We know, we know. All of us make plenty of health resolutions each year, only to fall back into old patterns of behaviour and promises of 'some day'. And most of our health resolutions revolve around being more conscientious about food and losing weight. Perhaps its time to re-evaluate the health promises we so diligently make and break. This year, make health resolutions that help you treat your body like the treasure it is. Here are 8 things we think everyone should be doing in 2018.
Promise #1: I will drink more water this year
If you must, write it on every page of the new notebook/ planner/ diary you bought for 2018. Done? Now underline it. Now underline it again. Now set an alarm reminding you to drink a small cup of water every hour till it becomes muscle memory. Think we're being dramatic? Maybe just a little bit. But honestly, if you're one of the many, many people who constantly find their mouths dry, you NEED to make this health resolution. Even though dehydration might not seem like a pressing concern, it can affect practically every area of productivity. Dehydration leads to poor concentration, sluggishness, tiredness, headaches, weight gain, kidney issues, intestinal issues, irritability... the list goes on and on. And the awful thing about dehydration is, by the time you actually start feeling thirsty, you're already mildly dehydrated. Often, we also tend to mistake dehydration with hunger. So instead of reaching for a snack when you feel a sudden hunger pang between meals, reach for a glass of water first. Remember, unless you mustn't for medical reasons, you need to have 8 glasses or 10 cups of water every single day. No, the coffee and tea, doesn't count.
Promise #2: I will get a full screening for STIs
No, HIV is not the only thing you need to panic and worry about if you end up having unprotected sex with someone whose STI status you don't know. Even if they claim they are free of any sexually transmitted infections (STIs), you still need to get a full panel check done. If you're not currently having unprotected sex, but have done so in the past and haven't gotten tested since, you still need to get yourself checked out. Many STIs, like other infections, can exist in your body without showing any symptoms. So no, unfortunately, even if "nothing happened" and "you feel perfectly normal", there is a chance you might be a carrier. You owe it to yourself and your future partner(s) to get yourself screened for STIs like HPV (the most common and easily transmitted - think genital warts), gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes (both oral and genital) and HIV.
Promise #3: I will spend lesser time on social media
Sure, social media can newsfeeds are great curation of the most pressing and urgent news topics the world is grappling with on a daily basis, but it's also a cess pool of stupidity, meanness and put on behaviour. Can you remember the last time you spent hours on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and came away feeling rejuvenated. Most of us end up feeling either crushing despair at the state of humanity or poorly about ourselves, in comparison to others. This year, spend more time in the real world, with friends who will carve out time and put on decent clothes to meet you. Meet and talk to one person at a bar, instead of chatting with many on Tinder. And read some actual books, instead of countless timelines. It's one of the best things you can do for your mental and emotional health.
Promise #4: I will be kinder to myself
It's tough not to keep competing and striving for a constantly shifting ideal in today's world, where you're not just comparing yourself to the people in your immediate environment, but to people in the online world as well. No matter what you do, how much you achieve or where you go, there's someone doing it better, faster and more than you. How can you compete and win against the Internet? This year, promise to be kinder to yourself so you don't lose your sanity while stretching yourself abnormally thin. It is okay if you didn't lose the 5 extra kilos you thought you would, no matter how much a beauty magazine tells you otherwise. It's okay to not be the most beautiful, most fashionable, most anything. You do you, and for the people that matter, it will be enough. You'll see.
Promise #5: I will monitor my vitals more regularly
Sure, you might be visiting the doctor every six months for a once-over (if you aren't, 2018 is as good a year as any to start), but that isn't enough. With the lifestyles that most of us lead - filled with work stress, late nights, sleep deprivation, long hours spent at the desk while staring at a screen - it is important to keep monitoring basic health parameters like your pulse (the number of times the heart beats per minute), respiratory rate (the number of breaths you take per minute), blood pressure (the force with which blood pushes against the walls of your arteries), body temperature, glucose levels, vision, weight, etc. They are called vital signs because they are, well, vital to the normal functioning of the body. Keeping regular tabs on your vital stats can help you communicate more accurately to your doctor the state of your health, during your visits. They will also help you be warned of potential problems or abnormalities, in case they veer too far off the normal range. There are easily available, fairly inexpensive devices that can easily be used at home to measure your stats. This is a promise none of us can afford to not make to our health.
Promise #6: I will commit to one physical activity this year
So many of us wait for this wonderful day when we will have time to go to the gym and stick to a hard core fitness regimen. Unfortunately, that magical day simply never arrives - let's face it, few among us aren't forever battling with time management and juggling more than they can handle - and while we wait, our body pays the price of an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. This year, stop waiting and start doing... Something, anything. It could be something as simple as a 20-minute walk after dinner or in the morning. It could be a half hour cardio/ dance/ yoga class, or even just 15 minutes of sprinting on the treadmill while watching TV in the night. Whatever it is, pick one activity and commit to it diligently this year. It might not be the ideal situation and even though a one-hour walk is better than a 20-minute one, anything is better than allowing your muscles to stiffen in front of the computer. For all you know, you might enjoy your activity so much that you organically end up pushing yourself towards a fitter lifestyle!
Promise #7: I will take my vacation days
Work will never end, and neither will it come to a grinding halt if you take the days you're entitled to take care of your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Ultimately, what are you working hard and earning all the money for, so that you spend your best years accumulating it and the twilight years spending it at health facilities because you never gave yourself a chance to unwind and recuperate? Work is important, but so are you and your relationships. From this year on, take time off, instead of encashing your leaves at the end of the year.
Promise #8: I will use sunscreen
Your entire skincare regimen and all the expensive products you lather yourself with are nothing if you habitually miss this important step of protecting your skin from UV rays. Even if you don't do absolutely anything else for your skin, you MUST use a sunscreen. And no, not just when you're going out either. UVA and B rays are all around, even in the winters, and your skin needs to be protected from them. Use an SPF 50 (or at least 30) sunscreen lotion every 4 hours in the day. Apart from keeping the skin protected from cancer, sunburn and pigmentation, it is the first rule of anti-ageing treatment for the skin. If you don't, start in 2018.
What are the health resolutions you plan to make in 2018? Tell us in the comments below.
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