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7 bad habits that you should bid goodbye with 2018!

If you’ve promised to give your life a major upgrade in 2019—and beyond; the first step is to leave behind bad habits that may be sabotaging your progress. It might not be easy, but let’s give it a try!

Procrastination/Laziness

It indeed is very easy to postpone doing what needs to get done and to leave it for the next day – except when the next day never comes. So here’s a suggestion- Maybe you should consider eliminating the word “lazy” from our vocabulary entirely to get back on track and stay active!

Spending too much time on the couch

People living a sedentary lifestyle tend to be less healthy. Experts believe, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio activity per week, or some combination in between.

Waking up at 12 pm or later

People who wake late miss one of the greatest feats of nature- ‘Sunshine.’ Also, if you try waking up earlier; you will have more time to get things done and won’t be missing out on half the day.

Spending money on unnecessary things

Start off this new year with the best of intentions to save money – buying only what you need and trying to watch your spendings. So, how about learning to budget your money and stopping to rely on your credit cards?

Convincing yourself that everything you worry about will happen

Worrying yourself too much is one of those common, sneaky bad habits most people indulge in without realizing it. It can cause a lot of stress. So, stop worrying and start living!

Using electronics before bed

You already know you should be getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. A before-bed Instagram/Facebook scrolling can steal your sleep away. Moreover, most sleep experts recommend finishing any screen time at least 20 minutes before you’re ready for bed.

References:

https://greatbigminds.com/5-ways-to-say-goodbye-to-bad-habits/

https://www.self.com/story/bad-habits-to-quit-for-health-happiness

4 New Year Health Resolutions Women Should Make In 2019

If you’re looking for New Year’s resolution ideas you can actually stick to, well, you’re probably going to have to look past the big, giant, obvious ones and seek ones that may seem smaller, but will have a bigger impact in the long run. Right?

Here are few habits you can actually stick to for good:

Make—and actually go to—your annual health appointments.

Most women skip seeing their primary care doctor once a year. It gives you a bigger picture of your health is doing and any potential areas of improvement if any. If you need to visit your primary care doctor—or want to switch to a new doctor—now is the time.

While you’re at it, keep a tab on your family’s health history.

Knowing your family’s health history is probably one of the best tips experts give to the women. Keeping tabs on which health conditions and diseases show up in the family will help inform them about their own risk factors for certain illnesses.

Get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Seriously.

Experts recommend seven to nine hours of shut-eye a night for adults, but according to the most recent data available, most of us aren’t hitting the mark.

Give yourself mini-checkups often to see if anything’s changed.

Most often, we don’t find the time to visit doctors on a regular basis; that means that a lot of our health is in our own hands, literally. Monitor things like your skin and your breasts, if something deviates from your ‘normal,’ you need to see a doctor.

Wrap up

New Year resolutions are more than a tradition. They are ways of assessing ourselves and trying to better our future.Isn’t it? So why wait longer ? Let’s get started!

https://www.classycareergirl.com/2018/01/resolutions-new-years-every-woman-make/

Blurb-

4 easy and meaningful wellness resolutions for New Year!

Most New Year’s resolutions are about improving your health and wellness. One key to achieving your resolutions is picking specific, realistic and achievable goals. Right?
But beyond those basics, what should you do differently? Let’s have a look.

Eat mindfully

The idea behind mindful eating is pretty simple: If you take the time to truly savor what you are eating, without distractions, then your body will tell you when you’re full and what it’s craving.

Find workouts that will help you achieve your fitness goals

First, narrow down what it is you want to achieve at the gym, whether that’s building muscle, increasing flexibility, or burning fat. Then try workouts that are aligned with your goals—and the ones you enjoy.

Nurture your resolutions

How you nurture personal relationships depends on you. If it means you add a weekly lunch with a friend to your schedule? Join a local club or practice your favourite sport. Plan a monthly date night with your partner? Eat meals at the dinner table with your family more often?

Drink a bit more water

If you want to up your water consumption, try keeping a water bottle at your desk, drinking a glass before starting each meal.

Wrap up

Don’t wait until Jan. 1 to start setting resolutions to improve your health and wellbeing. Setting goals and improving yourself doesn’t have a right time; that time is any time and it’s best to start right now.

