Happy New Year, Happy New You!
This is my Year!
Out with the Old in with the New!
Sound Familiar? These are common sayings at the beginning of each New Year! How do we balance all these declarations every new year? We all have intentions at the start of each year to start anew and leave behind old habits, behaviors, people and situations that no longer serve us and carry into the new year a renewed sense of starting fresh at the stroke of midnight.
For many before Valentine’s Day many of our personal goals and intentions for a healthier “You” have been put lower and lower on our priority list in place of our professional, financial etc. goals (which are important) and of course that #1 priority in many of our lives the “disease to please” others which takes us further and further away from our initial intention at the beginning of each year to create balance in our “Own” mind, body and spirit.
This year its time to make “You” a priority with:
5 Simple Tips to Create Balance
1. Balance Your Mind In the New Year
Our mental health is just as important as our physical and spiritual health. Sometimes we just need to slow down to gain clarity, center ourselves and tap into ourselves to make sure we are not overstimulated which can increase stress and ultimately dis-ease. James Allen states “As a man thinketh, so is he”, and the scriptures state in Romans 12:2 “And be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It is vitally important to balance your thoughts and mind with easy daily practices
Daily Meditation or deep breathing – Sit in a comfortable position (or lay down), take a few deep belly breaths to calm your mind, then take a big inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath in for a count of 2, exhale for a count of 7, repeat several times until you feel more relaxed and calmer. Benefits of mediation/deep breathing:
Benefits
- Deep breathing is a great way to relax your thought and mind. Using deep breathing techniques (or mindfulness exercises) is an excellent way to not only help you feel grounded but also help you expel toxins via your lungs.
- Controls Anxiety
- Creates better sleep patterns
- Increases Creativity and enhances positive moods
2. Balance Your Diet !
We all have heard this for many years to eat a balanced diet that consists of a combination of fruits, vegetables, fiber following the age-old food guide pyramid. Or eat less calories and more whole foods and less processed foods etc., etc.… But how many times have we gotten confused or overwhelmed and just given up all together shortly after the new year. There are simple tips to keep it simple and doable to balance your diet.
- 60/40 or 70/30 rule – Strive to eat 60% – 70% percent of the time healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables, chicken/turkey/fish (for meat eaters), grains etc. and 30% – 40% of the time include those things you enjoy in moderation. That way you are not feeling overwhelmed and feeling deprived and start to binge eat and then feel guilty and give up.
- If you feel you are not ready to eliminate totally certain processed foods from your diet (ex. Soda, fried foods, sweets etc.), start with occasionally fasting from those foods for a short period of time like meatless Mondays or 3 days each month from processed fast foods and sweets.
Supplement
Supplement with Superfoods. In Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious? – Scientific American discuss that are foods may have become less nutritious due to soil and lack some of the previous vitamins and minerals are bodies need on a daily basis. As a result of this, I recommend a daily supplement of some form of vitamins/minerals. It is imperative to create holistic balance.
3). Balance Your Body In the New Year!
A great way simple way to balance your body is to introduce daily movement into your lifestyle. Moving your body is a great way to ensure you stimulate your lymphatic system, which takes care of toxins removal. Moving your body also promotes a healthy immune system, strengthen your heart, increase your oxygen and lung capacity, aides in proper digestion (aka more removal of toxins), a happy mood and better sleep! Try these tips to make movement fun and consistent again:
Do a Sweaty Fun Activity (SFA) on a daily basis such as:
a). Put on some good music and dance like no one is watching. It is a good way to break a sweat and put you in a good mood.
b). Walk it out. Get outside and get fresh air and take a nice long walk. If the weather does not permit outside walking, walk up and down your steps or inside a mall to get your steps in (just don’t spend all your money).
c). Play childhood fun games with children in your family that require to move your body like tag, hopscotch, tennis, soccer etc. This will keep you moving and feel young again. A win-win.
d). Have intimate sweaty fun that burns calories and increases your heart rate. I will let “You” decide what that means for you! (wink, wink)
Water Does The Body Good!
Drink plenty of water daily – According to The Water in You: Water and the Human Body (usgs.gov) Each day humans must consume a certain amount of water to survive. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. The brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%. It is recommended to drink a at least 8 glasses a day based on your body weight.
Your heart is composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%. It is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses a day based on your body weight.
4). Balance Your Spirit In The New Year !
Connecting to the energetic spirit within oneself as well as with the universal spirit that connects us all (whatever name you choose to call God/Creator of All) allows us to center oneself and reconnect you to the “Source” of all creation which is also within you. “So within, so without”! When we are not balanced in our life, we allow the outside noise to drown out the inner still small voice that guides us. Some call it in-tuition, epiphany or God speaking to us. There are simple ways to quiet the outside noise and reconnect to this powerful resource.
- Connect with Nature on a regular basis. Not only does nature provide you with some much-needed oxygen, but it also contains negative ions, which have been shown to instantly put you at ease and relax your mind. Visiting natural parks and zoos, taking a nature walk in the woods, exploring natural landscapes or sitting by a lake or ocean alone or with a book helps to relax and center you.
- We all need sunshine to balance our mental, physical and spiritual health. It enhances our mood and provides much needed Vitamin D that aids are overall health. When we stay inside without rays of sunshine too long it can cause a Vitamin D deficiency as well as seasonal depression. Lift your Spirit by basking in the Sun.
- Read inspirational writings and listen to inspiring and soothing music that touches your Soul and lightens your load.
- Be Grateful – Practicing Gratitude helps to refocus your mind and spirit to the things that you are grateful for and less on the things that are going wrong or you lack in your life. Remember, there is always someone worse off that yourself. Just look around…
5). Balance Your Emotions !
Achieving emotional balance requires you to be in tune with how you “Feel” and not just what you “Think”! We are now accustomed today to not show any emotions as it is labeled as a sign of weakness. That is causing many people to suppress their emotions and bottle them up until they reach a bowling point and explode in anger or frustration (outwardly) or results in dis-ease physically in the form of high blood pressure, heart attacks/strokes (inwardly). Emotional blocks keep us from moving forward in relationships, careers, health goals and more, often without our awareness. There are basic tips to release to balance any negative emotions or energy from your mind, body and spirit.
Eliminate Limiting Beliefs
Eliminate limiting beliefs that are toxic emotions that keep you emotionally frustrated or defeated. These beliefs you feel about yourself that hold you back from being your best self.
Beliefs such as:
1). I’m too old.
2). I’m too young.
3). I’m too poor or I lack money and resources.
4). I’m too fat or too skinny or too tall or too short.
5). I’m not smart enough etc. etc…
Release Negative Emotions
1). Exercise releases tension and stress and release endorphins that creates a sense of peace.
2). Journal your thoughts to express your emotions on paper.
3). Listen to inspiring/motivational music to lift your spirit.
4). Create a release ceremony with your negative thoughts/emotions – write them down and burn them, release them in lake/ocean. This creates within you a form of closure and release from your body.
Volunteer
Volunteer to help others to gain perspective about your own personal experiences. Helping others can take your focus off of what you feel about your own life and redirect it to others which can create a feeling of purpose. When you see that others may have greater needs or circumstances than yours you can start to feel better about yourself and give you a sense of gratitude.
Using these 5 simple tips to balance your mind, diet, body, spirit and emotions will jump start you to create one of the best years of your life.
Let’s get whole and balanced together…..
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