New Year’s is another holiday of celebration. Whether it’s
celebrating surviving another year, a job promotion, or a new beginning, it is
always exciting planning for a new year filled with new dreams of improving
one’s life. It is a time accompanied by
new goals and fresh starts. It is a time to recommit your health and well-being.
Identifying resolutions is easy: get more sleep, eat better,
and exercise more.
The most difficult part is sticking to those longer than
through the end of January. I have some suggestions to help you make and keep
your health resolutions this New Year. My #1 tip: do not try to take on to much at one time. This is a lifetime project!
1.Mindful Eating
It is easy to go through a sleeve of
cookies while binge watching Breaking Bad. It takes your brain about 15 minutes
to realize that the body is full. So when you are distracted and eating, it
leads to overeating. Practice mindful eating. Eat at a table, eat slower, and put down your
utensils between bites. When you slow down and become mindful, it is easier to
feel when you are comfortable. Think
about your activity level each day as it relates to how much you have taken in
when picking up that night time snack.
2.Sleep in the cold
Studies show you get better quality sleep
when the temperature is 68 degrees or lower. Darkening the room with curtains
and turning down lights on the electronics can help too. A great habit to work on for several reasons
other than sleep is to limit phone use,
tablets, computers, or TV usage at least 1 hour prior to bed. Also, keeping the same sleeping routine will
lead to better quality of sleep.
3.Gratitude
Adopting an attitude of gratitude can help
you reflect on your blessings. By journaling or reflecting on what you are
grateful each day, it takes the focus off of your stressors and onto something
positive.
4.
Walk for 30 Minutes a Day
Moderate intensity walking or weight
training for 30 minutes a day can help meet the recommendation of daily
activity. Don’t have a 30-minute block of time in your day? Take 3, ten-minute
walks then. Maybe you take the stairs instead of the elevator, or park a little
further away in the parking lot. Even walking with a friend or talking on the
phone can help pass the time. Moderate physical activity has been proven to
reduce the risk of the top 4 chronic diseases in America.
5.Commit to a 30-Day challenge
This is where you can make a pledge to exercise
or do some type of activity every day for 30 days. Maybe it’s walking daily,
practicing yoga, or lifting weights. Either way, you are setting the tone for
the New Year. Getting in a routine early on can help you stay consistent and
hold yourself accountable. For some of you, maybe this means you finally pull
the trigger and buy yourself a membership to Body Structure, or maybe you
finally hire a trainer or join our group classes.
We look forward to helping you anyway we can in 2019.
