Is it just me, or is everyone’s Facebook feed filled with friends pledging to get healthier in the new year? For some that involves mass quantities of kale, while others are contemplating spiritual wellness and mental health.

Hiking is a great way to boost your health and fitness goals in the New Year.

However you plan to accomplish it, here are five ways a Bend vacation will help you get healthier in 2018.

Get up and get moving!

Nearly everyone I know has vowed to incorporate more exercise into their routine. You can hit the gym at home, but when you’re in Bend, your fitness routine comes with mountain views.

Dig out those hiking boots and hit the trails. You’ll find plenty of ideas here, or nab one of the awesome guidebooks we sell in the Bend Visitor Center.

Want to try mountain biking? Cog Wild offers a huge variety of tours, including outings for newbies trying the sport for the first time. Bonus: They hook you up with the necessary gear and shuttle service. Double bonus: They’re savvy about trail conditions and etiquette, so they’ll keep you from committing a major faux pas like trashing a soggy trail and ruining it for others for the season.

There are a zillion other active pursuits you can try in Bend, from skiing to kayaking to pickleball. To get your brain percolating, peruse www.phpstack-307602-2580524.cloudwaysapps.com for ideas.

And speaking of your brain…

Tend your spiritual or mental health

More and more people are focusing on spiritual and mental health as a form of self-care in the New Year. If that’s your jam, you’ll find plenty of possibilities in Bend.

Yoga and meditation take on a whole new dimension in Bend.

Bend Community Healing has offerings that include yoga, acupuncture, meditation classes, and Qigong. They even host special events and workshops that make the perfect weekend getaway for visitors.

Bend Zendo and Bend Zen both offer regularly scheduled sitting meditation (zazen), classes, discussion groups, workshops, and more.

You can also scope out the schedule at Wren and Wild for special events like their upcoming Noah Levine Kind Awareness Meditation Weekend Feb. 9-11.

If you’re looking for something that caters to a different faith or denomination, you’ll find a huge array of churches, synagogues, and other places of worship right here.

Want to improve your relationship or your communication skills in the coming year? Check out the calendar of couples’ workshops and classes here.

For more health-focused events and workshops happening in Bend in the coming year, peruse Visit Bend’s Event Calendar for ideas.

Grab tasty (and healthy!) grub

“Eat healthier” is something I see on nearly every New Year’s resolution list, but not everyone agrees on what that means.

Looking to go vegan in 2018? Here’s a roundup of awesome vegan and vegetarian dishes in Bend that even diehard carnivores will adore.

If you’re curious about gluten-free dining in Bend, we’ve also rounded up some of the best gluten-free dishes worth trying in Bend (even if you aren’t gluten-free!)

And hey, if you’re trying to do the opposite and add more meat to your meals (what? High-protein dining is a thing), check out this post on Bend’s best burgers.

Don’t derail your Dry January plans

If your holidays included a few too many adult beverages, don’t feel bad.

The tasty virgin Blueberry Mojito at Brickhouse will keep you on track with your Dry January plans.

Plenty of folks are on the Dry January bandwagon, and just because you’re visiting the home of the Bend Ale Trail and Drinkable Diversions doesn’t mean you must imbibe.

Bend is home to more than half-a-dozen kombucha brewers, and you’ll find tons of variety on local store shelves and in growler fill stations around town (the one at Food 4 Less is my personal fave).

Check out this blog post featuring a huge array of mocktails and booze-free beverages in Bend and we promise you won’t go thirsty. You might even decide this teetotaling thing is worth extending all year long.

Toting reusable beverage containers is one of many ways to keep Mother Nature healthy and happy.

Keep Mother Nature healthy, too!

If your new healthy initiative extends to the world around, you how about working to keep Mother Nature in great shape this year?

Hook yourself up with reusable water bottles and coffee mugs from Hydro Flask and Drink Tanks to help keep disposable cups out of the landfill.

When you’re packing for a hike, tuck a small trash bag in your pocket. Not only does that make it easier to pack out your own garbage, but you can pick up small bits of litter along the trail, thereby leaving the place nicer than you found it.

For more ideas on how to help Bend stay healthy and beautiful in the coming year, check out our Visit Like a Local page and consider taking The Bend Pledge (which comes with the added bonus of giving you a shot at winning a killer Bend vacation).