2015 has come and gone, it’s time to ring in the new year and face 2016 head on! Instead of making those classic New Year’s resolutions to hit the gym, or to cut out the sweet stuff (both of which are good ideas), make a promise to be better to your body.
If your body is anything like mine, it goes through quite a bit in a year. My body helps me get from point a to point b, it helps me overcome obstacles and tackle new challenges. It’s time to repay your body for all it has done for you over the years. Here are a few ways you can repay your body and live the rich, full life you deserve.
Take Up A New Activity
This sounds dangerously similar to the classic ‘hit the gym’ resolution, and it is. The problem with making the resolution to hit the gym more often is that it is vague and it sounds like a chore.
Instead, make the promise to try something new! Take up a spin class, try yoga or join a recreational sports league. If you can convince a friend to join with you it can help reduce some of the anxiety involved in trying something new and it can help motivate you to stick with it.
Choosing an activity that is both fun and challenges you physically is important. You want to feel like you are getting something out of the activity beyond a few burnt calories. Activities that are team-based or set in a social setting can help make it seem less like working out, and more like having fun.
Make yourself the promise to try at least 1 new activity per month in 2016. Find what you enjoy, and pursue it!
Get In A Good Headspace
Being in a good headspace can go a long way for your health believe it or not, and taking up an activity is a great way to help you get into a good state of mind.
Our mood and stress levels directly impact our health, not only our cognitive & mental health, but our immune function as a whole. Learning to deal with stress in a healthy way is extremely important. Virtually everyone deals with stress on a daily basis, the key is finding a way to release the stress and not let it build up and manifest itself as depression or disease.
Meditating for 10-20 minutes daily is a fantastic way to relieve stress and manage it in the future. Simple mindfulness practices can take your mind off the day’s stresses and really help you tap into what makes you happy. In turn, you become happier and your body thanks you for it.
Give Your Body the Nutrition It Craves
Stuffing your body full of junk foods completely devoid of nutrients is not a good way to thank it for all it does for you. A healthy diet is important, that’s no secret, but it can be difficult to eat well one hundred percent of the time.
Make small changes in your diet and build on them. Everyone has a different starting point, maybe your first step is to cut out the sugary soda drinks, or maybe it is to have an extra kale smoothie a week. It doesn’t matter where you start, consistently making small changes to your diet is the best way to ensure you stick to them. Trying to go zero to one hundred on the first try is a recipe for disaster, it’s nearly impossible to turn your diet upside down on a dime.
Beyond diet alone, it is important you supplement to give your body what it needs. Supplements like Omega 3 fish oil, vitamin D and magnesium are all important supplements that almost everyone should be taking on a daily basis. Fueling your cells with the proper nutrition can help put you in a better mood, reduce your risk of getting sick and boost your energy levels to where they should be.
Detoxifying the body is another important aspect of supplementing. Our environment is becoming increasingly toxic, evidences by the pollutants in the air we breath and contaminants in the water we drink. These toxins are unavoidable for the most part, while it’s important to avoid adding to the toxic load on our body, it’s crucial we help negate the damage.
Antioxidant supplements can help rid the body of harmful heavy metals and minimize oxidative damage to our cells. This helps build a robust immune system and improved cellular health, a boon for every system and function in the body.
