It’s a fresh new year so let’s make it a fresh new you too. A fresh new you can mean anything you want it to. You get to decide. Let’s take a look at what it means to get healthy. It’s so much more than counting calories or macronutrients and how much time you put in at the gym (though moving your body and putting the right food into your body are important). It’s much deeper than that. Your overall wellness also includes how you talk to yourself, your level of gratitude and appreciation, who you spend your time with and what you watch and read. Let’s take some time this month to reflect on what all of this currently looks like for you.
When we exercise, feel-good endorphins are released from the brain. Exercise also helps to reduce anxiety and depression and even brain fatigue. But don’t think the only way to get in some exercise is to hit the gym. Taking a walk outside is great, riding your bike works, hoola hooping with your kids, gardening, playing with your dog, anything that gets you off your sofa. There are lots of ways to naturally include more movement into our days. Try parking a little further from the store, walk to the store or to dinner, take the stairs instead of the elevator, do some squats or sit up during commercial breaks, raise your hands above your head then touch your toes while you are waiting for the microwave to heat up your lunch, be creative and have some fun with it.
What about food and hydration? Lots of times thirst is mistaken for hunger. If you’re feeling hungry, try drinking some water or hot tea before you eat something. Staying well-hydrated helps our bodies work most efficiently. Set a hydration goal for yourself and don’t forget hot tea counts towards your water goal.
When it comes to food, we often take a limiting approach to it operating from a space of lack. “I can’t eat this or that”. Instead, let’s try just adding a red apple a day and 1 serving of beans per day. Why these two foods? Dan Buettner, The National Geographic fellow who discovered the five places around the globe with the highest population of centenarians which he named the "Blue Zones, says that eating one cup of beans per day will increase your life expectancy by 4 years. Red apples help detox the liver, are full of fiber, and help boost the immune system. Eating a diet with fiber-rich foods can stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels, and help you live longer.
The mind-body connection is very strong and that is why a healthy diet and exercise can only get you so far. How does the mind affect our well-being? We’ve talked about the two common aspects of being healthy (food and exercise) so let’s talk about a third component that doesn’t get much press. That is our mind. Who and what we surround ourselves with plays a role in our health and wellness. This month let’s focus on what we’re feeding our minds. Commit to reading or listening to a book or podcast for 20 minutes per day. If you’re worried about finding the time, you can read during your lunch break, listen on your commute to work, or combine it with an activity like walking. Pick something interesting and enjoyable to you so this doesn’t feel like a chore.
We talked a little bit about lack when it comes to what foods we eat now let’s talk about it in terms of mindset. If we are constantly telling ourselves we don’t have enough of “fill in the blank”, we are operating from lack instead of abundance. Let’s try flipping the script and write down (or share with family or friends) 3 things we are grateful for every day. We can express gratitude for the smallest of things to the grandest. This shift puts us into thinking from a space of abundance. When we are thinking in terms of what we have that is good instead of the bad this helps us attract more of the good. We feel happier when we are focused on gratitude.
January is a good time to reflect on the previous year, take the lessons learned, and start fresh. Let’s apply these tips and tricks and make 2024 the best year yet! Use the Swellness January Challenge Kit to get your whole team engaged!