Healthy Hacks | New Year Retreat

Written by Alex Simpson

Healthy Hacks For The New Year 

Now, we may be several weeks early to be talking about the New Year, but as you probably know, time seems to pass us by quicker and quicker with each passing year. Before you know it, we’ll soon be on the countdown to the New Year, and will subsequently be looking to make, and hopefully stick to, a series of New Year’s resolutions. The festive period in the run up to Christmas and New Year, will be crammed to the rafters full of junk food, partying, alcohol, and other vices that, whilst being enjoyable at the time, do us virtually no good at all in the long run.

Every single January, roughly one third of the country will make the resolve to better their health and/or their lifestyle in some way, yet after a week or two, they will probably have thrown the towel in once some sense of normality has been returned to their lives. Sticking to a New Year’s resolution, and indeed many other commitments for that matter, is very tough, but it is well worth doing. Nothing in life worth having comes easy, and if you’re thinking of some resolutions for the New Year, and how you can stick to them, here are a few examples of healthy resolutions, and what you can do to follow through with them.

Lose Weight

Obviously we’ll start with the most common resolution, which, after days/weeks of alcohol, partying, and junk food, is of course to lose weight, and by weight, we mean fat. Pretty much all of us resign ourselves to the fact that we’ll gain some extra body fat over the festive period, but some take things further than others. We all know how tough it is to lose weight in the long term, and to commit to a healthy diet and lifestyle change, but it can be done, and if you’re looking to get your 2017 countdown to summer off on the right foot, there are some things you can do to make life easier. First off you should plan for the long-term and embrace a healthy lifestyle, as opposed to just a diet. Keeping a log of your food and drink intakes is also beneficial, as is adopting a regular exercise regime.

Get Jacked

Ok, not everybody wants to become a huge hulking bodybuilder, but there are many people out there that want to build muscle whilst simultaneously losing fat. A summer body, as they say, is built during the winter, so if you’re looking to pack on the muscle mass for the upcoming summer months, make sure you start making changes as early on in the New Year as humanly possible. In order to build muscle, you will need to consume the right foods, you should place an emphasis on protein, you will need to adopt a smart and regular training program, and you should seriously consider making use of bodybuilding and fitness supplements to help give you that extra edge.

Save Money

Let’s face it, we all want to save money as none of us will want to spend more money than we have to, and although difficult in today’s unstable economical climate, it can still be done, and easier than you might have thought. If possible, try walking or cycling short journeys, as this will save money on fuel for your vehicle, plus it will help you to get fitter and healthier as well. You can try shopping for non-brand products, and perhaps setting yourself a weekly budget target and seeing if you can stick to it. You may also try to cut back on how much food you waste and to try buying slightly less. There are all kinds of ways to save money, so get creative and see how much you can save.

Drink Less Alcohol

Although certain alcoholic beverages do taste pretty pleasant, alcohol does the body no real good at all, as not only it is a diuretic and a prime example of empty calories, but it is actually slightly toxic. Many people make the resolution to drink less alcohol, or to cut back altogether, for all kinds of reasons. Cutting back on alcohol, or not drinking it at all, will improve your health and well-being, it will improve your physique, and it will also help save you money as well.

Quit Smoking

If you are a smoker, you won’t need anybody to tell you just how dangerous this habit is, but we’re going to anyways. Smoking contributes directly to a variety of negative health conditions, it can reduce your lung capacity, it makes you smell disgusting, it stains your skin and teeth, and it is expensive. As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to want to quit, but the problem is that cigarettes are incredibly additive as they are full of addictive substances, which makes quitting very difficult. If you want a healthy New Year’s Resolution idea, if you are a smoker, why not make the resolve to quit? If you are looking to quit, you can seek professional help, you can try nicotine patches and gums, you can try e-cigs, hypnotherapy, and much more besides.

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