Holiday Season 2016 is here! Truly, this isn’t the time to think about what you’re consuming, but about having a good time with your loved ones, spending a well-earned vacation and keeping that inner voice at bay. But, as next weekend comes around, the new year resolutions will be written and promises will be made. If there is anything that you need to be looking at carefully now, it has to be your health. Just because you’re not feeling ish, it doesn’t mean that your body is fine. It’s better to start ahead and pick up a healthy regime so you don’t find yourself facing a disease later on in life. Here are 17 health habits that you can adopt for a better you in 2017 –
Go to bed!
Please, this has been said so many times now. Keep your phone away, turn off the television and get those much-needed Zzz’s your body is craving. Do all of this at least 2-3 hours before sleeping so your eyes adjust accordingly. Social media and the news can wait till morning.
Don’t sleep over the weekends
Yes, we all love those extra hours when we can sleep late into the morning and only worry about brunch. But experts say that this is as good as jet lag and throws your body clock out of whack. And no, you’re not “catching up” on any sleep either. The sleep you get on a daily basis is important.
Maintain a sleep schedule
Have you noticed that you feel sleepy around a certain time? (Honestly, mine starts after lunch. lol.) That’s because your body clock, as mentioned earlier, is set based on your regular habits. So make it a point to sleep around the same time every night and you will feel more energetic throughout the day.
Cook at home
Once you have your sleep time sorted out, now it’s time to learn to cook. Ah, it is so easy to order takeaway or go through a drive thru. But here’s the thing – restaurant food is all about taste, not health. At home, you are sure to watch what you’re eating as you put the ingredients in. YouTube is the perfect place to get your recipe on!
Lunch from home to work
Leftovers from dinner? Do not worry! You can bring that for lunch the next day. Don’t kid yourself by saying you can eat a deli sandwich and make up the health bit in the evening for dinner. Maintain a health habit throughout your day. In fact, make health a part of your lifestyle.
Eat the rainbow
Health experts say that it’s not only about stuffing yourself with a particular fruit or vegetable. Keep it interesting by eating a variety of colors – orange, yellow, green, purple, red, etc. This will not only keep your meal interesting, but it will also help you to consume different vitamins and minerals that are so vital to the body.
Exercise regularly
Who the hell likes to get into their workout clothes, head to the gym and awkwardly use the treadmill? But exercise is more than just losing weight. It’s about longevity. Even if you don’t want to become the next Khloé Kardashian, you can always switch unhealthy habits for healthy ones – try walking instead of driving, climbing instead of the elevator, etc.
Forget fake friendships
Uh, what does this have to do with health? Well, with a stressful life and personal goals to be achieved, the last thing you want are fake friendships that are based on everything you don’t want from life. They stress you out, make you feel drained, give you headaches. Make your entire outlook for 2017 about integrity and purity.
Be alone
The best time you can spend is when you spend it by yourself. All the big names in the world make sure that they keep some time to meditate and get to know themselves better. If you spend so much of your energy on giving to others, how about beginning with yourself? You will find you can work through life much better.
Stay protected and get tested!
The rate of STDs has sky-rocketed in the recent decade. Though people have become more sexually open than before, it does have its risks. So, the next time you decide to take things a step further, make sure that you first off, use protection! And secondly, get regularly tested to keep your sexual health in shape.
Get health insurance
Make sure that you are covered. You never know what may happen to you tomorrow and the one thing that you need is financial security, and if not then financial aid to make sure that you medical expenses are covered. The younger generation doesn’t even know what insurance is or what is covered under it, so educate yourself on the same. Stat!
Keep medical practitioners handy
If you’re a woman, you need a gynaecologist. A general human being – man or woman – needs their dentist, general practitioner and if possible, a shrink on hand. Medical issues, whether physical or mental are of great importance and you don’t face stigma like you used to before. When you have the experts on hand, you can rest easy all the time.
Eat breakfast
It is, after all, the most important meal of the day. When you wake up, your body has been running on empty for hours by then. If you wait till lunch, you’re looking at your body crashing and burning soon enough. Pick up a breakfast to-go like a fruit or chow down cereal. Whatever it is, don’t run on empty.
Drink water, not alcohol
Consuming alcohol is a lot of people’s way to socialize. But what alcohol does in the background is dehydrate you and cause your body to absorb sugars that are harmful for health. Instead, learn to swallow water. If you’re out for a night of drinking, keep swapping drinks – consume one glass of alcohol and two of water. That way you’re having fun without putting your health at risk.
Lather sunscreen
A lot of people are getting affected with skin cancer. Why? Because they refuse to apply sunscreen. Even models use sunscreen though they are indoors most of the time. Sunscreen protects your skin from the sun, pollution, dust and a whole lot of germs and chemicals that will harm your skin. And you need to keep your outer self looking as fresh and young as possible, am I right?
Stop tanning
The days of tanning yourself are gone. No more Jersey Shore and The Simple Life. Your natural color always looks the best on you. Go natural. Protect your skin. Protect your organs. Protect yourself.
Meditate
With the way life has become, all about being productive from the time you open your eyes to the time you lay your head on a pillow, you need some quiet inner time to rejuvenate. If your mind is healthy, your body will follow. Meditate.
