Many celebrate the end of the year by coming up with New Year’s resolutions. But, unfortunately, a majority of people have given up on them by the end of January. A recent survey in Great Britain found that two-thirds of people who make resolutions give up on them by the end of January.
Why did these people give up so quickly?
Researchers who conducted the survey classified many of the resolutions as vague or unrealistic and noticed that many people admitted to making the same resolutions year after year without any real changes.
Perhaps, self-improvement plans should start with specific goals that are reasonable to achieve. For example, health and vision are essential, but how many people have a resolution to get a comprehensive physical or eye exam?
A comprehensive eye exam at NJoy Vision in Oklahoma City is a great way to start the year and set the tone for your other goals. In addition, it can give you an easy win to build upon to make other lifestyle changes.
Why Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam?
During a comprehensive eye exam, an optometrist will check the optic nerve, retina, and blood vessels in your eye. In addition to vision assessment and eye health, this exam can reveal other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and hormone deficiencies.
This exam is much more detailed than a routine vision screening appointment, which only assesses your ability to see and the need for corrective lenses.
Furthermore, vision and eye health can affect your efforts to make positive lifestyle changes, especially those that involve being more active.
8 Lifestyle Changes To Consider This Year
Here is a look at eight achievable lifestyle improvements and how your eyes affect your efforts to adopt these new habits.
1. Exercising
Exercise can help improve your health by improving blood flow, enhancing strength and endurance, and improving mental health. According to the CDC, beneficial exercise does not have to be as rigorous as you think. The agency recommends 30 minutes per day of moderate movement, such as walking at a brisk pace.
You could also try a sport, such as swimming or tennis, or embrace an outdoor activity like biking or hiking. Anything that you enjoy and can do for at least 30 minutes on most days will help improve your health.
If the inconveniences of glasses or contact lenses are keeping you from engaging in sweat-inducing workouts or recreational sports, your health—not your vision—might just be the biggest reason to consider laser vision correction.
Schedule your free Oklahoma City LASIK consultation at nJoy Vision
2. Getting Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential to your quality of life. Unfortunately, most people struggle in this area.
The Mayo Clinic recommends adults get at least seven hours per night. For most adults, the only way to get this amount of rest is to make a good night’s sleep a priority. Getting seven hours per night does more than make you feel rested. It can also help with your metabolism and cognitive functions.
Furthermore, sleep deprivation is linked to poor immune system performance and vision problems such as chronic dry eyes, blurred vision, and increased eye infections. And, for those who wear contact lenses, the hassle of removing contacts and putting them back in makes napping an uncommon luxury.
3. Expand Your Social Network
You may desire an active social life, but work and home duties can make it challenging to find time to socialize. Expanding your social network by taking a class, joining a club or group, or just getting out to new places each week can help you feel happier and more engaged in life.
But, of course, you don’t want vision problems or the need to wear corrective lenses to get in the way of social activities… like mountain biking.
4. Start a New Hobby
A new hobby gives you a chance to pursue something fulfilling outside of work and your day-to-day routine. This new focus can improve your mental health and wellbeing. In fact, research shows that people who regularly engage in hobbies are less likely to suffer from stress and depression.
Unfortunately, vision problems can make many popular hobbies hard to enjoy. Whether you want to get into photography, bird watching, or knitting, don’t let your vision hold you back! From artistic endeavors to sedentary pursuits, laser vision correction could be the difference between a new hobby and a maybe-someday.
5. Travel
More than any other resolution, travel-related goals can be tough to achieve. Budget constraints, cancellations, and work or family duties can make finding time for a trip challenging.
However, “travel” can include a weekend away or even a day trip to someplace nearby that you’ve always wanted to visit. If you start with the goal to travel a certain number of days during the year, you get to define what exactly “travel” means.
If you’re used to packing glasses cases or contact solutions when you travel, you know how inconvenient even minor vision problems can be. Don’t even think about traveling spontaneously. Raise your hand if the one thing you never want to pack again is an extra pair of glasses because you know you’ll lose or break the other pair.
Now raise your other hand if LASIK would make your next beach vacay even beachier.
6. Read More and Spend Less Time on Devices
Some resolutions can involve relaxing activities, like reading. Instead of wasting your time on social media, binging shows, or playing video games, you could do what they did in the “olden days”—crack open a book.
Reading has cognitive and mental health benefits, which is basically the opposite of what happens when you spend too much time on social media. It also produces less eye strain than staring at the brightly lit screen of a TV or device.
7. Save Money
Rather than setting specific amounts of money to save, you could instead focus on taking specific steps that will conserve your money month after month.
Most people start saving money by making fewer coffee runs or going out to eat less often. But if you wear glasses or contacts, you know how much it costs to keep your prescriptions, hardware, and accessories up to date.
Once you look at laser vision correction as a one-time investment and corrective eyewear as a recurring expense, LASIK just makes… cents.
8. Spend More Time With Family and Friends
Spending time with people you care about can boost your physical and mental health and improve your overall quality of life. Carving out the time can be a challenge, though. Especially in the age of COVID where quarantining, remote working, and wearing masks make it harder than ever to connect. We have always believed that time spent with your loved ones is even more enjoyable when glasses and contacts aren’t getting the way. And then glasses fog became a universal phenomenon and proved our point.
Start Your Lifestyle Changes With an Eye Exam Today
A comprehensive eye exam is a perfect way to start the new year and ensure your health and vision don’t force you to compromise on your goals. Schedule an appointment with your eye doctor today. Or, if you don’t have one, check out our list of preferred eye doctors in OKC and across Oklahoma to find one in your area.
Once your eye health is in focus, we’d love to help you bring your New Year’s resolutions and lifestyle changes into focus with laser vision correction.
