray for us. I am thankful to live in the States, but please pray for war-torn countries.
Katherine, thanks for keeping us on track toward a healthier body and mind. These and spiritual goals are the best we can have.
I agree, Barbara, our spiritual relationship with our Lord is of utmost importance, but God will guide us on the journey to good physical, social, emotional, and mental wellness AND empower us to serve Him, too. Wishing you a blessed week.
Thank you, Priscilla, for reminding me to continue to pray for our war-torn countries and all those suffering in the midst of conflict. We are called to love one another as God loves us–I pray that for our world. Wishing you a blessed week.
Simple but vital steps. Thank you, Katherine.
The simpler our plans and goals, I think the more likely we are to succeed. Thank you for your encouragement, Diana.
Katherine, this is a great post with reasonable recommendations. I especially like your comments about the value of our relationships.
This might interest you: a few months ago I learned about the benefits of exercise on a rebounder trampoline so I got one and have spent about 3 to 10 minutes on it almost every day since. At age 75, I don’t do flips and such like I did on a full size trampoline when I was 16!
But the normal “health bounce” plus a bit more aggressive jumping is helping me with balance, etc. After researching, I was amazed at the benefits of this simple movement.
Thanks again for your encouragement. God bless you and your family.
That’s awesome, Connie! I’m so glad you found a physical activity that is fun and beneficial to your health. It’s so important that we find activities that suit our needs and current health status. You’re being a great role model for us. Thank you for sharing.
Great message, Katherine. So many health posts don’t include discussion of relationships. They are key to our well being. Thanks and God bless!
You’ve made a wonderful point, Nancy. We often ignore how our personal relationships affect our overall health. Our social and emotional interactions and well-being are vital to our overall good health. God created us to have meaningful relationship with Him and others. Wishing you a joyful week.
I’m glad you posted this today, Katherine. I can always use the reminder. Thank you!
We all need encouragement on the journey, Annie. I hope your week is filled with joy and laughter–those are important for our wellness, too.
I need reminders, too, Annie. Even though I have the knowledge I need to make healthy decisions, I’m tempted by holiday indulgence, too. I’m still trying to get back to my activity schedule. This frigid weather has put a damper on outdoor walking and work so I’m doing more indoor activities. I’m missing my quiet time with God on the nature walks. Peace and joy!
Thanks for the encouragement Katherine. I try to be disciplined with my eating and exercise, but this was a good push to get back into the routine after the holidays.
I’m having some struggle with getting back into my wellness routine after the holidays, too, Sylvia. Just as our spiritual journey with God requires self-discipline, the other aspects of our health (physical, emotional, mental, social, and vocational) also need self-discipline for us to achieve and maintain wellness. Praying for you.
Such great ways to take care of our bodies, minds, and hearts! Thank you for such clear and helpful suggestions, Katherine!
Thank you for your kind encouragement, Kathy. I hope winter in the mountains is providing peace and inspiration for you–and that you haven’t had overly severe weather. May God continue to bless your ministry of service to Him.
What an inspiring post Ms. Katherine. I took the boys for a long walk yesterday; a mile is a long way for Archie’s short legs and Bubba’s ailing hips and leg. It was a relatively warm day (30s), and it was dry enough that we were slipping and sliding around in the mud. Honestly, it felt good to stretch my legs a bit. I’ve fighting shoulder pain from too much ice-breaking with the sledgehammer and tendonitis from too many weeks of 18 hours a day at the keyboard. Resting some this past week and, hopefully, this week. Gonna break 60F here later this week. Finally, we’re catching a break. Hope they make there way to you soon ma’am.
So glad you had a walk with the boys, J.D. For me, walking is a great stress reliever. I’ve had those 18 days on my computer too many times. It’s bad for us all the way around, but sometimes our work demands it. I’ll pray for a break for you. Too much computer work messes with our neck and shoulders, our eyes, our brain, and as you have discovered, creates havoc with the tendons in our hands and arms. We’re supposed to have some 60s here, too, later this week. While I’ll enjoy it while it lasts, a return to cold weather will be hard. Wishing you blessings my friend, good health and less stress.
I recently learned about practicing the spiritual discipline of SLOW. To your point about nurturing relationships with the Lord and people, being intentional about slowing our pace, picking the longest line in the grocery store to spend time praying for those around you, for example, was a welcome challenge! Great tips to launch into 2024.
Mary, thank you for sharing. I like the concept of SLOW and the suggestion you’ve provided. It’s a great idea to get in the long line (when we’re normally in such a rush) to pray for others in the store. I need to be more intentional about slowing my pace and that is a good one.
Kathryn, I know I need to reduce sugar intake and appreciate your reminder. My husband had bypass surgery two weeks ago, so I’m preparing healthy foods.
I’m praying for you and your husband. And you’re not the only one who needs to reduce sugar intake. I’ve always had a weakness for sweets. Best wishes as you both strive for healthier nutrition. I hope you’ll also be able to walk together as his recovery allows. May God bless you both.
Walking is the best exercise for me, too. I love nature trails and just being outdoors puts me in the moment and brings me closer to God. Cold weather has kept me from walking lately, and I know I should take advantage of options for walking indoors.
I’m glad you mention the importance of adequate sleep. It’s so good for us mentally and physically and affects the overall quality of how we spend our days.
I feel your pain, Candyce. Cold and very rainy weather have also limited my ability to walk outside. I’m trying to exercise indoors, but it’s just not as good. I miss that quiet time with our Lord. Spring is coming!
I know, I know. I need to get back into the gym on a regular basis. The holidays always get me off schedule and it takes too long to get started again. Thank you for the encouragement Katherine
There’s something we all could change to help us be healthier. The holidays got to me, too and I’m still trying to get back to a healthier routine. Small steps make a difference. I’ll be praying for both of us, Yvonne. Blessings!
I always need to drink more water. Thank you for the reminder.
That’s a habit most of us need to work on, Joanna–more water and less of other beverages that are not as healthy for us. Wishing you success with that healthy habit. Small changes make a difference. Wishing you a blessed week.
Thanks for these reminders, Katherine. I sit too long at my desk and need to get up and walk more!
If we are writers, we most likely sit too long. I know I shouldn’t, but I get in the zone and spend hours in front of the computer. My eyes, neck, back, legs, and bottom suffer and complain. I hope and pray we can both find a better balance so we won’t punish our bodies. Thank you for sharing, LuAnn.