The start of a new year, especially a new decade, is like a breath of fresh air in every aspect of our lives. It’s the perfect time to start over, evaluate what we’re doing and where we want to end up. It’s also the ideal time to assess our health, both mental and physical, and decide how we can improve upon it, understand where we’re going wrong and how to make the changes that can be so crucially beneficial
GET ACTIVE
It seems obvious, but getting off the sofa and committing to a more active lifestyle has huge benefits to both your mental and physical health. Exercise has been found to be a great mood booster and stress buster, and also reduces your risk of developing heart disease. The key to this, however, is staying active after the first few sessions of new-year motivated exercise have passed; dedicating just 30 minutes of your day over the course of five days will see you achieving the recommended target of doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week.
When broken down like that it doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice for a better standard of living. One of the easiest ways to reap the benefits of getting – and staying – active is to ditch the trope of wearily heading to the gym by picking out a sport or class you’re genuinely interested in. Join a team or attend a class and you’ll see those 30 recommended minutes fly by; yoga is especially recommended to promote mental and physical wellbeing.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
This isn’t about sitting exams and learning qualifications for subjects you have no interest in, but learning new skills can have a wide range of advantages. Research shows that learning new skills can improve your mental wellbeing by boosting your self-confidence and raising self-esteem, helping you to build a sense of purpose and helping you to connect with others that have the same interests. Whether you’re signing up for a course at a local college, studying a new language, learning to cook new and exciting recipes, working on a DIY project or taking on a new hobby such as painting or a sport, these skills can be infused into your everyday life and make for a well-rounded, happier individual with lots of different pursuits.
DRINK LESS ALCOHOL
Though often thought as a quick pick-me-up, alcohol can be a drain on your energy, money and health. Cutting down on your weekly intake even slightly can have great long-term effects and noticeable immediate impacts. Despite the accepted stereotype of alcohol being a big help in having a good time, it can actually contribute to the development of mental health difficulties, as well as making existing problems worse. Drinking at all when you’re stressed in order to improve your mood can have the opposite effect, while having even a few drinks can interfere with the normal sleep process, affecting the quality of your sleep. One of the biggest factors of drinking is the unseen effects it has on our bodies, with many alcohol-related issues not appearing until later in life. Cutting down on drinking reduces the risk of developing serious health issues such as cancer, liver or heart disease and could contribute to lowering your blood pressure; though you may not be able to see the effects, you can be sure that it’s making a difference.
RECONNECT
The simple act of communicating with other people can provide a huge boost to your mental health, with the importance of strong relationships not to be overlooked on the path to better wellbeing. Good relationships can help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth, give you an opportunity to share positive experiences and provide emotional support while allowing you to support others. Wherever possible, take some time each day to spend with family and friends, even if that means just sharing a meal, and arrange to get together with those that you may not have seen for a while.Though the invention and implementation of social media has been a great way of bringing people together, don’t rely solely on technology to build relationships; its easy to get into the habit of only ever messaging people, but that form of interaction can never quite compete with a face-to-face chat.
MANAGE YOUR DIET
Healthy food has come a long way from some sad salad leaves while the rest of the group munch on burgers and chips. Manage your diet and your weight by infusing your meals with fibre by choosing food such as wholemeal bread, bran, oats and wholegrain cereals, potatoes with their skins on, and plenty of fruit and veg.
Also, cut down on saturated fats and salt to cut down the level of cholesterol in your blood and decrease your risk of heart disease.
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