Now that the new year is among us, it's common for people to reflect on the past year and how they would like to improve the following year. Here are eight ways you can implement in your life to help start the new year healthy.
1. Incorporate more walking into your lifestyle
With all of the technological-advances in the world, a sedentary lifestyle is becoming the norm in society. Try to change by parking your car further than you normally would or consider taking a longer walking route in your everyday routine.
2. Drink more water
Sometimes easier said than done, at times it can be difficult to find enjoyment in such a plain and tasteless thing such as water. If you like flavors in your beverages, carry a lemon and knife with you and pop in a slice or two in your bottle of water to give it flavor. If you get annoyed at the need of having to fill your bottle up often, try to buy a bigger bottle that would hold around 32oz. That way you do not have to worry about getting up to refill it often.
3. Bring healthy snacks
Aside from lunch, the biggest struggle I believe regarding food at work is snacks. Whether it's a midday snack or a prelunch snack, you never know when cravings will creep up on you. In that case, try to bring an assortment of healthy sweet and salty snacks. For sweet, try to make energy date bars, flaxmeal muffins, or healthy apple pie filling. For salty, consider lunchmeat, cheese, or crispy roasted chickpeas.
4. Incorporate mini exercises in your day
It's hard to incorporate working out in your daily routine when you don't have much time to do it. One suggestion is it do mini workouts throughout your day. When you wait for something to be printed, try to balance on one foot to work your core or try a push-up on the counter when you wait for your food to be heated in the microwave.
5. Keep calm and carry on
Life is unpredictable and the same can go for your daily routine. If you find yourself stressed, listen to calming music or natural sounds such as thunderstorms or ocean waves. Schedule in a two-minute break every so often where you take deep breathes and strength your arms and legs.
6. Bring life into your office
Various studies show it's great to have house plants around. Plants bring numerous health benefits including purifying the air that you breathe. They also help improve the look and feel of your office. For plants that are known for purifying the air, consider buying a spider plant or bamboo palms.
7. Check the air your breathe
You may not know this, but the government help tracks the air quality that you breathe. Check the Air Quality Index (AQI) to see the specific pollutant details for your location and try to schedule your routine so you would have less exposure to the predicted pollutants within the day.
8. Bring a calming environment to your office
Along with providing a calm and tranquil environment, salt lamps are said to help purify the air. There are a number of diy blogs on how to make your own salt lamp or you can buy one here.