References:
http://thinkhealth.priorityhealth.com/5-tips-for-setting-healthy-resolutions-before-the-new-year/

Healthy Christmas Pudding Recipe

Life is too short to deprive yourself at Christmas and if you love your pudding, here’s a berry-bake passion fruit low-calorie pudding recipe that won’t ruin your diet.

Ingredients:

100g/4oz low-fat spread
85g caster sugar
grated zest and 1 lemon’s juice
1 egg
140g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp low-fat natural yogurt
200g apple sauce
140g raspberries,blueberries or blackberries (or a mixture)
50g brown sugar
2 passion fruits, halved and pulp scooped out
Low fat yogurt or vanilla ice cream

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C/160C.
Slightly grease a medium baking dish with 1 tsp of the spread. Put the remaining ingredients, caster sugar, lemon zest, egg, flour, baking powder and yogurt in a mixing bowl.
Whisk together for 2 minutes and stir in the apple sauce and the berries.
Spread the batter into the prepared dish and level the surface. Bake for 25-30 mins until the sponge is golden brown and firm in the centre.
In the meantime, mix lemon juice, demerara sugar and passion fruit pulp together.
Remove pudding from the oven, lightly prick the surface with a fork and drizzle over passion fruit mixture.
Serve warm with low-fat vanilla ice cream or the yogurt.

So finish off your Christmas feast with this traditional recipe and let us know if it was finger-lickin good!

References:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/588648/berry-bake-with-passion-fruit-drizzle

The Hula hoop Christmas workout is the new #fitspiration!

All the joy of this festive season may be making you miss the gym! But the fitness freak in you can’t let go of the guilt, right? We have the perfect solution! And what’s more? It is the new #fitspiration trend! The answer to busting stress and burning calories lies in a round hoop. That’s right! Hula hoop- that simple game you used to play during your childhood is now coming up as a fun exercise. So grab a hoop and get started.

The Routine

You may not have touched one since you were 10, but the humble hula hoop is a bona fide piece of workout equipment that can tone your thighs, abdominals, gluteals, and arms. Try this routine thrice a week and practice till you get perfect

Move one: Side to side

Hold the hoop at waist level and sway your hips in a side-to-side motion.

Move two: Front and back

After placing the hoop at the waist level, rock your hips forward and back to keep the hoop going.

Move three: The orbit
Stand with your feet together, raise your arm above the head. Get the hoop in motion so that it’s rotating around your hand.

So, grab a hula hoop and try these moves.You will barely feel like you are working out but at the same time you will be burning 150- 200 calories in a span of 30 minutes. So get started and channel your inner child with this fun workout!

References:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/hula-hooping-the-sure-fire-way-to-strengthen-your-core/

4 Tips For A Healthier Christmas

The festive season is all about family, friendship and food! However, this makes it quite challenging to stay on top of your health goals.

If you’re looking for practical and easy tips to be healthy during your holidays, we’ve got you covered.

Get out the bat and ball

Why just watch cricket when you can play it too? Cricket is the only sport that regularly stops for drinks breaks as well as lunch and evening tea, so take advantage of this and get outside with your family and play!

Have an active holiday

Where are you going for your holidays? If you plan on lounging by the pool, try diving in from time to time. Get out for a solid 30-minute walk or even go on a cycling tour.

Switch your focus to healthy eating

If you’ve been calculating the amount of sugar, carbs, salt etc. you have been eating, it’s time to change how you think. Here are a few tips that can help keep you on track:

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
Keep water as your drink of choice
Replace salt with herbs and spices to flavour your food.

Get a good night’s sleep

Stick to a regular sleep routine and get at least 7-8 hours of sleep so that you start fresh the next day.

Of course, Christmas is a time to enjoy yourself, so follow these tips to stay fit and healthy without missing out on the festive fun!

References:
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/news/five-steps-to-a-healthy-christmas

Christmas diet tips: How to eat, drink and still be merry?

Christmas is one of the most awaited days of the year – and with it comes celebrations, good times, good food … and a good deal of worrying about waistlines. If you want to celebrate the Christmas season without moving up notches on your favourite belt, read on to find out how to eat, drink and be merry without gaining weight.

