10 Habits to Develop This Winter
What is it that separates successful people from those that never seem to be able to achieve their goals? Your daily habits and how you view the world around you play a major role in how successful you are in your day-to-day life. Whether you are a company manager or a stay-at-home mom, developing the right habits will make your personal goals far more attainable.
Winter is a good time to start changing your life. It’s the end of the year so you can analyze your life and make up your mind to start a new life and develop new useful habits.
1. Exercise – variety of physical activities
Regular exercise helps to keep the mind and body strong, reduces stress and increases your energy levels allowing you to get more done during the day. Even a ten minute jog will release endorphins into your system that elevate your mood and allow you to think clearly.
Depending on your lifestyle, fitness level and personal preferences, you can choose from the variety of physical activities like swimming, weight training, winter sports, cardio and lots of others. If you don’t feel like going to the gym, opt for walking or dancing classes.
Any activity that will make your blood circulate faster or strain your muscles will be useful. Vary your fitness routine by inviting a friend or a colleague to exercise with you. Regular exercises will improve your physical and mental well-being and the quality of your life.
2. Healthy eating
Bear in mind that your physical beauty and well-being are largely determined by what and how much you eat. Your body needs the correct fuel in order to function at optimum level. Neglecting your diet can lead to a whole host of problems such as obesity, sickness and disease.
Although it may be tempting to overindulge during the winter, try to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes in your diet.
Try to cut down on unhealthy fats, sugar, caffeine and junk food. If you want to lose weight, don’t starve yourself to death. Just develop a habit of eating healthy all the time, regardless of the season, and you’ll see the surprising results.
3. Plan your winter day
It’s really a nice habit to adopt this winter. The ability to plan and organize your day displays your maturity and skills. But if you cannot manage your time wisely, it will lead to a clumsy, stressful and fruitless way of life.
Feeling overwhelmed with a workload can lead to stress and anxiety which often makes people more likely to procrastinate. Make a list of all the things you have to do each day with the most important items at the top. Starting with the most difficult item first will give you extra motivation to tackle the rest.
Your to-do list should be realistic and feasible. Crossing off the accomplished tasks will keep you satisfied and inspired with your achievements.
4. Wake up early
Even though there are few people whose active hours are late at night, most people sit up late at night simply because they cannot organize their routine properly. Going to bed a few hours earlier is far more beneficial than sleeping late in the morning. Our bodies naturally follow the circadian rhythms of the earth which means we get our best sleep during the night.
Most people, however, prefer to work late at night, which contradicts their physical needs and leads to health problems, overwork and great stress. Although it may be harder to drag yourself out of bed on cold winter mornings, you will get much more accomplished by doing so.
Avoid watching TV or browsing the Internet before going to bed. Instead, read a pleasant book or soak in a hot tub.
5. Get organized
Why wait until spring to de-clutter your home or office? Organizing your living and workspace will help you to be as productive as possible. From my own experience I know that order in the house can bring peace to mind.
Throw out any old junk you don’t need and organize things like bills, important documents and work materials into files and folders to make them easier to find in a hurry. Then put in order your closet and drawers, the two most cluttered places ever.
Get rid of everything that you don’t use, that is broken or too old. If you have a lot of new yet unnecessary things like clothes, household appliances or toys, consider giving them to people in need.
6. Ban negative thoughts
Conditioning yourself to stop criticizing yourself and others is an important step on the road to inner peace. Keeping a positive attitude throughout stressful periods will make even the most difficult problems seem easier to manage.
Instead of concentrating your attention on the downsides of life, think about things you can be grateful for. Optimists are generally more satisfied with their life, they have more friends and they are long-livers. It’s time to realize that life isn’t black and white. When you learn to notice and appreciate little things, you’ll start living a happier life.
You should appreciate even your failures and bad experience. Remember that improvement is always painful, but it’s an integral part of our life just like happiness.
Read also – 7 Ways to Release Fear and Live a Happy Life
7. Get enough sleep
Those who juggle a full-time job with a family and social life often find that their sleep is one of the first things to suffer. Make time for a nap during your lunch break, a quiet period or when the kids are asleep.
Even a 30 minute nap can improve cognitive function and leave you feeling refreshed. People often sacrifice their sound 8 hour sleep for some useless things like watching late-night shows or funny videos on YouTube. Instead of wasting your time on these things take a walk before going to bed.
Fresh night air will calm down your thoughts and help to fall asleep faster.
8. Practice meditation and deep breathing
Most of us never give a second though to our breath during the day, but how we breathe has a huge impact on our overall health. Factors such as stress or fear cause us to take shallow breaths that starve the body of oxygen. Meditation is a great way to focus on breathing and release tension from the body.
Moreover, correct breathing is highly beneficial to your internals. Your liver, stomach, intestine and pancreas get a good massage when you breathe deeply. When you inhale, the diaphragm massages your heart as well.
Due to regular breathing exercises you’ll get a nice posture and strengthen abdominal muscles. Even a short breathing session during a break will contribute to your health.
9. Set achievable goals
If your long-term plan is to be the head of your own business, then breaking that plan down into achievable goals is the first step on the road to success.
Your great goal is composed of numerous small yet indispensable steps; therefore small goals sometimes play the biggest role. Figure out what you can do now to make your dream come true, and you will soon start to make progress in a short amount of time.
While making a plan it’s important to define time frame and stick to it no matter what. The ability to set goals will develop your self-discipline, persistence and realistic outlook. No matter whether you want to improve your health, relationship with kids or get a career advancement, setting achievable goals is always useful.
10. Look after yourself
Taking time out for yourself is essential to ensure stress and fatigue does not interfere with your overall health. Arrange for someone to look after the kids for a weekend or arrange time off from your job to relax either with your partner or by yourself.
No matter how busy you are, try to carve out at least half an hour of ‘me time’ each day. Ask your family members not to bother you and dedicate this time to your personal needs. Consider having some spa treatments at home or spend this time doing your favorite hobby.
Lying with your eyes closed is also a good way to relax and recharge your batteries.
Read also – 10 Winter Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Have
Although it may seem difficult to change certain habits at first, rest assured that it will become easier with time. Once you make a commitment to develop positive habits, you will soon see a huge improvement in both your productiveness and overall mood as you begin to achieve your goals. Which habit do you want to adopt this winter?
