+
upworthy
Well Being

2022 is the return of New Year's resolutions. Here’s an easy way to keep your wellness goals.

2022 is the return of New Year's resolutions. Here’s an easy way to keep your wellness goals.
via Blue Apron
True

The trials and tribulations of the pandemic have forced many to put off their personal growth goals because life has been far too overwhelming. But it looks like things are slowly turning around and people are beginning to feel hopeful about the new year.

Many are looking forward to January 2022 as a time they can once again focus on self-improvement. Joanna Dickerson, Associate Professor of Psychology at Edith Cowan University, says that more than half of people’s annual resolutions are focused on either “diet” (29%) or “exercise” (24%).

Dickerson also says that our goals will “more likely endure” when “linked to higher personal values.” So if you’re looking to set a health-related resulution for 2022, why not give yourself a better chance at success by committing to the loftier goal of making wellness a way of life?

Dickerson adds that one of the most important things to do to achieve your wellness goal is to “set yourself up for success.”

“Set resolutions are specific plans,” Dickerson writes. “These should account for factors such as time, place, and people. Specific plans provide the mental cues needed to stick to our goals.”


via Blue Apron

Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to make wellness your new way of life in the new year by having balanced meals sent regularly to your front door? Even though that seems like a budget-buster, Blue Apron has made eating right affordable with home-delivered meal kits starting as low as $7.49 a serving.

Blue Apron’s Wellness meals are well-balanced and nutritionist-approved, with vegetarian and 600 calorie or fewer options.

These Wellness meals allow you to keep your New Year’s goals on track with pre-portioned dinners that fit your lifestyle. Sticking to a day-to-day wellness routine is so much easier when you aren’t tempted to run out and grab fast food because you didn't have enough time to go shopping.

A big reason why people love Blue Apron is that cooking their meals is a lot of fun and helps them learn new skills. However, cooking Blue Apron meals also has wonderful therapeutic benefits. "Cooking is self-care at its most basic and nourishing," Meg Bowman, a clinical nutritionist at Nourish Integrative Solutions, tells Bustle. "It is alchemy—you take ingredients and transform them into something delicious that feeds body and spirit."

Psychologists also say that cooking has amazing benefits for mental health because it has a tangible benefit. It’s called “behavioral activation” which means finding meaning in tasks instead of breezing through them. Plus, there’s nothing that feels better than preparing a balanced, delicious meal for your family.

Blue Apron Wellness meals are also great for your mental well-being because you won’t get stressed out about last-minute meal planning or exceeding your monthly meal budget.

Wellness isn't just about what you eat but the love and care that goes into preparing the meal, too.

via Blue Apron

The great thing is with Blue Apron Wellness you can stick to your holistic health goals without sacrificing taste.

How do Tahini Chicken and Warm Kale Salad sound? How about a Seared Shrimp and Orzo Pasta? Doesn’t Sheet Pan Yuzu-Orange Salmon with Roasted Vegetables sound amazing?

But for those nights when you just don’t have enough time to throw a pre-prepared meal together, Blue Apron also has new Wellness Heat & Eat options that are ready in just a few minutes.

If you’re looking to make 2022 the year you recommit to reaching your holistic health and wellness goals, Blue Apron can help you get started and keep you on track by delivering balanced, affordable, and easy-to-prepare meals right to your door. They taste incredible and cooking them is great for the soul, too.

Blue Apron is a fun and turnkey way to make your commitment to wellness in 2022 a reality.

Sign up for Blue Apron now to receive $110 off across your first four boxes and free shipping on your first box!

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
Family

The Gen X 'stay at home mom' crisis is real, but what's the solution?

Some moms in their 40s feel like they were lied to about what their "resume gap" would mean.

40-something moms who stayed home to be with their kids are finding themselves in uncharted waters.

A few generations ago, parents had pretty clearly defined roles, with the dad generally being the breadwinner and the mom being the homemaker/stay-at-home mother. Then women's rights movement came along, empowering women in the workplace, ushering in the era of two working parents and producing an entire generation of "latchkey kids."

