New Year’s is a great time to kick-start motivation and focus on you! A healthy lifestyle can greatly reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Plus, being healthy is one of the best ways to be filled with an enviable vitality. However, it is often easier to make resolutions than stick to them, with studies showing over 84 per cent of New Year’s Eve resolutions are forgotten by February. So if one of your resolutions is to be healthy, here are five simple but realistic goals that you can easily achieve during the year.
1. You are what you eat
What you eat is essential. It’s not just about the calorie content but also how this food affects your health. Keeping a tab on food quality is essential. Choose chemical- and preservative-free foods from FreshToHome with no antibiotic residues or additives. This way your body will be getting all the good stuff and nothing that it needs to detoxify and can potentially cause harm.
2. Rainbow power
Ensure that you get all your nutrients. A simple way to do this is by eating a rainbow of colours every week. Think about all the fruits and veggies that are vibrant purples, blues, reds, oranges, yellow, green and whites and eat a range of these colours.
One easy way to up your vitamins and minerals intake is to have a veggie juice from one of FreshToHome’s convenient boxes: Choose from the Rainbow Immunity Box or the Fresh Green Juice Box.
Alternatively, you can grab one of FreshToHome’s stir fry veggie packs packed with fibre and nutrients. With white cabbage, orange carrots, green, red and yellow capsicum, green onions, green chilli and white garlic, these are power-packed bags of goodness.
3. Slowly does it
Another important healthy eating skill is mindful eating, that is, eating slowly while sitting down at a table, with no distractions (except good company), appreciating your food and stopping just before you feel full.
Research shows that this seemingly simple practice improves digestion and reduces the total amount you consume. Why? Because when you focus on your food and chew well, your satiety (appetite) hormones work better, plus you are focused on recognising when you are full.
Healthy fats and protein can also help regulate your satiety hormones. Coconut and avocado are good fats to have on hand for a quick snack that keeps your hunger at bay. FreshToHome’s delicious hummus is also another excellent high-protein snack.
4. Sleep it off
A good night’s sleep is vital for your health. When you sleep enough, your body can de-stress, essential tissue repair and rejuvenation occurs, and your brain cognition stays at optimal levels.
To improve sleep, include protein in your evening meal. Fish, such as salmon and tuna, is an excellent source of tryptophan (an amino acid) and vitamin B6, needed for production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
5. Be wise and exercise
You may find it challenging to exercise regularly, but the benefits of exercise should not be overlooked, and you do not have to spend the whole day at the gym or workout for hours. A simple brisk morning walk or some warm-up exercises offer great benefits. Regular exercise automatically reduces the risk of several diseases and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
A short yoga sequence upon waking up aids flexibility, strength and overall health. Complete your morning workout with a cup of hot water, with fresh lemon and ginger, as this will help stimulate a healthy digestive system.
Remember that resolutions that are too vague or too ambitious can feel overwhelming and possibly make you give up quickly. Whether you choose a resolution for 2022 or not, the most important rule for maintaining good health is to be consistent and start with small steps! Enjoy a fresh and healthy start to 2022!
