42 Wellness Ideas for the New Year<\/p>\n
Do me a favor, let us know how we did in the comments below, or feel free to add some ideas of your own!<\/p>\n
Wellness and Positivism: 11 Simple Wellness Hacks<\/h2>\n
Positive psychology is taking center stage in the fields of employee engagement, business agility, and employee wellness. It is the study of things making us stronger, healthier, happier, wiser, caring, understanding, loving, persistent and kind just to mention a few characteristics positive people have.<\/p>\n
To get at the core of positive psychology we will lean on a pioneer in the field, Martin Seligman. He and Christopher Peterson authored positive psychology’s book of Hoyle: “Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification”, which inspired some of the 12 wellness hacks below.<\/p>\n
Be Committed:<\/strong> Walk in when others walk out. The real test of commitment happens when something is terribly difficult to do, but you still do it. It may be as simple as standing with someone during troubling times. It may be as hard as sharing personal tragedy. \u00a0But commitment is standing firm regardless.\u00a0 It may be remaining committed to your resolutions when the challenge ensues!<\/p>\n Be Gracious: <\/b>Let kindness be a thing you do. \u00a0Helping hands and encouraging words show that you believe in yourself and commit to helping other people believe in themselves too. <\/span><\/p>\n Have Team Spirit:<\/strong><\/p>\n Teamwork and community matter. Working with others towards common goals lets you see how you fit in the larger framework. It is also a way to share, be kind, and be gracious. By the way we have a ton of great team building activities here at Oh My Green – it is vital for our culture!<\/p>\n Help Others:<\/strong>\u00a0It’s often been said that the richest reward is gotten when you give something away. Traditionally charity has been the channel for helping. But there are other ways. Mentoring, coaching, helping team members, or helping others in the community builds wellness.<\/p>\n Be Forgiving:<\/strong> If you’ve got something burning a hole in your soul then it’s pretty hard to have wellness. Forgiving is one of the most difficult task for some, but forgiving carries weight in terms of emotional health and wellness.<\/p>\n Practice Gratitude:<\/strong> One of the most transformational exercises I have ever done is writing down ten gratitudes at the end of every day.\u00a0 The challenge with the exercise is this:\u00a0 you can’t repeat any.\u00a0 After about a week, the easy ones are taken and you have to start looking for the good in everyday.\u00a0 It’s a brain hack that gets you thinking on the positive instead of the negative!<\/p>\n Get Organized:<\/strong> Organization helps keep your mind clear and it makes it easy to find things. Who really need the added stress of trying to remember where something is, and the stress escalates when what you’re looking for is important. Clear some stress, clear off your desk.<\/p>\n Practice continual learning:<\/strong> Challenge your mind to learn a new things. Getting the gray matter active is as important as getting muscles active and the best way to do that is by learning. Especially fun things make the challenge more rewarding. Have you ever wanted to play a musical instrument?\u00a0Learn a new language?\u00a0 Make it happen this New Year.<\/p>\n Get Out of Debt:<\/strong> Getting out of debt means getting out of stressful financial situations. You may not be able to clear all your debt in a short period, but speaking with a debt counselor to manage a way out could help. Make a get out of debt plan and make it happen!\u00a0 It is extremely liberating when you aren’t paying twice as much for something you bought years ago.<\/p>\n Have Fun:<\/b> Enjoy yourself. What’s the point of life if we’re not doing that. Wellness is about living life freely, completely, healthy, and fit. Making that happen should be fun.<\/p>\n Share Hope:<\/strong> Wellness is partially based on the premise that a person is hopeful of tomorrow, thankful for today, and respective of yesterday. I say partially because another aspect of wellness is living in the moment, or what positive psychology calls “Flow”.<\/p>\n Quit Smoking:<\/strong> Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult and most rewarding things I have ever done. If you stop smoking right now your body will begin to heal immediately. You will not be putting toxins into your body, your senses of smell and taste will quickly improve, and you won’t smell like an ashtray. Then there’s the financial savings too. Do the math, smoking is financially straining and the costs only increase as you need more health care.<\/p>\n Quit Drinking:<\/strong> Make it fun (haha, if that’s possible)- a group challenge to quit for a month or longer.\u00a0 This can also be a way to see if it is a real issue for you.\u00a0 Personally I had to give it up entirely years ago, and I chose to go through a 12 step program that is ultimately what made me so passionate about transformation and living a life of wellness.\u00a0 As I write this, I am so thankful I don’t have one of those brain swelling hangovers.<\/p>\n Lose Weight:<\/strong> Being overweight puts extra stress on the body. Losing enough weight to get your body to its proper muscle to fat ratio starts by deciding to eat smarter with nutritious foods. \u00a0Make weight reduction and management a thing in the New Year with a plan to understand food and how much and what kinds your body needs.<\/p>\n Join a Gym or fitness group:<\/strong> Gyms help make exercise easier. The number of machines, types of weights, and general fitness and coaching services available at gyms mean you have a wide range of activities to choose from. If you need extra motivation to exercise and the treadmill has become a coat rack, a gym could be the solution.