We All Need More Wellness

Thank you, Lord, we made it to see another Christmas. It’s such a wonderful time of year and means so many different things to people. For some it’s about family, for others it’s about partying; most are happy, some sad, some lonely, some find love; but almost all people carry a lot of emotions inside. I personally know what I’m dealing with.

We live in such a challenging environment, an almost worthless currency, basically zero electricity and a day to day struggle that manifests in negativity to one another. We need love!

There are many, many people that had no one to share Christmas with, and the revelry of the day just exposes that loneliness even more. For some people, they get depressed during the holidays and even angry because of the excessive commercialization of Christmas, with the focus on gifts and the emphasis on ‘perfect’ social activities when there’s just no money.

Other get depressed because Christmas appears to be a trigger to engage in excessive self-reflection and rumination about the inadequacies of life (and a ‘victim’ mentality) in comparison with other people who seem to have more and do more. Self-love is so important, you have to love yourself before you can love others, a quote I love says ‘you cannot pour from an empty cup’. So here are some tips for starting 2016 on the right note:

Focus On The Positive

Instead of feeling stressed out about all the things you have to do, try and focus on the positive side of it. The holidays are about helping others, celebrating the season and feeling joyful. So don’t worry about the 25 gifts you had to buy, instead, think of it this way: You have so many loved ones in your life! Remembering that is the best way to figure out how to be positive.

Learn To Deal

Here’s one of the best tips I can give you: Learn to deal. There’s always going to be someone that tests your patience or some situation you just couldn’t have seen coming. So just block it out or walk away. That’s called adapting.

Laugh

One of my favorite tips for how to be in the right frame of mind is to learn to laugh it off. If something goes wrong or doesn’t turn out like you expected, just smile and shrug it off. Getting upset won’t change it anyway!

Don’t Vent

Recent studies have shown that venting doesn’t always make you feel better; in fact, it can make you feel worse! Re-hashing a bad experience, whether in your mind or out loud, just causes the same release of those negative hormones. You’re better off just to forget the whole incident and move on with your holiday cheer!

Do Something For You

When things start to get down to the wire and you just can’t handle another thing, it’s time to back off and fit in some down time. Between attending parties, looking for petrol, cooking, kids, and organizing Christmas parties, you have got to make room to breathe! So have a nice bubble bath or whatever relaxes you.

The Christmas season has become a difficult time for many people in our society. For those of us who don’t have difficulties at this time of year, it’s an opportunity to reach out to those who become depressed. For those who are depressed, it’s an opportunity to take action to think, feel and act in ways that breaks free from the past.

One of the best ways that I can think of being better is by doing better, take care of your health through diet and exercise is probably the most important decision you can ever make. Here are some more tips:

Keep Moving Each Day

Research confirms that physical activity is essential to human health and is also an important catalyst in your weight loss efforts. Exercise doesn’t have to be in the form of a grueling 5 mile run or lifting heavy free weights. The key to using exercise to fuel not just your weight loss efforts, but also your personal wellness, is that you need to do something to stay moving each day.

Set 30 to 60 minutes aside each day for some type of aerobic or resistance activity. The best part is that your time can be broken down into convenient 10 or 15 minute segments and you’ll still receive the same health and weight loss benefits. Set Realistic Goals Often in our zest to reach a goal, we set unrealistic targets and timeframes. When it becomes clear that the goal can’t be met, our best intentions are quickly forgotten. Goals like permanent weight loss must be accomplished slowly, for example, create a plan to drop no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. This allows our body time to adjust naturally and make the necessary metabolic changes to maintain our lower weight.

Set Specific Goals

Make a plan to achieve a weight loss goal. Chart your day to include 3 wellbalanced meals and develop a caloriecontrolled menu that will allow you to hit your target. Schedule physical activity at a specific time as you would a business appointment. Avoid generalizations about diet and exercise, and be specific with regard to intent and end result.

Allow Yourself Room for an Occasional Slip

Everybody is human and inevitably you will make a small slip in your dietary plan. Fortunately your body is very forgiving and does not assess caloric intake for a single meal or even an entire day. Allow yourself an occasional treat when you really need it to keep yourself moving forward toward your weight loss goal.

Come Join The HIIT Squad

I’m running a 7 day fitness program in Lekki right now, it’s called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and only needs 30 minutes of your time. Burn maximum calories in minimum time! We’re mixing cardio and strength training at a high intensity to give you the ultimate full-body workout. Sessions run every 30 mins from 6am-9am and 5pm-7pm, everyday through the holidays (except New Year’s Day). The address is 14, Adebayo Doherty, Lekki 1 (5 min walk from the bridge). Price is N1500 per session. Stay lean this holiday. Come and join The HIIT Squad and start 2016 a few pounds lighter. Tel: 07062614551 or email hiit@edenlifenigeria.com.

Happy holidays everyone and thank you for reading my column.