Halfway, get it back in full
Halfway into the year, we can still get our act together. All it needs is willpower
Before we know it, we are well in June and half of 2014 has already
passed. We started the year with a host of good resolutions; many probably have
fallen by the wayside. Well, no matter, we can still get back on track. What we
need is the conviction that those resolutions back there were good resolutions.
And the resolve to get one’s life moving purposefully again. Like some sage
said, it is the small steps that matter most. So, here’s a roadmap to
incorporate some of those small steps into your daily routine. Don’t
underestimate them for their simplicity; they work, and that’s what counts.
Fitness funda.
It’s never too late, ever, to get fit and you know that. So, even if you have
been letting that gym membership gather dust, even if you have been skipping
more walks than actually walking, start your exercise regimen as of today. As
of now. Just 20 minutes of working out will do, to begin with. Make it a habit,
then ramp up your exercise time. Try something new; swimming is ideal in this
weather. Just get moving and try to get moving every single day. Walk wherever
and whenever you can.
Sleep well. More
people are sleep-starved than ever, in these hectic times of ours. There are
those who down endless cups of coffee in order to keep going; others skimp on
sleep during the week, only to `catch up` on the weekends. Studies say that
that kind of stop- and- go sleep patterns just do not work. What you need is a
minimum of seven to eight hours every night, so do try and catch that. Make
your sleeping area serene, soothing, calm, dark, and entirely absent of
electronic gadgets. Then, hit the pillows and sleep.
Electronic buzz.
Wean yourself off those gadgets. Actually, you can live without your smartphone, iPhone, iPad, laptop, tablet, notebook,
whatchamacallits. Life went on quite alright before they took over your life
and difficult as it is to believe, there is life without them. A much more
peaceful life, in fact. No one is telling you to stay indefinitely away from
everything you are wired/connected to; what you need is to ascribe to yourself periods
of abstinence. Turn the phone off, switch the computer off, permit yourself access
to social media only for fixed periods in a day, slowly bring back restraint
into your life. Your eyes, ears, blood pressure, your very body will thank you
for it.
Smoke screens.
You still smoke? Really? Well then, stop. Now. Unless you’ve been on a
different planet all this while, you know just what cigarette smoke, first or
second-hand, active or passive, can do to you. Employ whatever it takes, nicotine patches, (not
electronic ciggies, though, they are as bad), willpower training, finding a new
interest and passionately involving yourself in it, to quit.
Light it up. Fill your life, your house, your workplace
with it. You will be amazed at how this simple act will chase away the shadows
that insidiously clog, smother, overpower you, sink your thoughts, burden you
with unnecessary weight. A recent study revealed that people who were exposed
to a lot of light daily were a cheerful, optimistic, resourceful lot; no real
surprises there.
Pace yourself. There
really is no cause for haste. Slow your pace down, slow your eating habits
down, slow your very life down. Stop to smell the roses. A slower pace is equal
to increased mindfulness. Angry outbursts are now an inevitable side-effect of
a life lived perpetually on the speedy lane. There is a correlation between a
measured pace and the lessening of pressure-cooker emotions inside oneself.
It’s time to discover that correlation.
Put that glass back. Scale back the drink.
Latest studies have added one more
liability to liquor: it thwarts one’s ability to fight viral infection.
De-addict yourself slowly but steadily. Take help from professionals if need
be. Avoid places and occasions which will draw you back into the fold. Find
better alternatives, better lifestyles, better stimulants.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/halfway-get-it-back-in-full/article6136748.ece