After a season of drinking one to too many glasses of beer bubbles, indulging in 'just one more piece' of pavlova and swapping workout sessions for parties, many of us are eager to get back into a healthier routine at the start of the new year.
Here Are 20 Simple Ideas To Keep You Motivated For A Healthy 2017
1. Make Sleep On Top Of The Priority List
Having poor sleep disrupts our hunger and stress hormones, making us inclined to indulging in calorie-dense foods with lots of sugar, carbohydrate drinks, and some fat. If you having sleeping disorder, try this relaxation practices such as meditation and yoga. Or try a small snack of foods to help shift the body clock and mind to sleep mode; oatmeal, cherries, or chamomile tea before bedtime. Aiming for seven hours sleep (minimum) a night.
2. Take Small Movement Breaks
Does your back aching after a few hours stooped at your computer? Do you read the same line on a page over and over without understanding anything in? Tuning your own "Break-time alarm" will somewhat happens in your body the minute you've hit a wall while doing work. Get up, do some stretches, or have a walk around office; or for the better, head outside for fresh air. Giving self-moment movement breaks a quick way to avoid burnout, increase energy and decrease stress.
3. Plan Your Meals
It sounds monotonous, but it really does help you to break on track with healthy living. If you plan your meals out a week ahead, you can then guarantee you shop resourcefully and have all the healthy food you need on your refrigerator. It also reduces stress when you're hungry and tired after a big day without compromising going back and forth the grocery!
4. Drink More Water Than Usual
Our bodies contain 90 percent water and we need to fuel it for every function. Aim for two liters of purified water every day.
5. Hang Out With Nature
Trees and other plants are regularly transforming our carbon dioxide into rich fresh oxygen we can breathe. Getting into rich, oxygenated air helps kill bacteria and viruses inside our body, it also improves breathing, and it increases energy. Hanging out in nature also reduces stress and helps connect us to the earth and it's energy; a process often mentioned to as 'grounding'.
6. Hug Someone You Love
When you hug your love one, your body releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin that help minimize the risk of unhappiness. It also helps unwanted emotions to settle.
7. Meditate
Take some time to clear your thoughts and disconnect too from technology and people. It can help you feel more balanced and peaceful. Any amount of daily reflection is a bonus, but 20 minutes every morning is a perfect to aim for.
8. Focus On Your Breathing
Deep breathing for at least five intensive minutes daily. Research shows that deep breathing, even for minutes, can reduce stress hormone. That interprets into less anxiety, better sleep, and less possibility to pack on the weights.
9. Have Daily Fresh Juice
If possible organic juice and with additional green veggies. Green juices are alkalizing to the body and provide sufficient nutrients and health benefits.
10. Reduce Toxins In Your Home
Products having harsh chemicals can upset the body's hormonal balance and then causes allergies and skin conditions. Remove at least one item from your life that holds toxic chemicals. Look at your laundry and your bathroom cupboards and as products are past their expiry date, work at replacing toxic items with more natural options.
11. Dry Skin Brush
Dry skin brushing in small circles with a natural bristled brush improves your blood circulation and the movement of lymph nodes through your body. This helps remove toxic waste in your tissues, while boosting your energy. Best results are attained when you work from your edges toward your heart.
12. Have Epsom Salt Baths
The magnesium in Epsom salts engages through your skin and helps relax your muscles and reduce pain levels. It also helps remove toxins from your body. Aim for 1.5 cups of Epsom salts in a bath and soak for 20 minutes.
13. Consume Probiotics
Research shows that your protection begins in your gut. Probiotics help to support valuable gut bacteria.
14. Write A Journal
Putting pen to paper can be a redemptive and/or cathartic involvement. Try keeping a journal, or even just marks your anxieties and throwing them in the trash. A 2012 study found that writing down to some degree that is stressing you out and then the actual throwing may help clear your mind.
15. Stay Away From Plastic
It's full of phthalates and added petrochemical items. Don't eat foods in a microwave packed food and avoid drinking water from plastic bottles.
16. Think Positive
Research shows a in good physical shape positive outlook helps to shape a healthier immune system and boosts general health.
17. Focus On Gratitude
Write at least 10 things for which you are thankful. Concentrating on the things you are grateful for allows for less time focusing on the things you want or are hard to obtain. Increasing amounts of research show that thankfulness builds better health and happiness.
18. Eat Plant-Based Diet
Eat at least five servings of vegetables a day. Fiber in vegetables helps your body to detox harmful elements that can be absorb by the system.
19. Exercise Daily
Studies show that even 10 minutes of workout makes a transformation, so get moving! Turn up the stereo and dance like no-one's watching. Jump on a bike adventure. Walk to the park with your kids or dog. Go for a scenic hike. Jump in the ocean and wobble your body. Your body was made to move. We all know this but, we often need a prompt to just do it.
20. Keep Good Company
Now you have set health goals in place but if you have personal bad relationships with someone who have unhealthy habits, it's often an difficult battle. The healthiest people are having good and nurtured relationships with other fit people. Gather your family or friends and connect with exercise or plan healthier meals.
Aim for above daily habits and you'll be living and appreciating a healthy lifestyle!
