5 Things to change before New Year
If your New Year's Resolution is too long, you can be sure that you will have to revise or forget about it by mid January. So here is 5 things you can commit to and stick with for a whole year.
1. Less stress. Whether eating to fill an emotional need or grabbing fast food simply because there is no time to sit down or prepare something healthy, a stressed-out lifestyle is rarely a healthy one. I have learned to say No and my life became so much easier ever after. I don’t meet with people I don’t really care for anymore and I don’t commit to things or events I don’t enjoy anymore. You should try it sometime! Weight gain when under stress may also be partly due to increased cortisol levels. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal gland as a part of your daily hormonal cycle. However, it is also a key hormone involved in the body’s response to stress, both physical and emotional. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels, increases blood pressure, and suppresses the immune system. When cortisol levels remain elevated, your appetite will increase and ultimately drive you to eat more.
2. Reduce alcohol consumption. Don’t ever drink if you are not craving that drink. If your friend or business partner wants to drink wine with his lunch, fine. But don’t think you have to join him, okay. Here is a little reminder: A pint of lager has similar calories to a slice of pizza and a glass of wine as many as a slice of cake. A frozen margarita is calorie wise equal to a cheeseburger and a pina colada to a doughnut. You can drink 1-2 glasses a week at most.
3. Be picky with desserts. Desserts are usually very sweet and fatty. I have to admit that some of them may taste really nice. But there are healthy alternatives like smoothies or nice-cream that taste heavenly and are healthy too. I want you to eat desserts consciously and only when you enjoy them. Don’t eat chocolate because you are hungry and the Mars bar was the first thing that you found in your drawer.
4. Kick off your day high energy. You say you have no time for sports? Well then give me just 3 sets of 12 crunches in the morning when you are still in bed. It won’t take you five minutes and if you can brush your teeth for 3 minutes, you can spare a teeny little time for a couple of crunches. This will prepare your mind for a healthy day and that is what I am after.
5. End your day with sports. You started your day with sports and I want you to end it with exercises again. This time we do push-ups, 3 sets of 12 repetitions. If this is too difficult for you, you can do Wall-Push-Ups or reduce the number of repetitions. Again: It is important that you are THINKING of sports and a healthy lifestyle and that you establish this routine.
That’s all I want for now. We will make more plans for a new and fit YOU in the new year!
