TriVita Article: It’s Resolution Season Again… what are yours?

Are they the same as last year . . . and the year before that, and so on? What happens to many people this time of year is simple: They begin with the best, most sincere intentions to take charge of their lifestyle, but make too many unrealistic demands on themselves. Within a week or a month at most, all those promises to lose weight, sleep better, go jogging and so on have fallen by the wayside.

This year, whether you’ve made any resolutions or not, try something a little different. [TriVita's] VitaJournal has collected a number of great suggestions for you to try, suggestions that if you put them into practice, will help you improve your Physical, Emotional and Spiritual health almost instantly.

You can try every suggestion, or just take a couple from each page. What matters is that you try. Read through each suggestion and note which ones appeal to you, then get up and give them a shot. If one doesn’t work, try another. The bottom line is that making healthy changes to your lifestyle depends entirely upon you and the choices you make. Realize, too, that each of these aspects of health and well-being affects the other two. Improve your spiritual health, and your emotional and physical health will improve as well! This is a new year – how about a new you to enjoy it?

Here are a few resolution ideas for you:

1. Go to bed 10 minutes earlier every night; then increase this amount by 10 minutes every week until you are getting to sleep an hour earlier.
2. Keep eight 8-ounce bottles of water chilled in your refrigerator, and drink all eight over the course of a day. Try this for one month and see how you feel.
3. Go for a ten-minute walk every day. Then add 10 minutes every week until you are walking an hour each day.
4. Take one [of TriVita's] Sublingual B-12, B-6 & Folic Acid or [TriVita] Vital4 each day after breakfast.
5. Lower your blood pressure by taking several slow, deep breaths several times a day.
6. Commit to not taking in any caffeine for two hours before bed; then push that goal back 30 minutes per week until you are free from the addiction to caffeine. (Don’t think you’re addicted? Stop all caffeine intake cold-turkey and see how your body responds.)
7. Clear your bedroom of all distractions to allow yourself an easier time getting to sleep. This includes moving the TV to another room (or getting rid of it entirely).
8. Antioxidants deactivate the free radicals that literally cause you to age. Slow the aging process by including Vitamin C, E, and other antioxidants in both your diet and supplements.
9. A serving of fruits or vegetables is only about half a cup; so adding two servings of fruits or vegetables each day isn’t hard. Build up to no less than seven servings every day.
10. What are your favorite fruits? Go shopping for them once a week for eight weeks, and be sure you eat them all.
11. Wash your hands. This is one of the best methods of preventing colds and flu.
12. Have a complete physical. Meet with your doctor and discuss the results, and what sorts of changes you can make to improve your health.
13. No matter what exercise you prefer, begin with 10 minutes of stretching. Stretch every day.
14. Clean your house. Not only will you get a cardiovascular workout, but you’ll be removing dangerous allergens and pollutants that can harm your health.

See tomorrows TriVita article on resolutions ideas for your emotional health.

Source: TriVita VitaJournal January 2006 page 4-5.

Top Stress-Busters

These easy-to-use tips can help you keep your cool when you get hot under the collarStress can get to you everywhere… at home, work and even when you’re supposed to be having fun. We’re all stressed out to certain degrees… but some of us handle stress better than others.Most of us think that stress is caused by big problems, but that’s not always the case. Actually, stress can be caused by the constant accumulation of little irritations. Examples include misplacing items such as your keys, being slighted by someone in a conversation, or getting frustrated by a slow moving car ahead of you. Anytime your body tenses or you “blow a gasket” your stress level builds. Add up all the daily stresses and you can feel exhausted, even without physical activity. When your stress levels go up, your enjoyment of life goes down. Plus, stress can create a wide variety of physical and emotional problems such as: • Increased blood pressure, heart problems and nervous tics • Irritability, constant fatigue and disturbed sleep • Lowered immunity, headaches and muscle aches. So, what can you do about stress? You can start by correcting those bad habits that cause added stress in your life. Here are some of the more common habits – and some helpful ways to correct them: if you’re disorganized – you may be irritated every time you can’t find something you need. To correct this bad habit: • Use lists and notes to write down the things you need to do – it’ll help keep you organized, focused and on top of things • Avoid clutter by tidying up your home, your desk and your car – this will make it easier to find important items without going into a frenzy • File important papers when you receive them, instead of heaping them in different piles and shred them when you don’t need them anymore • Store your car keys and cell phone in the same place every time, so you can easily find them – it’s a small way to rid yourself of frantic runarounds. if you’re constantly running late – you’re likely to feel agitated, bothered and possibly anxious each time you get to your destination. To correct this habit: • Plan ahead by scheduling enough time to get to any meeting or appointments • Write down appointments 15 minutes earlier than they’re scheduled. Add in extra time for traffic problems or last minute phone calls. • Trick yourself – set your watch ahead a few minutes. if you’re procrastinating too much – you’re likely to be worried about getting important things done on time. To correct this habit: • Do the 20-minute challenge. Take 20 minutes to work on a project, doing as much as you can, and then give yourself permission to quit after 20 minutes is over. If you do several of these challenges every day, you’ll be surprised how much you accomplish. • Make your “big” projects more manageable by breaking them down into smaller tasks. You can use a group of “20-minute challenges” to finish a big project in smaller steps. • Create “to do” lists, and as you complete tasks, update them constantly. if you’re a perfectionist – you’re likely to be taking on too many extra tasks and responsibilities. To correct this habit: • Let go – understand that perfectionism makes you want to be in control all of the time, and this brings you lots of extra stress. Try this: On less important tasks, let others take the lead role while you play a supporting role. • Delegate tasks – here, you won’t even be playing a supporting role. Instead, you’ll give up the entire task to someone else. And try to be okay with any task’s end results, even if they’re not quite up to your perfectionist standards. You can help lower the stress from your life by following these tips. It’s important because by lowering your daily stress, you’ll have more energy, sounder sleep and a better mood throughout the day. Source: VitaJournal April 2008 pg 6.

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