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6. Take care of yourself.
The fact you're interested in taking on good habits is already a sign you do care enough to improve your you-quality (no, it's not an actual word)
The more vintage (?) we get, the more we start paying attention to our health and general well-being. We no longer feel as carefree as we did in our super(wo)man twenties, do we? So, consider these beginners first steps:
- Schedule a yearly medical check up to monitor your health. It's no fun, unless you are a strange individual, but it is something that must be done. (I'll knock on wood but chances are, should anything be found, it will be better to find it sooner than later)
- Eight glasses of water per day; more if you do physical activity or during the very hot days of a very hot summer.
- Floss, brush for at least two minutes and invite mouthwash into your life for a boost on your dental hygiene.
Beauty is health, they say. Marketing or not, that shouldn't stop you from investing a little time to look put together. Let's face it, it is actually really positive for your overall confidence and your "feel good" attitude.
If you wear any, make up should be gone by the time you get inside the bed as a golden rule. Standard skin care for both ladies and gents include a very basic morning and a night daily routine of cleaning, toning and hydrating.
Always use sunscreen and avoid deliberately exposing yourself to sunlight from 10 AM to 3 PM.
Last but not least, (sorry, but...) wave cigarettes and excessive amount of alcohol Buh-bye!
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| Image Credit: Tumblr |
7. Quality time with your loved ones.
Medical research has found that keeping close relationships with friends and family can help protect your mind from memory loss. Frequent social interaction challenges your brain in the same way a crossword puzzle does, causing it to build more neural connections, which in return protects it from dementia. (Read this to your significant other when inquired about why you need to spend that much time with friends)
Nowadays it's hard to build a balance between the time we give to family, friends, work or study. Not to mention if you are bold enough to chase a hobby or an activity just for you. Nonetheless, with a little bit of a push we can find some time windows to maintain our bonds healthy and strong. Whether if it's a 5 minutes email update, a phone call or a quick coffee somewhere in between the two places you spend most of your time at... when there is a will, there is a way!
Nowadays it's hard to build a balance between the time we give to family, friends, work or study. Not to mention if you are bold enough to chase a hobby or an activity just for you. Nonetheless, with a little bit of a push we can find some time windows to maintain our bonds healthy and strong. Whether if it's a 5 minutes email update, a phone call or a quick coffee somewhere in between the two places you spend most of your time at... when there is a will, there is a way!
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| Image Credit: Tumblr |
8. Cultivate your mind and your spirit.
Beyond the mental stimulation naturally given by reading, the benefits of this activity extend to the prevention of diseases such as Alzheimer or Dementia, stress reduction, improvement of your memory, focus and concentration as well as writing and analytic thinking skills, and many many more.
Also, meditation is a growing trend around successful people and it's said to boost your creativity and improve your focus (most designers and advertisers I know swear by it). And as if this wasn't inviting enough; it's been known to help decrease the perception of pain and improve cognitive process.
Need a push to get started? you can get one here.
Need a push to get started? you can get one here.
Get outside your comfort zone, show the fear of asking about what you don't know or you don't understand the middle finger (?). Opening your mind to new information or things you never thought you could get into could not only broaden your vision but it might actually lead you to your true calling. Take my word for it.
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| Image Credit: Tumblr |
9. Indulge in a hobby
If it happens to be a social one, even better. Group activities can help maintain desirable levels of serotonin (a brain chemical related to mood) and you're growing your connections while learning something new. (Could you be any more productive?!)
While hobbies encourage you in a way to have a break to do something you enjoy, you are still being active in your mind through challenging yourself in acquiring a new skill. Studies have also shown that people who participate in these activities tend to have a better memory than those who don't!
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| Image Credit: Tumblr |
10. Become environmental friendly.
If you find yourself in the group of people who'd like to get along better with the environment but you can't find a way to fit it into your routine, location or budget yet, please consider:
Turning off your computer every night at home or at work at the end of your shift. Create the mini habit of saving everything you're working on regularly and keep a minimal browser tab activity of "things to look at later" so shutting down won't be tedious when you have to leave that you'd rather put it to sleep.
Cancel your newspaper subscription and read the online version instead. Same goes for the bank statement and whatever bills you can cancel on the web.
When winter is upon us, try on another sweater before you decide to turn the heating on.
Google for your city's recycling center to dispose of particular things like batteries, glass, etc.
Bring your own mug to the coffee shop (sometimes you even get discount for it!)
These are all quite easy to start off with also!
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| That's probably too friendly Image Credit: Tumblr |
Now it's time to make your pick for new years, which one will you get started on?!
Thanks for reading!
Louie
Sources: Karyn Repinski, Lana Winter-Hérbert, Leo Babauta
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