If you already had your fill of tamales, pasteles and coquito. And your planning your post-holiday fitness routine, then you’re not alone. With the abundance of holiday food on the horizon, you might be already planning on how you’re going to improve your general health and reach your fitness goals in 2020. Below, you’ll find some top tips that will help you achieve what you want in the new year.
Set Realistic and Measurable Targets
It’s a good idea to start with an overall goal, for example losing fifty pounds. But then you need to break that goal down into smaller, more manageable steps. A goal that’s really broad, like ‘Be healthier’ will be practically impossible to achieve because there’s no way of measuring whether you’ve achieved it and it will feel like an impossible mountain to climb. Instead, how about a goal that feels more realistic, for example laying off the flan left overs and aiming to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day every day in January. You can keep a record of how you’re getting on and then, when you look back over the month, you can see how far you’ve come.
Don’t Rule Out Holistic Health
There are plenty of benefits to using herbal remedies and you might just find they make you feel better overall than reaching for the Tylenol every time you get a headache. There are plenty of herbal cures that can help with a range of difficulties. The best shatter you can find is being used on a more widespread basis to alleviate symptoms of chronic pain, rheumatism and epilepsy. Traditional remedies have remained in circulation for a reason and lemon, ginger, honey and garlic infused in hot water will ease cold and flu symptoms. There are many websites that can give you guidance on how you can use natural cures for pain and illness relief.
Take Care of the Mind and the Body
Don’t forget that being able to maintain a positive attitude towards your health is half the battle to keeping yourself motivated. And you won’t be able to maintain a healthy outlook towards your health without maintaining your mind. There are plenty of apps to help you with mindfulness, meditation and ways in which to give your brain a break. The Calm app, for example, will give you reminders throughout the day to take some time for yourself or participate in an activity which is going to help you feel like your best self.
Give Yourself a Break
There will be times throughout the year when maintaining a healthy lifestyle becomes more difficult. Maybe it’s a long vacation, or a series of birthdays or weddings. Whatever the occasion, it’s ok to give yourself a break and don’t beat yourself up for a few off days. Skipping the gym every so often doesn’t mean the end of the world, and your diet won’t be ruined by having an extra slice of chocolate cake. Try repeating positive mantras to yourself rather than negative ones. Instead of phrases like ‘I have failed,’ instead try thinking about what you will do tomorrow. Remember, part of a healthy lifestyle is self-care and don’t tell yourself anything that you wouldn’t say to a friend.
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