With a new year upon us, now is a great time to re-assess lifestyle choices and changes to help you reach a happier, healthier life. Whether it’s losing weight, increasing your cardiovascular health, strengthening your immune system, gaining muscle strength or having more mental clarity, it’s always a good time to access, re-focus, re-set, and achieve your desired goals.
Set intentions in these four areas to move towards the life you want in 2024.
Upgrade Your Diet. Switch out a diet high in calories and low in nutritional value for a whole food, nutrient-dense diet with lots of veggies. This allows you to eat more while taking in less calories. Eat less, because too much unhealthy, processed food leads to excess belly fat and ruins good gut health, which negatively impacts your brain.
A simple and effective eating plan can involve the following: Eat slowly and mindfully, aiming for 80% fullness, eating 2 to 3 meals a day on a regular schedule. Have your final meal at least 3 hours before sleeping. Eating similar meals everyday helps to simplify and take the guesswork out of meal preparation. Using single food combinations will minimize processed, chemically laden pre-prepped box meals generally possess.
Delightful, Restful Sleep. Prioritize a healthy sleep routine and you will see amazing results. First, aim to get 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep a night. Go to bed and wake up at similar times each day and follow your circadian rhythms. Limit your screen time during the day, especially an hour or two before bedtime. Long-term exposure to blue light can disrupt your circadian rhythms and cause feelings of depression and irritability.
Lack of sleep has shown to have many negative effects. Short term deprivation makes it hard to control emotions, make sound decisions and control appetite. Long-term, it disrupts hormones and is the core of many chronic diseases.
Make an Exercise Plan and Stick to It. Exercise stimulates your brain and releases endorphins that make you feel great. Studies show exercise can be 1.5x more effective and beneficial for mental health than medications.
Exercise does not have to be painful, stressful, complex, or dull. Keep it fun and just be consistent. First, focus on getting 30 minutes each day of some kind of movement – walking, gardening, weight training, line dancing, playing golf or pickleball – just move. Break up your day with a brisk walk or two. Get a step-counter and strive for 10,000 steps a day.
With your exercise, incorporate plenty of morning sun exposure and get outside and in nature daily. Find a nearby park or nature area or walk in your neighborhood to enjoy the benefits.
Drink More Water and Cut Sugary Sodas and Alcohol. One of the best-known health hacks is simply drinking more water. Aim for 2 to 3 quarts or more per day. Replace snacking with water. Drink a glass of water before enjoying your morning coffee. Since your brain is made up of 73% water, getting enough impacts your thinking, focus, and concentration. Even a 1% drop can affect cognition! Water increases energy and relieves fatigue, promotes weight loss, flushes out toxins, improves skin complexion and helps to maintain regularity.
Want to learn more and find ways to have a happier and more productive life? Yes!! Call 480-325-6977 and schedule your complimentary consultation with the Valley’s premier Sports and Health Center, Foresight Chiropractic. The best chiropractor, Dr. Keith Lavender is a Board Certified upper cervical, Atlas Orthogonal specialist, serving the community for over 25 years. Muscle Regeneration, Nervous System optimization, PEMF Vascular Therapy, and gentle Spinal alignment to slow down the aging processes and improve movement and functionality.
Call today and ask about same day appointments. Make 2024 the best year ever feeling happier, thinking clearer, and moving better. It’s never too early so don’t wait.
