Remember how you resolved to make healthy habits a permanent part of your life on December 31 last year?
It all went really well for the first week or so. You were a regular in the gym, desserts had simply vanished from your everyday meals, and you used to go to sleep and get up at appropriate times. But then, one fine day, your friend asked you to come over. And as soon as he popped open a beer can, you resolution went down the drain. Let us not kid ourselves. New Year resolutions are always easy to make but hard to stick to, mostly, because either they are way too unrealistic and people lack the required will.
If you want to live a healthy life, there’s no need to wait for one long year to make a resolution. It’s never too late to start, provided you do make a start. Just as you didn’t develop you bad habits overnight, you won’t be able to kick them out on the New Year’s Day.
Here are top 5 very manageable health resolutions all men must take:
Less Stressing Out
Most people just dismiss stress as everyday routine affair. The fact is that stress can be a killer. Chronic stress can be a chief cause of hypertension, a weakened immune system and even a reduced lifespan. As we have always been saying in our articles in the past, do your best to cut down on the stress levels. You can enrol for a yoga class. You can also try medication and other alternative relaxation therapies. Speak to your physician to know more about such therapies.
Watching What You Eat
It’s really, really important that you eat good, clean and healthy food and thrive on a diet which contains all essential nutrients. The lessons here are same old ones from your school text books:
1. Don’t eat too much oily, spicy and fried stuff.
2. Cut down on carbs.
3. Incorporate more proteins in your diet.
4. Fruits and green leafy vegetables should be the star items on your menu.
5. Go for whole-grain foods instead of ‘maida’ items.
6. Eat in clean, hygienic surroundings.
7. Keep a log of what you eat for a week. Then consult a dietician and get a diet chart prepared as per your BMI.
8. Consume alcohol responsibly.
9. Do not indulge in binge eating.
Walking
This one shouldn’t be that difficult. Just take a small break from whatever you are doing and go for a brief stroll. You can go for several such brief strolls every day. The best time to go for a walk is morning. Now if you’re not an early riser, do not make than an excuse for not going for walks. You can take several smalls breaks during your working hours to move your feet. Walking decreases hypertension, brings down bad cholesterol levels and is helpful in losing weight. If you don’t get time during the day, just go for a relaxed stroll after dinner. Now you have no excuse left for not going on a walk.
Doing At Least Some Bit of Workout
We understand all your time constraints and even all other types of hiccups but you must try and do at least some amount of workout on a daily basis. If you can hit the gym, nothing like it. However, if your office eats up all your time then you can at least do some basic exercises in your home. Push-ups can be one such great exercise. You don’t really need any costly equipment for doing push-ups and they are really good for your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, and legs. What’s more, you can get done with a dozen of them in less than a minute! Apart from this, running, squats, stretching, jumping, crunches, dancing, etc. can be easily done at your home, or even at the office.
Playing a Sport
We know how some of us make faces when it comes to doing regular workout and exercise. How about adding some fun to it then? Sports are, in a way, fun exercises. They keep you fit and they keep you motivated. Basketball, tennis, cricket, football, badminton, hockey, or even frisbee are some good options. Playing sports will also boost your spirit of competitiveness which helps you take bigger strides in other arenas of life. The idea is you strike the right kind of balance between fitness, fun, and sportsmanship. Play a sport and be a sport yourself.
