If you’re going to stick to your resolutions, make sure it’s one of these
By Joyce Reyes-Aguila | Photo by David Whittaker/Pexels
Getting healthy is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions if we go by trends.
In 2016, there was a 13.77 percent spike on Google searches for ways to become healthier, according to digital marketing firm iQuanti. But people do not just want to be healthy, revealed its CEO Sastry Rachakonda in an interview. There’s a quest to be fit as well evidenced by a massive 315-percent surge on searches using the word “gym.”
Though, keeping fitness resolutions can be quite a challenge with all the adjustments they demand from one’s lifestyle. But implementing major changes may actually start with small, simple, and manageable ways. Try taking these baby steps to help you achieve your health-related goals this year. We wish you the best of luck.
Be Dedicated to Your Fitness Diary
For the entire year (not just a few weeks), list down everything you eat and drink, along with all the exercises you perform. You can even do it through apps like Calorie Counter, Food Diary or Lose It. This will afford a better picture of what good (or bad) you do to your health. Yes, you should have skipped that can of soda or slice of cake last week. Conversely, it’s good to know that you’ve been dedicated to your morning walks around the village. A fitness diary does not have to be complex; even simple bullet points can help you stay on track. You can mark good days and “days of weakness” with stickers or highlighters. A quick scan can help you assess just how much you are doing for your cause.
Drink More Water
Are you drinking more coffee than water daily? The benefits of drinking water are incomparable: cleansing toxins, boosting the immune system, and preventing cramping and sprains among others. This is the year to start introducing more water in your system. Enjoy it through slices of fresh fruit like lemon, grapefruit or vegetables like ginger or cucumber. Place a water bottle inside your bag. The added weight will remind you all day to keep drinking. Also, make it a habit to drink water after every bathroom break at work.
Choose to Walk Often
All these transportation apps are making some of us lazy. Commit to walk more, especially after meals. Rediscover the feel of the road under your feet and the distance you used to enjoy walking from the office to the nearby bank. After every meal, opt to go to a bookstore instead of going on a dessert run. Move more often this year. For instance, clean up your room or volunteer to water the plants after meals. Being on your feet will help your body digest food and burn more calories.
Set Realistic Goals
The simpler, the better, said Lee Jordan, American Council on Exercises (ACE) senior health coaching expert and ACE-certified behavior change specialist, to Self.com. While most people will go big or go home, Jordan said that instead of believing that “accomplishing big, extraordinary changes is about doing big, extraordinary things,” they should instead realize that to “get extraordinary results, you need to do ordinary things daily.” Decide to walk for an hour every day or enjoy a spinning class once a week. Remember that everything takes time, including achieving your fitness goals.
Eat Less Processed Food
Target a full week without eating anything processed, Shannon Clark suggested on Foxnews.com. “Processed foods are partly to blame for today’s obesity rates. Not only are they contributing empty calories to your diet, but they’re also increasing your chances of developing insulin resistance. To combat this, make a goal to go a full week without eating any processed foods.” Go for all-natural meals and notice changes in your overall feeling by the end of the week, Clark added.