Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy New Year! Today’s newsletter is devoted to how to make 2025 a great year. Here’s a countdown of escapes, healthy eating, and exercise ideas, from easy to challenging. Plus, something that’s just plain fun.

PHOTOGERAPH BY DINA LITOVSKY, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION 

PHOTOGERAPH BY DINA LITOVSKY, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION 

JUST DO SOMETHING! Almost any hobby, from birding to collecting, from puzzles to skateboarding, from cycling to swimming to music to attending services to learning another language, helps your brain AND body. Have fun! Delight and surprise yourself!

Related: 

- Doing good deeds—and asking for help—is actually very good for you 

- Taking up a musical instrument—or returning to one—can have a big effect on your brain health  

Related: This rare disorder is a leading cause of blindness in young people

Also: Face blindness is more common than you think 

PHOTOGRAPH BY MAGGIE STEBER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION 

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Start the new year with these tips to sleep better   

MEANWHILE: January 1 is just one new year. Here are others celebrated throughout the world. 

LIFT EVERY VOICE: Did you sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight? Here’s how it became a New Year’s tradition.  

Today’s Soundtrack: This Year, The Mountain Goats  

Bonus Track: Hoy Mi Día Uno, Natalia Lafourcade 

Today’s Happy New Year newsletter was edited and curated by David Beard and produced by Amanda Bryant-Williams. Thanks for reading! Have a suggestion? Let us know!