Kicking Off Very Well in 2017

I am quite pleased that we all made it through the Christmas, well, healthy, and hopefully we overcame all accidents, dangers and ills that could arise  during the festive season.
We would now look at how we can kick start the new year healthy, and maintaining the good momentum in wellness.
To start, please make up your mind that you are going to do all it takes to be healthy. The secret really is that you just make up your mind to do a little thing, something  to keep you in progression , in keeping well. Health is wealth.  When one is ill, you would wish that by all means, you go back to your well state. So how do we go  about this ? As I said, take a little step each day.

There are some basic steps
The everyday lifestyle adjustments most important for greater health:
• Take a daily 30-minute walk.
• Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.
• Spend time each day with a friend or loved one.
• Reduce your consumption of junk food, such as cookies and chips.
• Cut back on refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, white rice).

Many of us will make a healthy New Year’s resolution – maybe to lose weight, quit smoking or drink less – but what’s the best way to stick to it?
Psychologists have found we’re more likely to succeed if we break our resolution into smaller goals that are specific, measurable and time-based.

Getting Started Immediately
Below are some of the most common New Year health resolutions, that gives you help to get started and achieve your goal.
• Lose weight
• Get practical tips to lose excess weight, including getting started, healthy food swaps, and get onto a  12-week weight loss plan.
• Quit smoking.  We’ve got all you need to help you achieve your goal to stop smoking,
• Get active.
• Boost your fitness with fun and practical ideas to help you get into shape,
• Drink less alcohol
• Calculate your units, get tips on cutting down, track your drinking and find out where to get help and support.
• Eat more fruit and veg
• Whether you’re cooking for a family or eating on the go,  stick to  tips and recipes that  can help you get your 5 A DAY.

Useful tips
• Make an appointment for a check-up, vaccination, or screening. Regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. They also can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water to prevent the spread of infection and illness.

Healthy You
• Make healthy food choices. A healthy eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts and is low in saturated fats, transfats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
• Be active to improve overall health. Try simple things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Consider mall walking . Be active for at least 2½ hours a week.
• Be smoke free  .
• Get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.

Healthy Family
• Learn how to be healthy before, during, and after pregnancy.
• Reduce auto-related injuries by using seat belts, child safety seats, and booster seats .
• Learn positive parenting tips to keep teens safe on the road.
• Lower the risk of food borne illness as you prepare meals for your family.
• Gather and share family health history.

With the new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start. For many people, this means leading a healthier lifestyle and losing weight. If this is your goal, follow these tips to stay on track.

Get Motivated
Get Started
1.    Get started.
What is motivating you to lose weight? Do you want to look better in your clothes, feel more energetic, or simply improve your health? Get clear about what you want, and then use that to inspire you throughout your journey.

2. Have a plan
If you were to go on a long road trip, you wouldn’t just jump in the car and go. If you did, you’d arrive hungry, tired, and fatigued. That’s the same way you’d feel if you jumped into a whole new lifestyle with no planning. Before January 1st arrives, outline the changes you want to implement and decide how you’ll fit them into your schedule. Keep in mind that it may be best to take steps rather than tackle everything at once.

3. Make goals
Goals help measure progress. If you don’t know where you want to end up, you won’t really know how to get there. When making your goals, you need to make SMART goals:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

For example, a SMART goal would be something like, “I will walk for 15 minutes 3 days for one week.” Or, “I will prepare one new healthy recipe each week for the month of January.”

4. Track What You Eat
Looking closely at what you eat is often an eye-opening experience. Log to keep track of everything you put into your body. You don’t have to do it for the rest of your life, but it is a great habit to start. Tracking will help you tweak your diet so that you can still enjoy foods you love without sabotaging your weight loss or healthy eating efforts.

5. Use Reliable Resources
It may be tempting to try a fad diet, but these are usually unrealistic, difficult to maintain, and sometimes even dangerous. Instead, find a reliable source of information to help you understand nutrition.

6. Eat Breakfast Every Day
Surely you’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is! Eat a big healthy breakfast as early as possible. It will give you more energy, lead you to make healthier choices during the day, and keep you feeling full so you eat less later on.

7. Fill Up on Vegetables
Vegetables are filled with nutrients, water, fiber, and very few calories. If you fill half of your plate with vegetables, you’ll get fuller faster and cut down your calories without feeling deprived. Use herbs and spices to jazz up vegetables instead of using butter and/or salt to flavor them.

8. Exercise
In order to burn calories at a faster rate and build a healthy body, you’ll need to incorporate exercise into your life. Take it slow at first, and then increase your time and/or intensity once you feel comfortable. If you haven’t exercised in a while, talk to your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to begin an exercise plan.

9. Take It Slow
A major mistake many people make when trying to tackle a health resolution is trying to do everything at once. This is almost always a recipe for disaster. Spend a few weeks just trying to achieve 1-2 goals at a time. When you have established new good habits, put a couple more goals on your plate. Remember: You want to make permanent changes, and these will take time to implement.

10. Be Prepared for Lapses
A lapse is when you temporarily “fall off the wagon.” This is a normal part of the process; no one is perfect. It is important for you to take a moment to recognize that you got sidetracked, but don’t use it as an excuse to throw in the towel. Every day is a new chance to start over, so return to your healthy lifestyle immediately.