Top 10 Habits to Cultivate for a Healthier New Year

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2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. As coronavirus upended everyone’s lives, we understood the meaning of taking time away from work (even though we worked from home) and most importantly, taking care of our lives. 2020 has really put health in our perspective the most.

New Year 2021 brings in a fresh slate and every year we make resolutions to follow to lose weight, create a diet regimen or join a gym. We know that it isn’t easier to follow a strict diet while taking care of our daily tasks and professional life. So, how will you cultivate easier, healthier habits? Well, we have the solution!

While surviving 2020 depended a lot on boosting our immunity to fight the virus, there are some habits that you can cultivate to take control of your health.

Habits for your new resolution are given below:

  1. Exercise Daily

Experts say that exercise has both long-term and short-term effects on your health. In the short-term, a 30-minute exercising regime can release a gush endorphin that relaxes you and makes you stress-free. It can also improvise the cognitive functions of your brain. In the long-term, exercise can help you fight obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and conditions related to the heart.

Studies have shown that your cells either grow or decay. Exercise boosts the growth in the cells thus making you feel fitter, younger and better able to resist diseases.

Even though the benefits of exercising daily are known vastly across the globe, it is one of the most often taken resolution and most often broken one as well. Psychologists suggest that if you do something regularly for three weeks, it becomes a habit. Try to exercise for the first 3 weeks of your resolution and it will get easier after the third week.

2. Start Your Daily on A Healthy Note

Eating a healthy breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day. It can not only have a significant effect on your mood but your metabolism as well. Eating a healthy breakfast within 90-minutes of waking up helps you stay focused and stops you feeling over-hungry during the rest of the day.

3. Eat Fruits & Vegetables

Plan your diet in a way that it includes 5 servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Fruits might be rich in a lot of nutrients but they also contain natural sugar which can shoot your blood sugar level on a higher note. Thus, stick to berries as they contain natural anti-oxidants as well that boost immunity and curb free radicals in your body. Include green and leafy vegetables to derive maximum nutrients and fibre that would keep your digestive system healthy as well. Adding a salad every day to the meals with olive oil can be a good start.

4. Check Nutritional Value to Avoid Trans Fats

Whenever you buy processed food, make sure to check its nutritional value printed at the back of the pack. Avoid any junk or packaged foods that consist of the word ‘hydrogenated’ in its labelling. Trans-fats increase the shelf life of a packaged product but have an opposite effect on our bodies. They are like plastic inside our body that accumulates around the cells restricting them to communicate properly with each other. This leads to hormonal balance followed by weight gain and many diseases. Try including as many home-cooked meals to your diet to avoid ingesting any trans-fat. This will also help you in maintain the calorie count required to stay healthy or lose weight accordingly.

5. Eat Good Fats

Avoiding trans-fats is a good step towards a healthier you but avoiding all kinds of fat isn’t. Consuming good fats is known to improve your immunity, reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease. Good fats can be found in fish oil, sardines, and fish meat. Other sources include walnuts, almonds and flaxseeds. Coconut oil and olive oil can also fulfill your daily quota of getting good fats into your body.

6. Avoid Sugar

Okay, so we know that this step might be the toughest one but trust us when we say that eating sugar has a long list of negatives. Consuming sugar can lead to obesity, diabetes and risk of heart diseases. So, how would you do it? Start by eliminating all kinds of sugar – artificial and natural from your diet during the first week of the year. This will help in detoxing your body. Try introducing natural sugar in your diet starting the second week. Many-a-times eliminating sugar from the diet for even one week can help you form a regimen and remove the craving for the same.

7. Go for Regular Health Screenings

In India, we never follow the culture of getting ourselves checked routinely. Getting regular screenings done can help you in combating many diseases in their early stages itself. Include going for regular dental check-ups in that list too! Did you know that periodontal infections can increase your risks for diabetes, heart diseases and premature births? Well, set your calendar for a periodic dental and physical check-up right now!

8. Get Enough Sleep

Did you know that not getting enough sleep can drastically affect your health? Well, apart from feeling irritated, stressed and depressed, not being able to get enough sleep increases your chances of hypertension, heart attack, diabetes, obesity and even cancer. It also affects your cognitive function. You won’t be able to think rationally and creatively and can seriously affect your chances for long and healthier life.

9. Drink Enough Water

Water is the fuel that runs your body. If you want to keep doctor away, drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day is the way to go. Drinking enough water aids weight management, ensures smooth bowel movements and gives you beautiful and glowing skin and hair.

10. Practice Good Hygiene

Well, last but not the least, 2020 and coronavirus have brought in the forefront the importance of practicing good hygiene and washing our hands regularly. You can avoid getting sick by simply washing your hands more often or using a sanitizer. It is that simple. Also, don’t forget to wear a mask!

We hope that these easy and simple routine checks would help you in creating a better, healthier version of you. If you want to include ayurvedic home remedies in your daily habits to boost your immunity, read our article here.

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