It's 6 hours before the ball drops on the east coast.  Are you ready?  Here are my top suggestions for new year's resolutions (better yet, goals for 2023) to improve your health and your life:

• Start a journal... write in it daily, start tonight with your reflection on 2022.  Tomorrow write about your hopes/dreams/goals for 2023.
• Drink more water... set a goal for half your body weight in ounces DAILY.
• Stop doing something.  What comes to mind for you? Smoking? Drinking soda? Using profanity?
• Start doing something... walking daily, stretching daily, meditating daily, you choose.
• Write yourself a positive affirmation and read it aloud each morning when you wake up.
• Write your bucket list and commit to checking five things off in 2023.
• Book a coffee/lunch/dinner date each week to connect with your significant other, close friends or important family members.  Life can become busy, intentionally make time to connect in 2023.
• Start a gratitude card and carry it in your pocket.  It's as simple as writing one thing you're grateful for today on a small index card and sticking it in your pocket or purse.  Take it out and look at it throughout the day.

Can't figure out what to buy for that difficult-to-shop-for-person? With a week left before Christmas, it's time to get creative.  Why not buy something healthy, functional and a little fun?  Here's my top ten list for healthy holiday buys in 2022...

1. Glass water bottle
2. Essential oils... be sure to buy good quality, there are no regulations.   I recommend checking out the Wholefoods selection or DoTerra.  My favorites are lavender, breathing blends and grapefruit.
3. A diffuser for those essential oils!
4. A Thera-cane for working out your own hard-to-reach muscle knots
5. Silk pillowcase.  (Great to protect your hair and your skin.)
6. Nutra-bullet or user-friendly blender
7.  A Snake Plant...  It doesn't need much light, you only water it once every 2-3 weeks, and it has one of the highest oxygen turnover rates of any houseplants!
8.  A new journal.
9. A subscription to a health-based app like CALM or MY FITNESS PAL.
10. A gift certificate to your local smoothie shop, yoga class pass or massage.

76% of Americans say their daily life has been interrupted by a lack of sleep.  Not only can it affect your mood and energy level for the day, but it can also adversely affect your overall health. Notably, insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and management of a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.  Here are some Choose Health™ tips for better rest.

• Power down.  Eliminate any screen time 1 hour before bed.  
• Turn off or silence your phone so incoming alerts or texts don’t cause a sleep pattern interrupt.
• Eliminate other causes of sleep pattern interrupt: snoring from a partner, animals, etc.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine to help you wind down.  Consider journaling, creating a list for the next day, stretching, meditating, a hot bath or shower or reading.
• Don’t consume alcohol or nicotine within 3 hours before bed.  These may negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
• Likewise, avoid consuming caffeinated products in the late afternoon or evening.
• Eliminate sources of light in your bedroom such as alarm clocks, night lights, light from a phone or streetlight through your windows.  A dark room can contribute to better rest.
• Make a consistent schedule for a bedtime and wake up time that allows for 7.5+ hours of sleep as an adult or 9+ hours as a growing child or teen.