The New Year is just round the corner and the pressure of making a smart, sustainable new year resolution is too daunting to ignore.
No, you can’t stop following the new B-Town couples. No, you can’t go on that new crash diet for an entire year. Obviously, you can’t stop going on a shopping spree every time there’s a sale!
But what you can do is incorporate a few healthy habits in your lifestyle to ensure you are both physically and mentally healthy this coming year. Small changes can lead to a lifetime of health and fitness.
So why wait for the 1st of January to start working on your resolution? Jump on it TODAY, so 2019 won’t be that hard!
1. Eat Clean
Eating clean means cutting down on processed foods and eating more real foods.
Junk/processed food is primarily saturated fats, artificial sugar and carbonated drinks. It is only when you decide to eliminate it completely from your diet that you will realise how much of it you are eating.
Focus on produce like fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains, keep an eye on sodium and cut down on the consumption of sugar and meat.
Include foods like chickpeas, beetroot, buckwheat, tofu in your diet and stay away from canned foods, sports drinks, artificial sweetners etc.
Here’s a complete list of clean foods you can eat in the coming year.
2. Always Keep Yourself Hydrated
Drinking enough water is the easiest and the cheapest way to be healthy – directly or indirectly, water influences all the metabolic processes in the body.
And it also helps you stay in shape!
Drinking a big glass of water whenever you feel hungry and before a meal or snack fills the stomach briefly and makes you feel fuller and helps you stop eating sooner.
Adequate water ensures that both digestion and metabolism are working at their full capacity. And both need to be in harmony to ensure weight maintenance (or loss).
3. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!
Yes we know you have heard it enough but physical activity is essential for a healthy mind and body.
This year a new study even confirmed our worst fears - not exercising is worse for your health than smoking. And you don’t have to hit the gym all the time to exercise. There a variety of physical activities that you can choose from.
And if you find it difficult to get away from office to exercise, there are some quick, easy tips you might want to try. Small changes go a long way in keeping the body up and running.
4. De-Stress
Ours is a generation that doesn’t believe in slowing down. Most of us set such impossible standards for ourselves, that if we don’t meet them, we only push ourselves harder. But what we’re really doing is not pushing ourselves towards the goal, but towards the end of our capacity.
So, this coming new year promise yourself to avoid a burnout - at work, at home, anywhere. Take out time to unwind and relax, reach out to your friends, develop a new hobby - in short, live a little.
Create a slow, simple and mindful way of living. Find the right equilibrium and pace to live consciously by cherishing every experience.
5. Take Care of Your Heart
One of the most disturbing revelations of 2018 was that more and more young adults were falling prey to heart diseases. A Lancet study found that those born after 1970 had the highest rate of death due to heart problems caused by narrowing of the arteries.
In such times, it is important for you to take care of your heart health. Avoid smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and high blood pressure, get regular check ups for your cardiac health and develop a work-life balance to deal with stress.
Remember: It’s always better to take precautions and develop healthy habits from early on in life.
6. Get Enough Sleep
No, we are still not sure why lack of sleep affects our brains but we definitely know that one of the key factors of a healthy life is getting a good night’s sleep.
Lack of sleep is behind problems like depression, loss of appetite, weight gain, ageing, skin problems - to name only a few. Anybody over the age of 18 needs an average 8 hours of sleep every night, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Yes you guessed it right! Don’t party late every night or binge-watching till 5 am. Make sure to hit the bed on time to wake up fresh. You can try a few tricks to help you sleep better. There are also some yoga postures to the rescue if you are spending more time awake than asleep in your bed.
Here’s to a happy, healthy and fit 2019!
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