Legitimately Useful Tips For Staying Healthy In 2019

This year, be good to yourself! And get great products from Macy's and Goodful — snag them at 30% off for the next 24 hours!

1. Whenever you can, wake up in time to make a real breakfast.

Here's an important truth: TV families should not be the only ones eating sit-down breakfasts. And while you do get points for having breakfast at all, it will make a difference if you aren't simply eating it — which technically could be an energy bar scarfed down mid-commute — but rather making it, at home.

First, invest in a coffee maker (this one brews super-hot coffee, and gives you a choice of flavor strength) so that you don't have to leave the house for your energy boost before you eat. Then whip something up — because whether you like some oatmeal served in your favorite bowl (nice dishware, like this set, does make a difference!), a fried egg (make sure you have nonstick pans, ideally pretty ones, like this set), a piece of toast, or something else entirely, there's something magical about waking up with enough time to make and eat whatever feels and tastes good for you.

Is there a place in your apartment that feels particularly cozy or calming? Try eating your breakfast in this spot, using the time to nourish your body and wake up your mind before you start the rest of your getting ready.

2. Get yourself a beautiful kettle and consider getting into tea.

If you're looking for a simple way to add some wellness into your day-to-day, look no further than a steaming mug of tea. Not only is it cozy and comforting, but depending on what kind you choose, there are a variety of health benefits — and choosing is part of the fun! Maybe you'll find that you enjoy a cup of herbal tea before bed, or maybe you'll discover that black tea in the morning helps you ease into the day. Who knows? Maybe you'll get really into white tea, which is super delicate and not very well-known! Your tea journey could take you anywhere.

No matter your tea of choice, heating water in a pretty kettle (like this one, made with durable stainless steel and accented with wood), selecting your favorite tea bag, and enjoying it in your favorite mug is one of the simplest ways there is to add a little bit of goodness to your day.

3. Make your bedroom your sanctuary — tabletop fountain, anyone?

Since the dawn of bedrooms, it has been very, very easy to let them get messy. A bedroom is all yours, so you can justify dropping your clothes on the floor as soon as you step out of them or piling anything you don't know what to do with on to one random chair (you know, the chair). It's easy not to make your bed in the morning and then to use it as a dumping ground for your coat and bags when you get home after a long day.

But here's a secret: A bedroom that's not messy is extremely powerful! When your own space, the space where you sleep and dream and get to be your fullest self, is organized and clean, it makes you better able to be your best self in the rest of the world. So invest in it!

Equip your bed with quality bedding — get a comforter, sheets, and pillows that are temperature-regulating and will keep you cool (all of these ones are designed to do just that). Leave your phone on a shelf and get a zen alarm clock (this one is great) that will wake you up with calming sounds and light patterns. Fill the space with soothing humidity with a pretty aroma diffuser (like this one). Organize your closet and free that chair from its long servitude. The things you can accomplish in a clean and pretty room will astound you.

4. Pay attention to your sleep hygiene.

You think so much about hygiene when you're awake, but so much of how you feel in your waking hours is dependent on getting good sleep! So start to pay attention to what makes your sleep feel good and restful. A few ways to do this are:

- Give yourself time to wind down at night before bed. Put your cell phone away and read, color, or do some other mind-quieting activity (like some light stretching) that does not involve a screen until you're ready to drift off.

- If you like naps (mmm, naps), try to limit them to 30 minutes or less. Let your body get used to a regular sleep schedule and try not to interfere with it.

- Consider the lighting in your bedroom. Is it harsh and unfriendly? Look into lamps that give off a soothing light instead.

- Make sure your bedding is doing you right. Try ultra-hygenic charcoal-infused sheets which are breathable and stay fresh for a long time, so that you can count on your bed feeling cool and comfy whenever you slip into it.

5. Take baths, and dry off luxuriously.

This one is simple, but important: It's time to start taking baths. Build a collection of bath bombs you love, put on your favorite music, and let yourself really relax. Let this be time just for yourself, outside the noise of your busy workday and whatever you have to deal with when you get home.

Once you're ready to get out, extend the good feeling by drying off with fluffy cotton towels (these ones are highly absorbent and get softer with each wash!) and then lounging around in them until you feel good and ready to be done.

6. Start to think of exercise simply as movement.

By the time we hit real adulthood, we've all developed some kind of relationship with the idea of working out. Unfortunately, for many of us, it's a negative one — maybe because it's something we forced ourselves to do when we didn't want to, maybe because it's tied up with difficult body image issues, or maybe just because we hate the gym (why is it always so BRIGHT in there?!). Once that relationship is formed, it can be hard to shake it and find ways to make working out feel good.

Instead of making grand plans and punishing yourself when you don't fulfill them, try thinking of exercise simply as movement. That's right — any movement: a nice long walk through the park, a series of stretches in your living room, or even just hustling from one place you're excited about going to the next. Get a good, easy-to-carry water bottle (like this one, which keeps water cold for up to 24 hours), and keep it on you so you're ready to move whenever inspiration strikes — and let yourself feel good about it.

7. Find new ways to enjoy staying hydrated.

Why is it that water, the literal elixir of life, is so hard to drink enough of? Almost all of us struggle to stay properly hydrated, and it's even more frustrating because it should be so easy.

So this year, find new ways to meet your water quota. Invest in a good infusion pitcher (like this one) and start making your own flavored water (truly, this will make you feel like you live in a fancy hotel). Or get a juicer/zester tool (this one is adorable) and juice your own fruit! Try keeping ready-made iced tea in the office fridge — you can easily make your own with this press-and-go iced tea tumbler — and reach for it instead of a soda to have with your lunch. When you're really thirsty, try to remember that water, in any of these forms, is what your body is really asking for. Feed it what it wants, with a twist!

8. Add fresh herbs and vegetables to meals you already love.

Sometimes it feels like in order to eat the amount of veggies you're SUPPOSED to, you'd have to become somebody who eats salads three times a day (with occasional salad snack breaks). And no matter how much you love salad, that's a sad person to be.

Instead of limiting yourself to bowls of only green things, try making exactly what you want to eat — and then adding vegetables. Get some great aluminum, nonstick bakeware (like this set) and always be ready to make a frozen pizza — but add fresh broccoli on top. Throw any vegetable you like even a little bit into the pan with your scrambled eggs. Get yourself a powerful, easy-to-use juicer (like this one) and learn to drink your veggies (along with whatever other delicious things you like to add).

Finally, for some extra freshness in pretty much everything, procure a countertop garden (like the Aerogarden) which lets you easily grow your own herbs right on your countertop, then add fresh herbs to absolutely every meal you eat at home! You'll be satisfied and full, and your veggie-loving body will thank you.

9. Stop doing things you hate to do.

Take a moment and consider all that you do in a typical week. Is there anything that you really, truly hate doing? Maybe it's forcing yourself to run on a treadmill, or maybe it's showing up for an activity that you thought you'd like but find that you actually dread. Maybe it's making yourself eat salad even though you really, really hate salad.

So in 2019: Stop. Stop doing the things you hate to do! There are other ways. Walk to work instead of slogging through that treadmill run. Quit the activity you don't like and try something else instead. Eat something different — that can still be fresh and healthy! — and never make a salad again.

You may have heard this before, but life is short. It can also be difficult, but it shouldn't be unnecessarily so. Wherever you can, eliminate discomfort and add joy. Find the good things! And have a wonderful year.

Design by Victoria Reyes © BuzzFeed 2018

Treat yourself well this year. And find products that will help you take good care from Macy's and Goodful — available online AND at your local Macy's store. And for the next 24 hours only, get everything for 30% off!