Starting every year, each one of us lists a crazy number of aspirations for the 365 days to come. Some dream of quitting a bad habit while others even add a few wanted unrealistic dreams. All in all, we start a year full of hope, goals and energy!
I am starting my 2016 with a big checklist and am so ready to exhaust it till the last word. Who said unrealistic goals can’t be achieved?! From planned regional to international projects, I am ready…
When it comes to your health, make sure you start your year with the right state of mind and an acceptance of the need to picking better choices and hence, the right luggage to do so: the best informed knowledge! So, here is what will help you.
- Keep yourself away from risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, taking drugs, excessive drinking, getting drunk (know your safe limits), fast driving, wandering very late at night in dark remoted alleys, partying with questionable people, doing unnecessary plastic surgeries…
- Understand your body limits. Some people believe that their physical capacity depends on the strength of their muscles; so, they keep pushing their limits relying on their physical strength and disregarding their age/health condition. You cannot start heavy weight lifting suddenly at an advanced age, you cannot keep carrying excessively heavy objects without hurting your back at some point, you cannot push your physical limits while becoming out of breath at a certain age! Listen to your body, when it becomes exhausted, it will send you signs, learn how to pick them up. Enough with the macho thing…
- Don’t disregard mental health. One of the major factors affecting anyone’s health is the mental part. Make sure you keep a positive mental status that can include connecting with others; learning coping skills such as yoga, breathing, meditation; evolving into a helpful person; having good night sleeps; and staying physically active! No more of this couch potato status, no more sedentary lifestyles, no more staying home or away from people day after day!
- Have Fun! Make sure you do what really makes you happy and satisfied! Do not go for the “prestigious” kind of fun which is what you are supposed to do to look classy or fancy. Fun is not based on any social class. Some people enjoy going on a stroll next to the sea, while others prefer walking the dog in buzzing streets. Some like to go to the movie theatres, while others prefer to have a group of friends over a pizza and a movie! Whatever it is that makes you heart pound, go for it!
- Keep your identity! It can be very frustrating to turn into someone you are not. Going out for a quick morning coffee on a Sunday morning with a full make up or dressed up in a suit (just because you are a manager and managers are supposed to look professionals) is definitely not comfortable. Aside from our professional life, we are all normal beings having the same life: whether we have kids, have parents, live with siblings, have partners… We are all the same! So enough with this uptight way of life. People should start living true moments and not staged ones!
- Understand the basics of a good health. This includes the following: i) To have a perfectly healthy heart, learn how to manage stress, exercise, consume olive oil and vinegar on a daily basis, stay away from saturated fat such as butter, fatty meat cuts, fried food, indulge on fruits and vegetables; ii) to have a perfectly healthy liver, limit your intake of alcohol and fatty food including fried food, have safe sex at all times, and watch out for unnecessary medicines; iii) to have a healthy gut, understand your intolerances and food allergies, drink plenty of fluids including mint and peppermint teas; add lots of fiber to your diet, don’t forget probiotics that are mainly found in yogurt, and watch out for either chronic diarrhea or chronic constipation.
All in all, be wise when doing anything and don’t forget that small twist of passion when you do it. Have a wonderful year 2016 and may you rock this year!