Make red wine your festive friend
A wise decision here is to opt for low-calorie beverages such as red wine. This means dropping the beers and anything mixed with cola, all of which that are high in calories
Snack on dates and nuts
When the Xmas party food is rolled, try to avoid cakes, chocolates and pastries and reach instead for dates and nuts, which are very high in nutritional value.
The secret to eating less
Go heavy on the cinnamon. Seriously, it helps to block the surge in sugar after a carb-heavy meal, which means your body is less likely to store the food as fat. A sprinkling in your hot drinks should help.
Stay active
One easy way to achieve this is by walking. By getting daily walks in over Christmas, you’ll help to keep your body fat levels down, as well as aiding the digestion of all that shortbread, pie, cakes and toffee.

Be mindful of what you eat and follow these tips to enjoy your Christmas worry-free. If you have any more tips, please do share with us under the facebook comments section.

The Ultimate Workout Playlist

Looking for a playlist to blast through your Monday morning hour at the gym? Or maybe you need a couple motivational songs to obliterate that eighth rep.

Regardless of your current regime, the perfect playlist can get you fired up!

In fact, a recent study found that people who listened to music while working out require 7% less oxygen. Participants of the study said that listening to music made them work out harder, help maintain pace and increase efficiency.

The Most Popular Types Of Music For Exercising.

Different people enjoy listening to different genres while they workout, but hip-hop, pop and country are among the most popular. Keeping that in mind, we put together a few songs for you to use the next time you’re burning those calories!

‘To The Max’ by DJ Khaled and Drake
‘Thank You, Next’ by Ariana Grande
‘Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)’ by Michael Jackson
‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce
‘High Rated Gabru’ by Guru Randhawa
‘Suit Suit’ by Guru Randhawa
‘Khalibali’ from Padmavat
‘Titanium’ by David Guetta & Sia

So cue up your iPod, jump into your shoes and start pumping!

By the end of each track, you will have cleared an extra half mile! Get started today, and let us know how it goes!

References:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/the-ultimate-workout-playlist/articleshow/66426029.cms

Your Anxiety Loves Sugar. Here Are A Few Reasons Why!

If you feel you are facing anxiety, it might be worth it to watch what you are eating. While ditching artificial sugar can result in a physically healthier you, it’s the impact sugar has on our mental health that’s worth taking a second look at.

Sugar leads to highs and lows

Consuming a large amount of processed sugar can trigger feelings of worry, irritability, sadness or even depression. A sugar rush can even leave you feeling nervous, foggy, irritable, jittery, and drained.

It can worsen your anxiety
If you are dealing with anxiety, then you know how disastrous it is to binge on sugar. Sugar can weaken your body’s ability to respond to stress, which can trigger your anxiety and prevent you from dealing with the cause of the stress.

Sugar can increase your risk of developing depression

If you are dealing with depression, sometimes food can serve as a form of self-medication. Overconsumption of sugar triggers imbalances in certain brain chemicals. These imbalances can lead to depression.

If you’re craving sugar, here are a few low -sugar alternatives you can indulge in instead:

– Chocolate dipped strawberries

– Pancakes

– Cinnamon apple pudding

– Baked blueberry cheesecake

If you plan on processed sugar, don’t deny yourself the pleasure of sweet-tasting food because suddenly stopping your sugar intake can be harmful for you. So make sure you still enjoy your favourite foods – by making them healthy and consuming in smaller portions.

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Workout Time

You go to the gym in order to burn a few calories. But on some days, you just don’t have the time or (let’s face it) the energy to give your workout your all.

The solution? Find out when — and how — you can achieve the biggest calorie burn from your workout.

Exercising on a Full vs. Empty Stomach

Winner: When You Exercise on a Full Stomach

Food is the fuel you need for a great workout, and hitting the gym after eating is an ideal time. With partially digested food in your system, your muscles are stocked with the glycogen they need to do their best work.

Working Out by Yourself vs. With Others

Winner: When You Work Out with Others

Okay, so tagging your friends along won’t directly up your calorie burn, but it will help you go harder and longer without even knowing it.

Doing the Same Workout Every Day vs. Switching It Up

Winner: Switching Up Your Workouts

Altering the exercises, angles, or even just the number of sets and reps can keep your body guessing and burning more calories during every workout.

Exercising Indoors vs. Outdoors

Winner: Outdoors

Trade your treadmill for the road. Working out outside can help you burn more calories (some people estimate up to 10 percent more) even if you stick to your indoor pace.

So, try these tips out and see if they work for you!

Have you found any other ways to optimize your workout? Let us know in the comments section below!

Blurb- You can’t give it your all everyday, right? Here are some simple tips that can make even a small workout pay off.

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