06 Jan Ways to perk up your January!
With Christmas and New Year already a distant memory and it seems there’s nothing to look forward to, it’s all too easy to reach for a glass of wine or a beer from the fridge to help get yourself through another cold, dark January evening.
Dry January is a great opportunity to give up alcohol for a month. By taking part, it allows you to think about the amount you’re drinking and break any bad habits you may have! Here’s the link to the website for all the information you need: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january/sign-up-for-dry-january. You can even fundraise if you want too and raise money for a good cause!
Below are some simple things you can do to improve your mind, body and soul during January.
Cut out sugar in your diet…
Weight gain, skin problems and energy lows – are all reasons to stay away from sugar in your diet. The press coverage on this topic in the past couple of years has been huge, sugar is hidden in more foods than we thought. To this day, it isn’t always obvious from the nutrition labels, look for its alias; fructose, glucose and dextrose. The more you can avoid sugar in your diet, the healthy you will be!
Don’t skip breakfast…
Make time to enjoy your breakfast. Eating breakfast keeps us feeling fuller for longer, boosts our energy levels and helps us to maintain our body weight. A breakfast rich in protein helps – Enjoy eggs, yogurts or nutty cereals to keep your body full of vital nourishment.
Release your inner Mary Berry!
How about taking up baking? It is a great way for calming the mind and helping you to switch off. Why not explore healthy alternatives like beetroot brownies?
Give back to the community
Local councils are always looking for people to volunteer and not only will it give you a purpose and make you feel involved, you’ll be helping others too. Or why not contact your local charity shops and see if they need any help on a Saturday?
“Let’s get physical”
Why not join the gym? We don’t mean sweating it out on a boring treadmill! Most gyms offer a wide range of facilities and classes – spin, body pump, body balance, yoga, the list goes on. Get your friends to sign up too so you’ve got some moral support! So you’re not only getting fitter, but also spending time with friends too.
Eat your 5 a day and more…
Instead of snacking on chocolate (we all know we ate far too much of that over Christmas! Or was that just the HOAW team!?), cake or crisps – why not choose some fruit, seeds or chopped up cucumber or carrots? Every bit helps and counts towards your new year goal! The more fruit and vegetables you eat, the lower your risk of serious health issues such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes
Join an evening class
It’s a great way to get you out of the house and a lovely opportunity to meet like-minded people as well as opening yourself up to new ideas and hobbies. Whether it be an art class, bread making class or how about learning a new language?
These boots were made for walking…
January’s cold, crisp days are ideal for wrapping up warmly and stretching your legs. Spending time outside in green spaces, in the fresh air with the wind blowing through your hair, is great for your physical health! Literally blowing the cobwebs away!
Enjoy a bike ride or go a walk in the countryside. Take the time to notice the birds singing, the wildlife and the flowers / plants you see on the way and appreciate that quiet time.
Read a book
Without spending a fortune on books, why not go to the library? It’s free and allows you to pick up books you might not want to take a chance spending money on. If you don’t enjoy them you just take them back! Another idea could be to swap books with your friends? To save them just sitting on the shelf after they’ve finished reading them.
Drink something else!
If you don’t want to miss out on a treat, you could always swap your evening glass of wine for an alcohol-free option? There are so many alcohol free brands on the market that look and taste like the real thing, but without the negative effects on your health.
Enjoy a massage 😊
If you can find the time, a massage is the perfect way to relax while someone literally kneads, pummels and rubs the stress out of you. You will be surprised at how rejuvenated you feel afterwards!