New Years Resolutions That Will Help Your Health

/

People often joke about new years resolutions because everyone always says the same ‘new year, new me’ line. They’ve become something of a meme, but I believe resolutions still have a big place in your life. Think of them as a way of forcing you to get your head screwed on and make significant changes that will benefit your life.

That’s the key for me; make your resolutions bring something positive to your life. Which is why I prefer things that will have a direct impact on your health and wellness. Here are a few ideas to help you kickstart 2019 with a new mindset and improved health:


Drive less, walk more

I think this is one of my favorite ideas as it’s such an easy thing to stick to. The problem with a lot of health-related resolutions is that they’re tough to commit to for a long time. As such, gym memberships spike in January and go down in March/April. But, if you make a promise to drive less and walk more, then you’re doing wonders for your health. Driving burns no calories and can be very mentally draining as well. Walking is easy on your joints, burns calories, keeps you fit, and helps improve your mood as well. Plus, it’s basically effortless - just walk to work instead of driving, or park your car further away and walk the rest of the distance, simple!


Give up alcohol

Giving up alcohol is a classic new years resolution, but one that can benefit you massively. A lot of people drink too much alcohol - particularly over the holiday period - and they don’t do anything about it. If you carry on consuming so many units every week, it won’t be long before you end up in an alcohol inpatient treatment center getting help for addiction. Alcohol is a highly addictive substance that can ruin your physical and mental health. Make the commitment to giving it up next year - or at least cutting down substantially - and you’ll see improvements in your overall health and wellbeing.


Eat less meat

Now, before you scream at me that you don’t want to turn vegan; relax! I’m not even saying you should become vegetarian, I’m merely suggesting you reduce the amount of meat you eat. Eating it every day can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, and there’s even evidence to suggest it shortens your life. There’s an interesting book called How Not To Die that goes into detail about this, so it could be worth picking up. Even if you have one or two meat-free days per week, this goes a long way to improving your overall health and ensuring you have a more balanced diet. Who knows, you may like these days so much that you change to a meat-free life full time!

These new years resolutions should be reasonably easy to stick to as they don’t require drastic lifestyle changes. Well, apart from the alcohol one, but if you struggle to cut down on that/give it up, then that shows you have a problem. Make a few changes to your life, and you’ll be amazed at the benefits they bring to your health.

LETS GET SOCIAL…

Beat the Bloat: 5 Simple Steps for Women

/

Feeling bloated isn’t nice. It’s especially inconvenient when you’re getting ready to go to an event, you slip on that beautiful dress you bought for the occasion and your stomach sticks out a mile. It doesn’t matter if you avoid gorging on a huge pizza every Friday night. For women, bloating can be part of our natural cycles. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to avoid it. Here are simple remedies for beating the bloat.

Avoid Sugar Free Candy

You may think you’re doing yourself a favor by avoiding sugar. After all, sugar does cause us to put on weight. However, a lot of sugar-free candy or gums are filled with artificial sweeteners, like aspartame or sorbitol. These ingredients aren’t easy for the body to digest, so they just sit there, right in the center of your stomach. This causes you to bloat. So, when you want to avoid bloating, you’re actually better off sticking to the sugary stuff, or better yet, switch to natural sugars in fruit instead.

Take Your Time

It’s possibly down to the limited time most of us have to take a break, but many of us are eating faster than we ever have before. When you eat quickly, you tend to swallow a lot of gas at the same time. Eating quickly means your body isn’t given as much time to digest your food and the gas sits in your stomach along with it. Both cause bloating. Try taking more time with your food, or if you really can’t afford a longer break, drink a Skinny Tea along with your meal. The organic ingredients will help aid digestion and avoid bloating.

Avoid Stress

Easier said than done, right? However, it’s especially important for women to avoid as much stress as possible. Stress can cause hormonal imbalances which can lead to constipation or diarrhea, both of which can cause bloating. If you feel like you’re becoming overwhelmed, it’s always best to take time out. You could go for a walk while at work, ask your partner to watch the kids while you take a long bath or even go to an exercise class. Taking time out regularly will help to improve stress levels and mental health.

Exercise

Many women believe that bloating can be solved by losing weight. It can’t. Bloating isn’t necessarily weight gain. In fact, it’s often linked to anything but your weight. However, exercise can help you to deal with bloating. It can help you to regulate your meal times and meal portions, it can regulate your bowel movements and help you to stay hydrated.

See Your Doctor

There are times when bloating could mean something more sinister than last night’s big meal. If you’re persistently bloated, it’s important to visit your doctor and have a check-up. It could be that you have a gluten or lactose intolerance and some professional advice on dietary changes, or bloating has also been linked to ovarian cysts and ovarian cancer.

 

Living with bloating can really make you miserable, so give these tips a try and see if they can improve your quality of life.

LET'S GET SOCIAL....