As we are now well and truly grounded in January, many of us have established our plans for the New Year, as well as those resolutions that we plan to stick to.
Although there are bound to be many individual goals and targets that we hope to reach, there are also many common resolutions that many of us hope to achieve. Here we look at 5 of the most popular, as well as why they are so important.
Quit Smoking
We are all aware of the health risks associated with smoking. Smoking is now the UK’s biggest cause of preventable deaths, accounting for almost 80,000 deaths each year. With risks associated with heart conditions, brain damage, lung cancer, and fertility, there is no wonder smokers are looking at various ways to stop the habit. Companies such as VIP are helping smokers to quit by offering a wide range of e-cigarettes and e-liquids, which are proven to be a much better alternative.
Lose Weight
Along with the risks of smoking, obesity is also a huge epidemic in the UK, leading to illness, disability, and premature death. High blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes are all common health problems associated with obesity and can’t be taken lightly. If you need to lose weight, then there are many support groups available to help. Diet and physical activity are the key things to change if you need to lose weight and simple steps can be taken to help achieve your goal.
Drink Less Alcohol
Alcohol can cause short and long-term damage to your body, lifestyle, and mental health. We all know how terrible a hangover can be, but we often ignore the long-term effects such as fertility damage, sleep deprivation, increased blood pressure and liver disease. The current guidelines advise that men and women should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week in order to avoid health risks, so ensure you research to see how many units are in your favorite drink.
Walk More
Many of us jump into the car each morning, park outside our office, have lunch at our desk and then get back into our car at 5 pm and drive home. We are creatures of habit and breaking the norm is hard, however walking more can benefit our health in many ways. Wearable technology such as Fitbit watches are very popular and help us to track our daily steps, with 10,000 being our average goal. Lunchtime walks or part drive/part walk trips into work are easy ways to incorporate more walking into your life.
Worry Less
Work deadlines, family commitments, and money issues are three of the most common things that people worry about. Although these things are important, sometimes we catastrophize our thoughts, which causes us to worry irrationally or think about worse-case scenarios, instead of more positive outcomes. Mindfulness, yoga, and meditation are also helpful practices, which can help to achieve a more worry-free lifestyle.
