6 Simple Healthy Intentions to Help Get You Back on Track
January is officially over and for many of us that means coming to the realization that most (or all) of our New Year's resolutions have already fallen by the wayside. With a new year comes the intention of starting fresh and healthy but after the holidays, life goes back to its normal pace and our resolutions tend to take a back seat. What does this mean? It means that we're human!
Don't give up just yet, you can still accomplish your goals - you just need to re-evaluate the steps you take to accomplish them. Health is about creating a lifestyle and like anything else worthwhile, this takes time. The problem with New Year's resolutions is that most of us start off too strong and set unrealistic goals. What we need to do instead is set smaller, more attainable goals and work our way up form there.
Need some inspiration? Here are six simple healthy intentions that are easy enough to incorporate into your everyday life but will still have an impact. Try all six or just start with one or two and gradually take on more as you progress.
1. START YOUR DAY HYDRATED
Was your new year’s resolution to drink more water? Did you aim to go from drinking bits of water sporadically throughout the day to guzzling back the recommended 8 glasses? Yes, drinking more water is one of the most important things you can do for your health and yes, you should probably be drinking more of it. But before giving up on that goal, why not start with a more realistic one and work from there?
Make it a point that the first thing you do upon waking up is drinking a full glass of water. After a full night’s sleep without any water, this will help the body flush toxins, get your digestion and metabolism going, rehydrate all your organs including the brain and your skin, boost your energy, get things moving (those with slow bowels take note!), and for the coffee drinkers out there – help offset the dehydrating effects of your java. Because what better way to start off your day than feeling (and looking!) refreshed, energized and hopefully inspired to drink more water!?
Even better: Make it hot or at least room temperature water! Your body (especially your digestion) will rejoice!
2. GET MOVING
Finding it hard to get into an exercise regime? Not every single day has to be about intense heart-pumping, weight-lifting workouts. In fact, going too hard all the time can put unnecessary stress on your body, messing with your hormones and even creating the opposite effect of what you’re aiming for.
I’m in no way saying to completely forget about these workouts – yes they’re important – but try balancing them out with less strenuous movement and maybe working out will become less of a daunting task.
Especially at a time when it’s easy to go through a full day sitting down, sometimes just getting up and doing some form of light movement does wonders for the body (and mind)! Do some stretching or yoga, put your legs up against a wall, take the stairs, go for a walk or hike, go for a bike ride, dance. Even household activities like cleaning, gardening or an intense cooking session can work up a surprising sweat! It all counts, just get up and move some every day!
3. PRACTICE MINDFUL EATING
True mindful eating is an art, but we can all take simple steps in our habits to make eating a more mindful experience. Generally speaking, mindful eating is the act of bringing more awareness to what and how we eat and making it more of a conscious experience than a mindless, subconscious one. It’s acknowledging what we eat, where it came from, how it was prepared, and how it smells, tastes and feels in our mouth. It allows us to be more aware of our hunger cues, how much we are actually eating and how it truly makes us feel when we eat it.
Mindful eating can improve digestion, help with weight loss and emotional eating, give us a deeper appreciation for what we eat and improve our relationship with food. These are but a few of its benefits.
Try any of these basic mindful eating tips to get started:
-Set aside time for eating only - no distractions. No eating on the go, in the car or while standing up. No eating while watching TV, having emotionally charged conversations or when you’re feeling distressed. Stop working or studying, get off the computer and put down your phone. All of these take away from our eating experience and especially from our digestive processes! Obviously, this isn’t possible 100% of the time but as much as possible, this is how eating should take place.
-Chew your food! Digestion begins in the mouth with the mechanical breakdown of food and the release of saliva, which softens the food and begins the chemical breakdown of carbohydrates. When we’re distracted or rushed, proper chewing takes a back seat, leaving more work for digestion later on.
-Slow down! It takes time for the body to recognize when its full. When we eat too fast, it’s easy for the body to miss these cues, which leads to overeating. Helpful hint: Try putting down your fork or utensils in between bites; this will force you to slow down.
-Eat when you’re hungry. Acknowledge what it feels like when your body is truly hungry and in need of nourishment. Begin to distinguish between these physical hunger cues and emotional ones such as stress, sadness, anger or guilt. It’s not about punishing yourself for emotional eating, it’s about recognizing the difference and allowing yourself more of an opportunity to choose how you will respond when feeling emotionally triggered.
-Appreciate your food, whatever it is. Appreciate the food itself, the ingredients and where they came from and the effort and/or love that went into preparing it. Above all else, appreciate that in this moment you are able to provide your body with some form of energy and nourishment. Lose the guilt because in the end, constantly feeling guilty about what you’re eating will do more damage than any “unhealthy” food ever will.
4. PICK A HOBBY
Find an activity or learn a new skill that brings you enjoyment and makes you feel excited. Often what people lack in their life is a sense of connection. All of us seek connection – it’s human nature – and when we don’t find it in our lives we search for it elsewhere, often in the form of unhealthy habits or substances (including food). Sometimes all it takes is finding something that we’re passionate about to fulfill this need and to help fill feelings of emptiness.
Think about choosing something that gets you out with other people. This is a great way to meet and connect with new people of similar interests, mindsets and values. Even better, choose something you wouldn’t normally do or that you’ve been too scared to try. It might be difficult at first but in the end, it forces you out of your comfort zone which is ultimately what will help you grow as a person. Continue to try different things until you find what fits; you never quite know what that one thing might be that completely lights your fire!
Consider hiking, camping, fishing, yoga, cooking or recipe creating, crafting or sewing, photography, writing, gardening; take a class, join a group, or volunteer for a cause you feel passionate about, the list is endless. Just make sure to choose something that gives you purpose and that’s more meaningful than just sitting in front of the TV. Last but not least, make time for it!
5. BE GRATEFUL
A happy heart is a grateful heart. It’s easy to feel down and to lack inspiration when we’re constantly inundated with the negativity of the world. Of course, we can’t be ignorant to the issues going on around us, but what we can do is choose to shine more light on the positive aspects of life. When we make it a habit to focus on optimism and to appreciate the things we have and quite commonly take for granted, it improves our outlook on life and helps promote happiness and well-being. Gratitude can be both a humbling and empowering experience.
Try starting and/or ending your day by thinking of one to three things in your life that you’re grateful for or that bring you happiness. Take a few moments to focus on these thoughts or even better, write them down and keep a gratitude journal.
6. FOCUS ON BRINGING IN THE GOOD
Did you make a list of all the things you aimed to cut out of your life in the new year? Are you looking at that list and feeling defeated because few of those things actually got checked off? Maybe you kept telling yourself that you'd start tomorrow, or after the weekend, or after this or that party or get together...and now it's February!? News flash: this rarely works.
My philosophy: Focus on what you want to bring into your life or diet instead of what you're going to take out or "deprive" yourself of. This is a much more realistic and sustainable way of approaching things - because what's life without a bit of flexibility?
By including more of the good, we eventually make less room for what we deem as the "bad" or the "unhealthy". Often times cravings are our bodies' way of tell us that we're missing something. Eventually you'll find that by giving your body more of what it needs, that actually starts to become more what what it wants. Suddenly, for example, the same amount of sugar that would have satisfied a sweet craving before, becomes too much sweet to handle.
Incorporating more minimally processed, whole foods into your diet will help bring in more nutrients and provide your body with what it might be missing or yearning for. Include more greens, fresh herbs and spices, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter, ghee), and high quality proteins, whether they're animal or plant based (I'm not talking about protein powders).