7 essential ways to maintain an active lifestyle in 2019

The new year signifies new choices and almost always, our new year’s resolution involves making drastic lifestyle changes. Adopting these healthy habits can often seem daunting as it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. But what we often forget is that lifestyle habits don’t have to be large life changes. Rather, they can be little ways that you improve your life for the better. Here are a few habits you can add to your daily routine to live an active and energised lifestyle in 2019.

1. Get moving

Physical activity is known to reduce the risk of numerous health issues such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and can result in numerous long-term benefits. Physical activity doesn’t just have to be exercise, but can also include any sort of body movement. This includes activities such as dancing, swimming or even playing your favourite sport so you can maintain a healthy lifestyle while having fun.

If you are just getting back into exercise, take baby steps. Around 30 minutes of exercise, a day is sufficient to begin with, and you can raise this in small increments. But be aware of your limitations and adjust the intensity of your physical activity accordingly.

2. Maintain a healthy diet

‘A healthy outside starts from the inside’. In addition to physical activity, the food we eat is also essential to maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. Eating the right food not only protects us from illnesses but also gives us the energy to engage in physical activity. It is important to balance your meals with grains and protein with a healthy serving of vegetables. You should also strive to stay away from processed foods (but a cheat meal once in a while is okay).

While what we eat is important, you should also control your food portions. Eating small portions throughout the day can help you stay active and energised all day long.

3. Meditate more

Getting enough physical activity is essential for good health, but your mental wellness is just as important. The daily stressors of meeting deadlines and obligations can often get to us, making it difficult to stick to our fitness goals. This is why, is important to take a break and focus on fulfillment from within. Meditation has proven to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, anxiety and depression. In addition to this, it helps you ignite your creativity and improve your intuition and connection with yourself. Meditating for just 10-20 minutes a day will help you see noticeable differences in your mood and stress levels.

4. Get enough sleep

While we spend a lot of time at work, statistics show that we spend half our lives sleeping. Sleep allows our bodies to shut down while the regenerative and healing process begins and it is considered to be more important to your health than food and exercise. A good night’s sleep can help reduce stress levels and help you maintain a healthy weight. When your body is well-rested, its immune system becomes stronger which can help protect you from future health problems. It is recommended to get 8 hours of sleep a night to maintain an optimal lifestyle.

5. Pick a hobby

It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby! One of the best ways to maintain an active lifestyle is doing something you love. When you do something that makes you happy psychologically, it is known to release endorphins in the body. The brain focuses on an activity you enjoy such as a painting or dancing and the chemicals reactions in your brain change for the better. These reactions can help reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. Moreover, picking up a hobby is also known to slow down the ageing process. Ageing can take a toll on a person’s mental and physical health but hobbies help your body and mind stay active and healthy. Research has shown that activities such as playing a musical instrument or gardening can prevent ailments such as arthritis and dementia and other common diseases.

6. Get a regular health checkup

Staying fit and active is essential for good health but routine health checkups are of utmost importance to maintaining your well-being. A health checkup can help analyse the state of your current health and also identify any potential illnesses. Health-checkups can also help detect any changes you need to make to your current lifestyle. A yearly health-checkup is recommended to ensure you are in the pink of health. Neuberg offers extensive health-checkup packages and routine health checkups.

7. Reward yourself

Adopting new habits is always a challenge at first. While sticking to your habits is important you should also reward yourself for all the effort you have taken to change your life for the better. If you are following a new diet, take a cheat day to enjoy some foods that you love. Alternatively, you can also set healthy-habit specific goals and reward yourself with a movie or a nice dinner when you achieve them.

The new year take up the challenge to stick to your resolutions and see them through. If your resolutions include new lifestyle changes, use the tips listed above to help you lead a happier and healthier life. Remember small steps can lead to big changes.