It’s that time of year where the resolutions are kicking off and goals are set. Here are some simple reminders of easy things you can do to put your best foot forward for the New Year.
Drinking more water
Your body is composed of roughly 60% water and is vital to the proper function of nearly all your organs. Many of us are dehydrated and drink liquids such as caffeine that can deplete us even more of hydration. Some beneficial reminders of drinking more water:
- Preventing headaches, before you reach for the pill bottle try drinking some water first. Often headaches are a sign of dehydration.
- Losing weight – If you have goals to lose weight this year, drinking more water can actually help suppress appetite cravings. Your body sets off alarms when it’s dehydrated and can be confused with hunger pains. Not to mention all the calories you save from avoiding junk sugar juice drinks and soda pop.
- Flush out waste and bacteria – Our digestive systems rely on water to help flush toxins and waste through urine and sweat.
- Have less joint pain – by keeping joints hydrated and soft, glucosamine is able to do its job easier by aiding the cartilage with water absorption.
- Mood booster – Dehydration can lead to crankiness and confusion.
Bottom line is, without water you will die and lack of it you won’t function at your best. We all want to work harder on being better and taking better care of ourselves and this is one of the easiest best ways to start. Invest in a good reusable water bottle to carry around with you at all times. Before you reach for the coffee in the am, reach for water instead.
Getting More Sleep
With today’s busy, hectic lifestyles and schedules it’s easy to brush off a couple hours of sleep each night. Many of us don’t realize that sleep debt adds up and can also have a large impact on our health and daily ability to function at our best.
Lack of sleep can lead to:
- Impaired cognition – inability to think straight or constructively can be a result of sleep deprivation. You may have trouble remembering things or worse lead to injury.
- Increased risk of heart attacks – Statistically heart attacks occur more often in the early morning hours and experts believe this may have to do with how sleeping and waking affect the cardiovascular system. Health problems related with heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure etc, can go from bad to worse with sleep deprivation.
- Increased risk of Cancer – While not all cancers are related to sleep deprivation, studies have indicated that breast and colon cancer risk are greatest for those who work night shifts. Exposure to light at night reduces the body’s production of melatonin. Melatonin is a brain chemical that helps promote healthy sleep and is known for helping reduce tumors and protect against cancer overall.
Lack of sleep can also lead to irritability, increased stress and weight gain. Getting a good night’s sleep is just as vital as drinking water and nourishing the body. Make a goal this year to getting a good 7-8 hours rest a priority.
Increase Daily Exercise
Physical activity doesn’t need to be complicated, something as simple as a half hour brisk walk every day can do wonders for your overall health!
- Benefits of Walking – No equipment or gym membership needed! Aside from ensuring you have proper outer clothing and footwear, essentially walking is free!
- Maintain healthy bones and muscles – remaining inactive for long periods of time can lead to muscle mass loss and for some it’s not as easy to rebuild as others. It can also help prevent bone loss and support your joints through movement.
- Keep your brain sharp – Your brain is no different from the other muscles in your body, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Exercise stimulates the brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells. You’ll also experience a drop in stress hormones and experience overall better moods.
- Maintain healthy weight or lose weight – A brisk half hour walk can burn 200 calories and over time that adds up to pounds dropped.
- Improve circulation – Walking helps ward off heart disease by increasing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure while strengthening the heart.
There are many more reasons on how walking can combat ageing, improve sleep quality and help the physical and emotional self. Think about some of your recent health concerns and your WHY you wish to add more physical activity in your life. Write down your goals and try walking a half hour every day, in 30 days look back on how you felt before you started walking and discover your own positive changes experienced!
Even though we all know how healthy the above choices are, sometimes we need simple reminders to keep us on top of our health goals.
I know you can do it if you want too! Visualize and start taking action towards your goals!
Credit to Andrea Zimmerman of Essential Dreamz for this great blog post!
