As you kick off this month, forget the grand promises you made as your new year’s resolution and commit instead to starting small. We have assembled a list of meaningful yet manageable steps you can take toward a longer, fuller life. Make one of these changes every day and before the month is up you’ll feel like a whole new year.

Go Green:

As in green tea. Because these tea leaves aren’t fermented like black and oolong teas, they contain the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called catechins. Studies have shown that drinking green tea is associated with a lower risk for some cancers. Other researches suggest that downing multiple cups daily can lower “bad” cholesterol and promote weight loss.

Indulge in dark chocolate:

Here’s an eye-opener: For years, studies have shown that flavonols, the antioxidant-rich compounds found in cocoa, improves circulation. Now, new research indicates that because those compounds increase blood flow to the brain, they may also help you see more clearly. Two and a half hours after consuming 720 milligrams of flavonols (the amount in about 30 grams of dark chocolate), study participants’ visual function and ability to detect motion direction improved dramatically.

Cook for your heart:

Certain foods do wonders for your veins and arteries, promoting blood flow throughout your body. To make a meal packed with heart-healthy nutrients, start with these four ingredients:

Wild Salmon: It’s full of omega-3, your arterial system’s handymen. They lower triglycerides (which contributes to plaque build-up) and can make platelets less sticky (to reduce clotting).

Tomatoes: Hypertension patients who consumed tomato extract saw at least a ten-point drop in their systolic pressure and a four-point fall in their diastolic pressure.

Garlic: The pungent clove is good to protect against atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), a condition that can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Lima Beans: One cup contains about 30 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of magnesium, a mineral that triggers vasodilation, easing the strain in your heart.

Sweat, even for just a bit:

You might be surprised how little exercise it takes to do a body good. Just a daily 3-minute walk at a brisk pace can keep you from gaining weight and reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack by 30 percent. (To gauge whether you’re working hard enough, do the talk test: you should be able to speak but not sing.) A walk will do your body image good, too. Researcher Heather Hausenblas, PhD, found that the simple act of exercise whether hiking a mountain or strolling around the neighborhood— led subjects to rate their own appearance higher than before.

Get more sleep:

Forget counting sheep. Actress Rosie Perez shares her best trick for catching z’s: “My sister, who’s a chef, taught me how to make tea with dried chamomile flowers by letting them steep for an entire day. It’s a powerful but natural sleeping aid. I always drink a cup before bed.”

Don’t graze before bed:

People who eat at night gain 1.5 kilograms a year, on average, than those who don’t, according to one study. Both body and mind stand to benefit from an earlier meal: Eating 70 minutes to two hours prior to bedtime could decrease your risk of stroke by 76 percent. One possible explanation: Blood sugar, cholesterol and circulation changes brought on by the digestive process may disrupt blood flow to the brain.

Automate your breakfast:

You already know it’s the most important meal of the day. (Skipping breakfast can increase your risk for obesity more than fourfold.) But it turns out that making it the same meal every day is a good idea, too. Research shows that people who’ve successfully maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for a year or more tend to consume a diet with limited variety; similar meals over and over may lead them to feel fuller faster and eat less overall. Try making Grapefruit with Greek yogurt as part of your A.M. ritual. The combo gives you healthy doses of vitamin C, lycopene (an antioxidant with anticancer benefit), and probiotics— good bacteria that aid in digestion and may boost your immunity.

Call an old friend:

A study conducted in the Spanish village of San Pedro Manrique serves as a reminder of the power of connection: During an annual fire — walking ritual, scientists strapped heart-rate monitors on people about to dash across the coals, their friend and relative, and visiting spectators. Amazingly, the heart rates of the firewalkers and their friends and relatives started to synchronize, rising and falling at almost the same moments. It goes to show that our relationships manifest in more ways than we know. Don’t underestimate the impact that you and your loved ones have on each other. Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while and spend an hour or two rebuilding your bond.

Practice saying NO:

You’ve heard this a hundred times before, but we’re going to tell you again because we believe it is vitally important: No matter how busy you are, you must make time for yourself. If you don’t, you’ll start to suffer from chronic stress. And chronic stress can lead to an imbalance in your cortisol (a “fight or flight” hormone) levels, which can wreak havoc on your mood and energy. Bottom line: Sometimes you need to say no – to your colleagues, your friends, your family – for the sake of your health.

Stretch!

It will improve your flexibility, of course – but it will also make you stronger. All you need is seven to ten minutes every morning when you get out of bed. You can make up your own routine.

Pledge never to be hungry:

Trying to find a nutritious snake when you’re on the go is setting yourself up for failure. Instead, make it a point to always travel with an arsenal of satisfying eats.

Spread kindness:

Help a stranger with directions. Hold the elevator doors. Unburden someone struggling to hoist groceries into the car. You know that lending a hand can boost our mood, but a recent study out of the University of California, San Diego, suggests that random acts of kindness can also be contagious: When research participants acted cooperatively, for the public good, their positive intention cascaded outward, influencing up to three more degrees of helpful people.

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