Resolutions and the new year are synonymous. So while we aspire for wealth and ambition and love and peace, let’s also resolve to better our health which alone can spin the silver thread and make all of this possible.
Health is compartmentalized. Physical, mental and emotional. Each of these are undeniably intertwined in their experiences and manifestations on human health. Health has to be though of holistically and so there are several ways to engage with health and keep that spirit going. So let’s think of those little 5 things that you can do in so many different ways to enhance and internalize health.
5 ways to detox:
While I don’t really believe in the concept of detox, I do believe there are strong ingredients in nature that can help power & cleanse your body. So 5 ingredients you must use in 2020 to command better health.
– Curcumin/Haldi: It has immense healing properties and is touted as one of the most anti-inflammatory elements found in nature.
– Anti-oxidant Spice mix: Mix equal powdered quantities of cinnamon, sumac, cloves & haldi powders. Have a tsp twice a day in hot water. This spice mix has a high ORAC number which simply means that it has a high potential of scavenging free radicals and eliminating it from our system. Free radicals pose a high risk to cancer and other inflammatory conditions.
– Lemon-ACV-Amla mix: 1 tsp of ACV, 2 tsps each of lemon and amla juice in a glass of water has enough Vit c to make your body cringe when it slides down your throat. But what seeps in alkalinity and a powerful antioxidant, Vit C.
– The ginger garlic duo: Garlic is powered by an organosulphur compound called allicin which has anti-inflammatory effects on the brain as well as the heart. While ginger is a well-known, anti-inflammatory spice, it is also great for the digestive system. So just boil gnger in water for 10minutes, soak garlic flakes overnight in a little water after crushing slightly. Once the ginger is boiled well n water, strain, add the garlic water and consume this concoction to derive benefits of 2 stellar anti-inflammatory ingredients.
-Fermented vegetables: Have these daily, but naturally fermented-whether they are veggies or liquid ferments like Beet/Carrot kvass. These can be easily done at home, just requires a little practiced skill. Just call your granny or grand aunts and they will tell what exact precautions they took while making pickles. Ferments and pickles are the same in making, just that ferments have no oil and lesser salt. Housing beneficial bacteria in the gut just makes your gut stronger and able to remove toxins and fight unwanted organisms in your body.
Resolutions for weight watchers:
Those 5 things you would do to lose excess fat, while not starving or cutting down drastically on well balanced meals
-Sleep 7-8 hours a day.
-Exercise cardio 45 minutes a day, 5 times a week.
-Visit a professional to understand how you can supplement your daily diet with the right kind of supplements for your body.
-Not stand on the weighing scale everyday/several times a day.
-Do not food fidget: Food fidgeting is a habit of snacking or munching at the wrong times periodically. When you give yourself meals at the right intervals you are creating fat burning windows between meals. When you munch between these windows, you are reducing your fat burning potential.
Five things you can do fight off stress:
-Invest in emotional/Mental therapy. Your body cannot be in a flight mode chronically if it needs to stay healthy. So if you are constantly feeling low without reason, constantly out of focus or drained on energy, do not find reasons to stay happy or feel mentally or emotionally exhausted, it’s time to seek help. Healing and counselling today is a strong space with different kinds of healing practices that you can opt from. So ask for references confidently.
-Ask your medical practitioner about supplements that can balance your stress hormones. Ashwagandha, ginseng, rhodiola, phosphotidyl serine are supplements that can help and are natural balancing supplements. Do not mistake them for anti-depressants, they are not.
Not over-exercise if stressed. It only tends to further peak your cortisol levels. Infact the more stressed you are, the lower must be your intensity of exercise. -Brisk or medium paced walks and yoga practices are best.
-Not cut down your meals or starve in an effort to keep your weight down, which you may have noticed is slowly climbing the scales. This could be because you may be stress eating or your hormones may be not be in right balance. Cutting down meals will only stress your body our more and increase the propensity to binge!
-Put off all blue light ½ hour before you intend to hit the sack. This will help your brain wind down and get ready for sleep. It may also ensure better quality of sleep.
-Sometimes we do tend to prioritize goals that are just consequences of our journey. Prioritize the journey instead and the goal will surely reach out to you in time. Patience is key. So in 2020 make health resolutions that better your lifestyle, enjoy the fact that your habits are changing for the better bit by bit everyday! Soon what you will see in the mirror on the wall and in the mirror of your mind the best version of yourself. Let’s toast to this “YOU” in 2020!