Are your goals shaped around your nutrition and health? Perhaps your New Year’s resolution is all about losing weight and getting fit? Well, it does NOT have to be hard. Building small habits that you implement consistently each day will make all the difference to your results in the long term! Check out these 5 daily habits to help you ring in the new year.
Turn Exercise Into A Friend
This one’s a no-brainer! Regular exercise is one of the best ways to decrease blood pressure, manage stress, improve your heart health and rid your body of excess fatty tissue. It’s the perfect daily habit to begin 2023 that will have you feeling energised and refreshed.
It doesn’t need to be much either! This can be a simple daily habit such as walking in nature. If you want something more intense, try running or strength training, which is great for building bone strength and staving-off diseases such as osteoporosis. Mix it up and see what you enjoy! There are so many different options available, from parkour to ballet barre classes, that there is no reason for you to not love what you do! If you don’t like it, ditch it. If you do, keep it up!
Also read: Easy Changes That Will Transform Your Health and Fitness
Eat Your Greens
Make veggies the hero! Greens such as spinach can reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of certain cancers. All too often we feature protein or carbohydrates as the feature of our meals. But by simply reversing this learned habit you’ll cut down your calorie intake hugely whilst feeding your body with considerably more vitamins and nutrients (and your body will LOVE you for it!).
Choose 2 of your favourite vegetables to feature in each dish, then add a small portion of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats around that. For example: Spiralized zucchini and sweet potato “zoodles” with roasted cherry tomatoes, shredded chicken breast and pesto sauce. It really is THAT simple!
Drink Lots Of Water
Make water your number one source of hydration. Ditch the soft drinks, especially if you are just trying to quench your thirst. Actually, open your fridge now and bin any drinks that are not water! This is perhaps one of the simplest but most effective ways to encourage drinking water as a daily habitat can help with your overall health. Of course you can still have your daily coffee (skip the added sugar though), but any other liquid you hydrate with throughout the day should be water only.
If you struggle to do this, start by sipping on herbal teas throughout the day instead, or fresh lemon/lime and mint in your chilled still or sparkling water. YUM!
Catch Those Z’s
Admittedly this isn’t easy for parents, insomniacs or anyone who’s stressed and overworked. However, if you can, prioritise getting a good night’s sleep regularly. Sleep deprivation causes extraordinary stress on the body: increased blood pressure, over-production of the stress hormone cortisol, and a weaker immune system. Over time this adds up. Aim for at least seven hours a night, and try to get to bed before midnight for the best sleep cycle possible.
Being tired can also decrease your incidental exercise. When you’re energetic, it’s a lot easier to bound up the stairs or walk to the shops, but when you’re fatigued, you may be more tempted to take the easy route!
Write It Out
Start waking up 15 mins earlier than usual (it might help as the sun streams in the window and the birds are chirping!) to practice some meditation or to write in a gratitude journal. Writing down your feelings or daily journaling will help you connect with your mind and identify triggers for emotional disruption.
Journaling can also help to put you in a clearer positive mind frame before you begin your day! Write down your goals, your gratitude and your feelings. Give yourself something to work towards, keep the excitement and the energy alive, and keep focused. By writing everything down, the journey will be so much more enjoyable.
These 5 daily habits to help you ring in the new year and can help create the change you wish to see in yourself. BE the inspiration for yourself and others. A drop in the ocean creates many ripples. It all begins with YOU!