This is a guest post by Stephanie Haywood from My Life Boost
This year, reframe your commitment to health and wellness rather than relying on cliched and dubious goals that fail to produce lasting results. Instead of falling back on diet and weight loss as a pathway to overall health, try placing dietary habits within the context of long-term health. Changes to your diet shouldn’t be about deprivation – they should be part of a liberating lifestyle choice, one that makes you feel good in body and mind.
The same goes for exercise – instead of just hopping on the exercise bike or the treadmill, make good physical health and exercise about feeling happy by exercising in an environment you find renewing and restorative. A holistic approach to health and wellness can help restore your self-confidence, conferring a broader perspective on life and what you truly need to be happy.
See A Chiropractor
Chiropractic treatment is a great way to improve your posture. If you have back pain, headaches or suffer from an indeterminate pain in the area of your spinal column, a chiropractic specialist can help. Some chiropractors offer spinal adjustments and ancillary treatments, such as electrical muscle stimulation, heat or ice therapy, and traction.
Build Confidence
Improving your self-confidence is about more than just being more assertive and ambitious. It’s a quality that comes from within, an extension of who you really are. If your teeth, posture, or lack of self-assuredness is holding you back, make a point of getting to the dentist, getting more exercise, or repeating mantras to foster a more positive mindset. Setting attainable goals and being a good steward of your own health are also important factors in building self-confidence.
Make Time For Self-Care
The most rigorous exercise program can’t make you happy if you’re unfulfilled in other areas. That’s why self-care is so important. Self-care isn’t complicated, and it certainly is not selfish: It’s about finding joy in life by doing what fulfills you, whether that means taking a walk in the woods or setting aside time to watch your favorite movie. Whatever your plans for the new year, self-care should be a cornerstone of your health and wellness program.
A New Way To Exercise
Technology has improved our lives in many ways. It helps us manage the details of daily life, thereby freeing up more time for physical exercise, so it makes sense that technology can make exercising more engaging and interesting. This year, research from the universities of Kansas and Florida revealed that individuals who used mobile health apps experienced improved health outcomes.
Mobile health apps, which are easily accessible and often free, get you rolling with everything from aerobics videos and live video classes to virtual trainers and step counters. It puts an entire exercise regimen in the palm of your hands, allowing you to pick and choose from whatever looks interesting and beneficial.
A Sustainable Switch
Forget about the “hot” diet program, and don’t bother giving the low-carb diet another shot. If you’ve always gained the weight back after initial success, what makes you think this time will be any different?
Make a more sustainable switch by gradually altering your eating habits, and focus on long-term results rather than quick fixes. If you’re overly fond of bread and other starches, try switching to whole grains and incorporating more vegetables and fruit in your diet. Rather than gorging on fatty steak, emphasize lean sources of protein. Once you change your eating habits for good, you’re bound to see positive results for many years to come.
While you’re at it, make a point of eating more “superfoods,” like blueberries, mushrooms, brussels sprouts and kale, which are loaded with higher concentrations of minerals and vitamins than other foods. Kale has become particularly popular among restaurateurs because of its many health properties, including vitamins A, C and K, as well as antioxidants that guard against cancer.
This year, make feeling great a long-term project, not a temporary solution. Reject “make-it-happen-now” solutions, and embrace sustainable lifestyle changes like healthier eating habits and setting realistic personal goals.
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