Are New Year Resolutions Worth The Mile?
New Year brings in new targets, new hopes and new resolutions. All of us want to let go of the old practices and inherit new plans for growth. And what more is important than our own well-being and the health of our loved ones!
With India becoming the Diabetes portal and with increased incidence of deaths due to non-communicable diseases, it becomes essential to bring about certain lifestyle changes that could prevent or delay the onset of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease.
The following small steps towards a better lifestyle can easily be implemented, as the saying goes. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
Be selfish! You are the most important person to be cared for. Allot time for yourself first.
Stop using elevators, start staircasing! Not just to burn calories, but to develop endurance and to keep your metabolism active.
Stop binge-eating! This is where most of us gather those extra calories, fat and hidden salt. For some, it happens over the weekends, while for some, it is regular in the evenings.
Squeeze time for short walks. WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, 30 minutes a day for five days a week, those 30 minutes at a stretch or split up into smaller sessions. Obstacles to walking such as poor roads, bad weather, busy schedules, etc. are to be dismissed, as walking is a good aerobic exercise that helps maintain ideal body weight, increase insulin sensitivity in diabetics, and elevates the HDL levels apart from other benefits.