Now those Gen X latchkey kids are parenting Gen Z, with the pendulum of working motherhood having swung somewhat to the middle. We were raised to believe we could be anything we dreamed of being and that we didn't have to choose between being a mom and having a career. Gen X also became mothers during the heyday of parenting self-help books that impressed upon us the importance of attachment and hands-on childrearing, as well as the era of super-scheduled kids, whose activities alone require a full-time manager.

As a result, those of us in our 40s have raised our kids straddling two worlds—the one where women can have all of the career success we desire and the one where we can choose to be stay-at-home moms who do all the things. At first, we were told we could have it all, but when the impossibility of that became clear, we were told, "Well, you can have it all, just not at the same time."

But as many moms are finding as their kids start leaving the nest, even that isn't the full truth.

Keep ReadingShow less
Identity

Mom stands strong after another parent criticizes her child's 'disgusting' Asian lunches

It’s encouraging to know that hundreds of people took her side and supported her.

A young girl eats with chopsticks.

A story recently posted on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her culture and daughter in the face of intolerance. Reddit user Paste-Clouds-808 shared the story on the AITA forum to ask who was right in the situation.

Over 2,900 people commented on the story, and they overwhelmingly agreed that it was her.

The mother, 38, regularly cooks Asian foods for her daughter Lily, 7, and packs them in her school lunch. The mother was raised by a half-Japanese mom, so the foods have always been a part of her life, and her family loves them, too.

“Oftentimes I’ll either give my daughter some leftovers from last night's dinner, plus a fruit/veggie and a snack, or I’ll make her a quick little bento box or some other thing really quick,” the mother wrote.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Single woman shares the hilarious 'deal breaker' she uses when she doesn't want a second date

Jo Brundza has mastered the art of painlessly getting out of a second date by making them reject her.

How Jo Brundza gets out of a date.

It's uncomfortable for people to tell someone they met for a first date that they aren’t interested in a second one because nobody enjoys hurting another person’s feelings. TikTokker Jo Brundza has mastered the art of painlessly getting out of a second date by making them reject her.

How does she do it? Once she realizes she doesn’t want to see them again, she rants about the moon.

“From that realization and on, I spend the rest of the date trying to convince the other person that I don’t think the moon is real,” she says. Now, many folks out there incorrectly believe that the moon landing was faked, but she goes a step further by saying the massive object doesn’t exist at all.

Keep ReadingShow less

This kid gives an impressive acting performance.

Some kids just have a natural knack for acting. Frequently, a flair for the dramatics can cause parents significant grief (Ferris Bueller-style) but it can also be a source of non-stop entertainment.

A viral video of a kid putting on an Oscar-worthy performance in his new Halloween costume is a prime example.

The video shared by @saddiegau on TikTok has been viewed a million times, and when you watch it you'll see why. The kid dons an inflatable costume that makes it look like a large green alien is carrying him around, which is pretty funny all on its own. But the horror movie scene that ensues is practically an acting masterclass.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Husband fulfills pregnant wife's every food craving—from rice crispy sliders to 'sweetdogs'

Pregnancy cravings can leave expectant mothers fantasizing about the strangest culinary concoctions.

@kayandtayofficial/TikTok

They should really make a cookbook.

Pregnancy cravings can leave expectant mothers fantasizing about the strangest culinary concoctions.

It goes so far beyond pickles and ice cream—women might find themselves pulling up to a McDonald’s drive thru when previously they never ate red meat, piling different forms of dairy products onto one another, dipping Cheetos into literally everything.

And that’s not even accounting for the non-food cravings that some women report having, like laundry detergent, chalk, paper, dirt. Yum.

And while cravings are a natural part of pregnancy—caused by the body seeking certain nutrients or to balance out dopamine levels—it doesn’t make them any less of a wild ride.

Keep ReadingShow less
Image from Pixabay.

Under the sea...

True
The Wilderness Society


You're probably familiar with the literary classic "Moby-Dick."

But in case you're not, here's the gist: Moby Dick is the name of a huge albino sperm whale.

(Get your mind outta the gutter.)

Keep ReadingShow less