ADVICE

Boost your energy and feel good again

Favs List PRINT

Kickstart your new year into action! A new year presents a great opportunity to create a plan which will support you to boost your health and wellbeing so that you can feel your best for the months ahead.

Rather than focusing your energy on giving up things, be it booze or biscuits (which is likely only to lead to cravings and a sense of disappointment when you can’t keep those changes in place), a better idea is to focus on adding more healthy stuff in!

Your challenge:

Identify two or three things that you can add in which will help you eat better, be more active, sleep better, feel good, lift your spirits, or make you feel calm. Then look at how you can add that into your routine until it becomes a habit. We’ve put together some starter ideas for you below:

What to ADD in	How to make it happen
Add 2 min of walking rule for every hour of sitting	Set an alarm to go off every hour Wear sneakers to work Stand up and walk when you answer your phone
Have a glass of water as soon as you wake up	Before you go to bed, put a glass out on the kitchen bench to remind you of your intention to have water first thing!
Spend 5 mins reflecting of things you’re grateful for	Add this to your diary/planner/journal Talk about it with your family/flat during dinner Choose a favorite spot in nature
Mindfulness practice/purposeful breathing for 5-15mins a day	Get Calm, Headspace or Insight Timer apps
New activity – take up a class, commit to a new hobby or try an activity you’ve never done before	If you need motivation to do this, why not ask someone else to do the new activity with you Here are some ideas of things to try
Connect with others	Plan a regular activity with another person Join a club Schedule in time each week dedicated to catching up with friends (whether in person or digitally)
Wind down before bedtime	Set an alarm Plan and activity eg, reading or shower Listen to relaxing music
Enjoy a micro-vacation every day where you allow yourself to lie back and stare off into the distance or close your eyes. It’s great to allow your brain to problem solve on its own without you having to ‘try’.	Schedule in at least 5 minutes a day to make this a habit, more if you can make the time.
Choose to smile more! This is an easy habit to adopt and may impact your mood.	Consciously aim to smile at everyone who passes you. Put a smiley face picture on your phone or computer screen, as a visual reminder of your goal.
Eat in good company	Set your screens aside (or leave them at your workstation/in your locker) and spend time connecting with colleagues Invite a workmate you don’t know very well to join you for lunch
Spend at least 20 min outside every day	Have your morning coffee sitting outside Walk to a coffee shop a few blocks further away
Journal/mood diary	Keeping a journey is great for mental health Try to make a daily entry of how you feel and important events of the day
Write a daily to-do list. Set a clear list of tasks that need to be accomplished	Aim to do this first thing in the morning to get clear on your tasks and priorities for the day ahead.
Quality time spent with loved ones – device free	Go for a walk together through nature Do things together – cook or play games If you’ve got kids (or you and your friends are kids at heart) plan a ‘kids Olympics’ of all the old childhood games you remember playing
Read or try to learn something new every day	Commit to reading 5 pages of a book each day Learn a language, Try Duolingo or another free language app
At least 2 extra handfuls of veggies a day	Prep a snack veggie box and have veggies for your afternoon snack Have a salad for lunch Have 2 to 3 handfuls of veggies every evening Add veggies to your breakfast For more ideas, check this out
30 press-ups, 30 squats and 30 sit-ups a day (or make your own combo)	Set a specific time to do this eg, before breakfast Do it with someone else, make the commitment
2 meat-free meals a week	Commit to certain days of the week being meat free eg, Monday and Thursday. Check out our recipes here
30 mins of activity 6 days a week	Plan it in, set a specific time Book at class Pay upfront If you’re looking for motivation, choose something you’ve not done before