The Struggle Is Real
Many of you make New Year resolutions related to health. Losing weight tops the list here. I too am a member of this category. Being an overweight kid, playgrounds gave me anxiety. As other children ran towards it, I always hung back and avoided playing with other kids. Having that extra weight made it hard for me to run, so I avoided it. I have struggled with weight issues all my teenage. Soon, I realized the trick is to find a decent exercise and diet program that will give me steady results and will be easy to stick to in the long run. A good amount of determination and some secrets from the right person can aid to develop healthier eating habits. Working out with a buddy too motivates you to work twice(!) as hard. Translation: You’ll have a better time and get better results. Talk about a win-win.
Let’s Begin Today
Every year, April 7th is celebrated as the World Health Day. Today gives you another reason as well as motivation to follow your health resolutions. This cannot solely be done by exercising or playing a sport but by also focusing on what and how we are eating. Your days may consist of very little sleep, thanks to our binge watching habits, late breakfasts and not a lot of hydration. Today is the best day to kick start a better, healthier lifestyle.
Here are 10 promises you can make on World Health Day 2019 to stay fit:
- Start your day by drinking lots of fresh water (at least 500 ml). Water fires up metabolism, hydrates the body, helps to flush out toxins, gives brain fuel, and may even make you eat less.
- Do some physical exercise. Practice yoga, play some sport, go for brisk walking. This will keep you fit and active all day long.
- Have a solid breakfast with plenty of protein and fat. Eat meals and snacks at regular times every day.
- Sleep 7 to 9 hours. It plays an important role to keep your body as well as the brain healthy.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol. Too much of it is not only injurious to health but also disturbs the sugar level and sleep cycle.
- Replace carbonated drinks and packed juices with fresh juice, vegetables and fruits. Sprouts are also a good alternative.
- Replace regular tea with green tea. It speeds up your metabolism and burns fat.
- Get your daily dose of laughter and sunshine. Waking up in the morning and letting sunlight wash over you is one of the best ways to start the day. Your body needs more Vitamin D, and it gets it from the UV rays of the sun. Don’t wear sunblock, but just spend enough time in the sun to get a small amount of color without burning. It produces serotonin which helps elevate your mood. Watching sitcoms, stand-up shows or joining a laughter yoga class will help lower stress, reduce pain, prevent heart diseases and most importantly keep you upbeat and positive to face the challenges of the day.
- Consume nuts. Despite being high in fat, they are incredibly nutritious and healthy. They are loaded with magnesium, vitamin E, fiber and various other nutrients.
- Reduce the consumption of all the processed junk food in your diet. They are also low in fiber, protein and micronutrients but high in unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and refined grains.