IF YOU FIGURE OUT how to alter your mindset, your New Year’s resolution is golden. This is why the psychological tricks that follow can be so effective in helping you achieve your goals – in the New Year or otherwise.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START HEALTH HABITS
- Take 7,000-10,000 Steps a Day. Setting a goal of say 7,000-10,000 steps a day can go a long way toward getting more movement into your life. Remember that this should be in addition to your regular exercise program, not in place of it.
- Sit Less. There are now more than 10,000 welldocumented peer-reviewed studies showing the damage of excessive sitting. It turns out that regular daily movement may be every bit as, if not even more, important as regular exercise. You need the synergy of both.
- Get at least 8 hours total sleep time per day. Recent scientific studies, however, have shown us that a lack of sleep causes many significant changes in the body that can lead to obesity and disease.
- Chew your food well before swallowing. Digestion actually begins in your mouth. As you chew, enzymes from the salivary glands also begin chemically breaking down food molecules into a size your body can absorb. If you often find your stomach feels like a big knot after you’ve eaten, you’re probably swallowing your food in pieces that are far too large. Chewing your food twice as long as you normally would, instantly helps you control your portion sizes,which naturally decreases calorie consumption.
- Eat Locally Grown and Organic Food. Organic foods expose you to fewer pesticides — while organic meats also reduce your risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Another major benefit of organically grown foods is the reduction in your toxic load through reduced exposure. It is also shown that organic fruits and veggies can be more nutritious and better at fighting off diseases like cancer.
- Express Gratitude. People who are thankful for what they have are better able to cope with stress, have more positive emotions, and are better able to reach their goals. The best way to harness the positive power of gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal or list where you actively write down exactly what you’re grateful for each day.
- Dream Big and Surround Yourself with Positive People. When you dream big you’re opening your mind to a more optimistic, positive state where you have the power to achieve virtually anything you desire.While you’re at it, surround yourself with positive people. The saying “misery loves company” is entirely true. That’s why you need to choose friends who are optimistic and happy themselves, as you will be surrounded with positive energy.
- Live in the Present. Allow yourself to be immersed in whatever it is you are doing right now and take time to really be in the present moment. Just savor what’s going on in your life now. – Shauna Stanton Grier, CPT
