Three Positive steps for a productive New year!

There are holiday wishes which we make when the New year begins - and then there are wishes that should really count... With the new year we all get into the phase of losing weight, going to the gym, being fit, but are always stuck with the thought, "where do we start from???" As health is the relationship between you and your body, we thought why don’t we start this year with few wishes and things to do first for ourselves, for our house and for the world.

Personal Goals

Having certain wishes for yourselves is very important. Only if you are in happy space you can make things better for the people immediately around you and the world around you. Here are some of our wishes for ourselves.

1. Avoid "JetBellly": The feeling of being five times larger than what you are is something most people go through. Also most people try everything to reduce weight; right from dieting to work out but there is an underlying reason why it still doesn’t work for you. The cause is sodium which is usually present in all our foods and is particularly high in any fried food, cocktail mix, carbonated bubbles. It is necessary to counteract all the salts by sipping water throughout the day. The best way not to forget drinking water is to set a reminder in your phone for an interval of every hour. Since it is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of water everyday, having a water bottle with measurements helps. Most people mostly avoid

drinking water because it has no taste. To make it more tasty, add some lemon, mint, ginger & cucumber to the water, refrigerate it overnight and sip this flavored water the whole day. This flavored water also helps in detox.

2. Join the small plate club: Until we started travelling we did not know so many different varieties of mouth-watering food which existed. This puts us in a complex situation where we are tempted to try everything but we still need to control, watch our weight and stick to our healthy eating habits. You can solve this by making a rule to use smaller plates, start off with veggies, and make just one trip down the lane in a buffet. Another option which we follow while travelling is to indulge in the local delicacies for one meal and have a meager meal for supper/dinner.

3. Healthy snacking: This can be anything from dry fruits, nuts to fresh fruits, protein bar, healthy oven roasted banana chips or a small home-made healthy muffins (our banana muffin link), have them in your kitchen, or with you at work and eat to kill the hunger pangs every second hour.

Home and family goals

1. The 15 min routine: Cleaning can be a bit overwhelming if you save everything for later, so make it a habit to clean one part or one room of your house thoroughly for 15 min everyday.

2. Meal planning: “What’s for dinner?” is a question which crosses the mind of every cook in a household. It is better to start meal planning for the week thus not waste your time in thinking about what to cook. On weekends try to do meal prep based on the menu you plan for the week and thus you get to spend more time with your family.

3. Date nights: If you are a busy parent try to make a date night to spend more time with your partner. It can just be a takeaway and a movie on DVD but still try to make that effort.

4. Involve kids: Try to involve kids in household chores and decisions. For example: while meal planning ask them what they would like to include in the menu or when would they like to go for a picnic.

5. Organize files: Try to maintain a household folder to keep all the important papers, files and letters safe and organised.

Global goals

1. Segregate waste: If your local municipality follows waste segregation, try to follow it. When we lived in India we did not have the option to segregate our waste (although it is starting now slowly in few cities even in India) so we could not practice it. Now when you have the option to do so, use it.

2. Do not litter public spaces: Always use the public litter box to put your wafer covers or coffee cups. Now a days they are everywhere, so use them always. If you have pets, please clean up your dogs' poop. When in a fast food restaurant clear your tables after you have finished eating, whether you are in India or abroad.

3. Go Green: Try to plant small tree near house or more plants in your backyard garden (if you have one). You can start by growing your own herbs in your garden or small flowering plants. It could be an activity to involve the kids too.

4. Charity: If possible get involved in fundraising programmes like baking or raising money for charity by running in a marathon. Also if you have time and interest you could also be a helping hand in a charity shop.  

All these wishes might be small steps towards something big. Being healthy and responsible towards the society should be part of your overall lifestyle… and not just a New year’s Resolution. Finally, Love yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle :)

Happy goal setting!!