Earth has almost completed its annual journey around the sun, and you know what that means—another year is coming to an end. 2024 was a big year for wellness, whether that was adding more gentle movement to our daily routines, following a regular skincare routine, or improving our sleep hygiene. While well-being will always be a core pillar in our lives, our health editors wanted to share which wellness tips from this year were their favorites. We chose from several health categories and rounded up our top 10 tips. See which ones made the cut.
1. Leave your phone in another room before you go to sleep
After talking with sleep experts and looking at our habits (doomscrolling, anyone?), we’ve officially determined it’s time to leave phones—and all screens, for that matter—out of the bedroom. Why? The blue-spectrum light emitted from screens keeps our brains awake, reducing the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. To fall asleep faster, it’s best to leave your phone in another room. If you need something to help you fall asleep, consider reading a few pages of a book or journaling about your day.
2. Replace your lipstick once a year
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but that perfect lipstick shade that took you forever to find needs to be replaced every year. That’s because our lips and mouths can spread bacteria to our makeup products and raise the risk of infections. It may not be easy to kiss your lipstick goodbye, but maybe this encourages you to put on that color more often before it’s time to restock.
3. Find creative ways to add protein to your breakfast
Protein was *all* the rage in 2024—and for good reason. Protein can help strengthen your bones, aid muscle recovery, support your immune system, help maintain your weight, and lower blood sugar, among other benefits. Need we say more? But if you’re like us and grab a quick snack before you head out the door in the morning, you might not be getting enough protein that your body needs. Fortunately, eating a protein-rich breakfast doesn’t need to be complicated. Consider switching out your regular waffles for protein waffles, chop some almonds over your oatmeal, or reach for Greek yogurt instead of your favorite cereal. These quick and easy alternatives can be delicious and nutritious, so find what works best for you.
4. Travel to a new place to keep your brain sharp
Beyond just being exciting, all things travel—planning a trip, navigating a new city, walking while sightseeing, socializing with locals, and experiencing new things—can help sharpen your mind. Studies have even found that leisure travel is associated with improved memory and cognition and can potentially reduce the risk of developing dementia. So, consider this your sign to book that vacation!
5. Incorporate strength training into your day to elongate your life
Research suggests that adding strength training to your workouts can keep our muscles and bones strong while reducing the risk of falls and chronic pain as we age. And while many of us thought cardio was the bread and butter for longevity, one study found that older adults who strength trained at least twice a week lived longer than adults who didn’t. Whether you start lifting weights, incorporate bodyweight exercises, or add resistance bands to your workout, some strength training is better than none at all. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be a long or difficult task. Just consider one of our favorites: the 15-minute strength training workout that you can do even on your busiest days.
6. Limit how many skincare products the young person in your life uses
Whether it was because of beauty influencers sharing their favorite products on social media or the rise of self-care in the post-pandemic world, skincare has never been more popular. And while our skin is our biggest organ and needs to be properly pampered, new research found that Generation Alpha (aka people born between 2010 and now) spent more money—a number equating to $4.7 billion—than any other generation on skincare in 2023. But do young children and teens really need a full-scale skincare routine? Experts say that there are only three products young people truly need to consider (at least for now): gentle cleanser, daily moisturizer, and sunscreen. Too many harsh products can actually damage young skin and have the opposite effect on what skincare should be. So the next time your child or younger sibling begs you for the latest products, remind them that less is more.
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7. Do exercises that relax (and not just tighten) your pelvic floor when you’re pregnant
Kegels. It’s the first exercise that comes to mind during pregnancy. While Kegels can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and improve bladder control, it’s important to have a balance of both contraction and relaxation exercises if you’re expecting. If your pelvic muscles are too tight, it can actually make childbirth a bit more painful, so it’s equally important to help keep this region relaxed and flexible before the big day arrives. Lower belly breathing and child’s pose are good practices to start with, but it’s best to ask your healthcare team which pelvic floor exercises they recommend for you.
8. Put some honey in your yogurt to boost gut-friendly probiotics
We know yogurt is already filled with gut-friendly bacteria called probiotics, but new research has found that adding clover honey to your yogurt can help those probiotics last even longer in your gut, allowing them to reach the small intestine, where they’ll have the greatest positive impact on your digestion, nutrient absorption, and the overall health of your gut microbiome. All you have to do is add one to two tablespoons to your next yogurt bowl to maximize these benefits.
9. Multitask with a meditation practice and a household chore
This year, we learned the importance of slowing down—for our bodies and our minds. Meditating is a great way to do this, but if you don’t have time for 20-minute sessions, taking a few moments to breathe and practice mindfulness throughout the day is still just as helpful for your mental well-being. A five-minute breathing exercise while completing a chore—like washing dishes or folding laundry—can work wonders for easing stress, reducing tension, managing anxiety, or dealing with burnout.
10. Add jumping to your workouts to stop bladder leaks
From learning how to prevent UTIs to the best tips to pee with a tampon in, we’ve always been curious about how to best take care of our bladders. One issue that affects so many of us? Bladder leaks—which often stem from a weak pelvic floor (whether you’ve recently been pregnant or not). While this tip seems counterproductive, especially if you already leak a little pee when you jump, we learned that jumping regularly could actually help strengthen and stabilize your pelvic floor muscles, which may end up preventing bladder leaks in the future. So, if you dribble a little when you laugh or sneeze? Add jumping (rope, on a trampoline, in place, etc.) to your exercise rotation.
Looking ahead
We loved these tips from 2024, and we can’t wait to see which tips make our list in 2025. In fact, we’re so excited about it that we already shared our wellness trends predictions for next year. Check back in with us a year from now to see if we were right!
