Are You Seeing with 2020 Vision?

From health and wellness to a satisfying career (and everything in between), make 2020 your year. Here’s how you can make sure you’re seeing with 2020 vision.

2020 Vision: Look and Feel Your Best

If you want to focus on wellness in 2020, consider incorporating one or more of these treatments into your routine.

Float Therapy: Popular in European culture, flotation is thought to be beneficial for the mind, promoting relaxation and creativity. During flotation therapy, an individual floats in a tank full of saltwater – also called an isolation tank – in an experience where he or she will feel completely weightless. Throughout the experience, the participant is able to reach a deep, meditative state, which allows for complete relaxation in every muscle of the body.

IV Vitamin Therapy: Individuals typically try this therapy for three reasons: wellness, beauty and sports performance. The uniting factor is hydration, which combats chronic fatigue, joint pain, headaches, weight gain and skin dullness. Sending vitamins like B Complex and Vitamin C straight to the bloodstream ensures that you’re getting the most out of these nutrients while hydrating your body.

Cryotherapy: Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort recently began offering several cryotherapy treatments for body contouring, including Cryo Slimming, Cryo Toning and Cryo Facial. Using a Cryoskin machine, temperatures of negative two degrees Celsius to negative four degrees Celsius are used to eliminate fat cells. While an immediate slimming is often experienced in the targeted area, participants typically see longer-lasting results following three to five sessions.

2020 Vision: Catch More ZZZs

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America® poll for 2018, only 10 percent of American adults prioritize their sleep over other aspects of daily life, including fitness and nutrition, work and personal interests. Become part of that statistic this year with these sleep tips from the National Sleep Foundation.

1. Stick to a schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends, to regulate your body’s clock.

2. Organize your sleep space. Your bedroom should be between 60 degrees to 67 degrees, free from any light and free from noise. This includes your significant other’s sleep disruptions like snoring. Use blackout curtains, eye shades, white noise machines, humidifiers, fans and other devices as necessary to block out light, noise and other distractions and to stay comfortable.

3. Mattress and pillows are important. Mattresses should be comfortable and supportive. Most good-quality mattresses have a life expectancy of nine to 10 years. Additionally, make sure you’re using comfortable pillows that are free of allergens, such as pet dander and dust mites.

4. Be mindful of what you consume. Eating a large meal or spicy food too close to bedtime can result in discomfort and indigestion that make it difficult to fall asleep. If you’re going to have a large meal, do so two to three hours, or more, before you go to bed. Alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine can disrupt your sleep as well.

5. No screen time close to bedtime. Electronic devices, such as laptops and smartphones, make it difficult to get to sleep. This is because the light coming from the screens activates the brain. Stop using electronics an hour before bedtime and avoid checking them in the middle of the night.

2020 Vision: Stay on Top of Your Finances

According to WalletHub, a personal finance website, fewer than 50% of people who made New Year’s resolutions for 2020 expect to stay committed for the full year. With nearly four in 10 people looking toward better finances in this new decade, the site put together a list of its top 10 financial resolutions for the year ahead. These are our favorites.

1. Pay bills right after receiving your paycheck. WalletHub suggests setting up two automatic payments – one right after payday and one several days before your due date – with the second payment helping you avoid interest on purchases made between your first payment and the end of your billing period.

2. Repay 20 percent of your credit card debt. Crunch the numbers using a credit card payoff calculator or one of the handy financial apps out there and spread the total throughout the year. Of course, pay more when you can.

3. Add one month’s pay to your emergency fund. WalletHub recommends eventually building a fund with 12 to 18 months’ take-home income. This can be done by adding small amounts from each paycheck to your savings.

4. Focus on your physical health. According to WalletHub, the average person spends $4,968 on health care each year. Keep your body strong by eating healthy and exercising to reduce health care costs in the long run.

5. Make a realistic budget and stick to it. Once you determine your budget, it’s important to monitor your spending to make sure you’re staying on track.

2020 Vision: Know When to Start Over

By Kevin Fritz

Working for a living is pretty much inevitable. From the ages of 18-55, the average worker will toil 91,250 hours, not including overtime or weekends. That’s 22.4 percent of our lives. Only sleeping (30 percent) consumes more of our time. That’s why embracing your job will serve you well. For some, that means changing career paths.

“These are big decisions,” says Kendra Davies of Stellar Life Coaching based in Orlando. “And with any big decision, I always ask clients ‘Are you engaged in life?’ That’s the most important question. If you’re not balanced, changing careers is just a quick fix, a band-aid.”

For those who are balanced, she recommends knowing and recognizing your character strengths as opposed to your skills — e.g., being empathetic vs. being proficient at QuickBooks — so you end up doing what comes natural to you.

Davies describes four actions people should take before making the decision to begin a second career.

Reflect: Before you make the decision to start over, make sure you’ve got you sorted out.

Write: When it is out of our heads and we can see it on paper, we can devise a plan based on reality, not just the dream.

Research: Conduct real life research. Gather real information from people in the field, industry or job you are considering.

Volunteer or Take a Class: This is a way to try the job or industry you are considering to see if it’s right for you.