The New Year is just around the corner and it’s time for new resolutions again. But you may have noticed over the years that your health-related resolutions seldom last. It usually happens because we often set lofty goals without realizing the time and commitment needed. This year, we want you to change that and start with getting the basics right.
To achieve your health and wellness goals, you need a complete behavioral change. The neuroscience of coaching states that without realizing your inner capacity for change, it is not possible to achieve real change. So, if you are looking for lasting changes for weight loss, stress management, lifestyle diseases or getting rid of a bad habit, a total shift in momentum is needed.
Now we understand that change of this magnitude cannot be achieved overnight, so we are sharing 10 small steps that can lead to greater health and wellness. These achievable, small steps are easier to fit in your daily routine and move you towards greater health improvements over time.
- First and foremost, know that the weighing machine is not the only parameter that qualifies you as healthy. Everything from your energy levels to your body composition and your stress levels counts towards overall health and well being. So, if you are looking for lasting health change, don’t weigh yourself every day. Because obsessively weighing yourself every day won’t let you focus on developing a healthy relationship with your body and food. Instead focus on cultivating healthy habits that can bring about incremental gains. Begin with a nutritional diet, some light exercises, and proper sleep to destress your body and mind.
- Walk more. An exercise is an exercise, even if it’s something as basic as walking. Use a step counting app or fitness and to track your daily steps and then keep adding an extra kilometer to it every day. Aim for at least 10,000 steps per day.
- Remember to eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most essential diet of the day, as it energizes you for what lays ahead. Breakfast eaters also tend to weigh less and have better diets overall. An ideal breakfast includes whole grain foods with fresh fruits and low-fat milk.
- Include more whole grain servings in your lunch or dinner. If you are eating less than one whole grain serving a day, it’s crucial that you switch now.
- Include green salad with your meals. It a ready source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Having a salad with meals also helps you in eating less and counts toward the recommended five daily cups of vegetables and fruits.
- Trim fatty foods from the menu to lower your daily calorie intake. Lean meats, poultry without the skin, and lower-fat cheeses are the way to start. Also, cooking in nonstick pans with only a dab of oil or butter will help you reduce daily fat intake.
- Include yogurt and milk in your diet to ensure optimum calcium levels. Dairy calcium is good for your bones and also helps you lose weight.
- Downsize your bowls and mugs. Trust us, it is an effective trick for eating less.
- Aim to lose only 5 to 10 percent of your current weight in the whole year. As we said, small steps. It will have huge health benefits for your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Write down what you will eat tomorrow in advance. Another trick that helps you identify the problem foods and eliminate them from the menu.
Well, that concludes our list of healthy habits for 2021. But don’t just take our word for it, these are pro tips curated by international experts who understand health and wellness better than anyone and specialize in motivating behavioral change. You can even consult one of our certified health and wellness coaches for further help.
So, we wish you luck and hope that this is the year when you make the leap towards greater health and happiness. For more health and wellness tips and advice, keep following our blog.