\u00a0 The group classes like Crossfit, Orange Theory, or bootcamps can make it fun and increase accountability.<\/p>\n Learn to Handle Stress:<\/strong> Stress is nasty, unproductive, and no fun to have around. We talk about mindfulness in \u00a0a minute, and some of those ideas would come to play here. Breathing exercises, minute meditations, and a positive attitude on life help handle stress.<\/p>\n Learn About Your Body:<\/strong> It’s good know some basics about how the body works. Nothing too serious, but things like the aerobic zone of exercise is where excess body fat is burned are important. More importantly, learn where your aerobic zone for exercise is.<\/p>\n Get Routine Physicals: <\/b>See the doctor once a year to get checked up. Preventive medicine is always better than reactive medicine. Getting at a problem early means it will be more responsive to treatment, and a heck of a lot easier to deal with.<\/p>\n Scrap the Junk Machine:<\/strong> Got a habit of hitting up the vending machine at lunch? (Contact us about healthy snacks for the office<\/a>, yes, this is a plug) Try eating different snacks through the day. And while you’re at it, take a quick look at your shopping list. Are you prone to fast food fixes or do you tend to shop healthy? Little things like what you put in your grocery cart make a big difference.<\/p>\n Do Some Training:<\/strong>\u00a0Most of us aren’t anywhere near Olympic athletes,\u00a0but that doesn’t mean we can’t do some simple training. The trick is consistency to make it a habit. So, do a simple training routine a few times a week.<\/p>\n Get Sleep:<\/strong> Lack of sleep can take a toll on your body’s rhythm and throw you out of whack. Get a good amount of sleep every day. You’ll find that things go \u00a0easier when you have a fresh, rested mind. <\/p>\n Eat a Healthy Breakfast:<\/strong>\u00a0 Start your day right!\u00a0This is an easy way to change your diet one step at a time, by changing one meal at a time.<\/p>\n Find Your Hunger Fix:<\/strong> We’re fans of Pam Peeke. You should check out her book “The Hunger Fix”. (Yes, a shameless plug) Dr. Peeke talks about how we are prone to the addictive qualities of food and how that affects our health. But it’s also about what you can do about your unique hunger fix. Know what your hunger fix is? Okay, fix it. Do the detox, follow the ideas, and get on track to healthier eating.<\/p>\n Know where you are to get where you are going:<\/strong> Basal Metabolic Rate is how many calories your body burns sitting idle. Knowing the number gives you a good handle on how many calories you should be taking in a day. It varies by age, sex, and fitness level.\u00a0 Once you know your BMR and have some fitness goals then you can monitor your calorie intake.\u00a0 A great app for tracking this is My Fitness Pal.\u00a0 Make it a goal to be mindful of tracking your progress!<\/p>\n Choose Whole Foods:<\/strong> It’s amazing how simple good eating can be. From a wellness point of view choosing foods that are whole, and non-processed makes the most sense. Good rule of thumb, with exception of produce, if it’s ready to eat, it’s probably not that nutritious.<\/p>\n Organic Fruits and Veggies<\/strong>: By the way, mom was right about the veggies, and we might as well make them organic and dodge all of those pesticides and chemical fertilizers. On a side note, it’s amazing what you can find by looking for local organic farmers- not only will you be able to find quality organic produce but you will be supporting local farmers and be more connected to your source of energy! At Oh My Green, we work with local organic farmers for our Office Catering Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn Breathing Technique:<\/strong> Breath is fundamental to life. It can be fundamental to relaxation too. A simple breathing technique that brings mindfulness is fixate on it as it enters and leaves your body. Feeling how it fills your lungs and the sensation of it leaving your chest. Give it a try next time you need a quick break.<\/p>\n Meditation:<\/strong>\u00a0 At Oh My Green a big part of our culture is training in meditation.\u00a0 It helps decrease the effects of stress and increase capacity and creativity in the mind, which results in increased productivity across the board.\u00a0Some of the most productive and happy people make meditation a regular part of their daily routine, so give it a look.\u00a0Here’s a great post by Justin for more perspective on meditation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Five Minute Vacation:<\/strong> Work can be stressful, and one of my favorite ways to stay productive is taking quality intentional breaks, and turning them into mental vacations. I like to close my eyes and imagine I’m at the beach, snowboarding, or fly-fishing. This also keeps me hopeful of my next real vacation. Yes!<\/p>\n It is tradition in each new year that we look forward to making improvements on goals we from the previous year. I’ve tried to give you some worthwhile things to think about, and maybe you can pick a few or this sparked your own ideas.\u00a0 When it comes to transformation, I’ve always done best by really diving in to one goal and sticking with it until I can help someone else to do the same- which is a gratifying and rewarding goal in and of itself.\u00a0 So this year, I am working on one goal at a time to make it a habit.<\/p>\n It’s all great stuff, and it’s all part our culture here at Oh My Green. We work on it to challenge ourselves and others to make the best work-environments possible for employees, and along the way, help people live happy and blissful lives.<\/p>\n Let me know what you think in the comments below.\u00a0Thanks for reading and happy new year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s that time of year again for New Years Resolutions, so we wanted to put together some ideas with a holistic approach to wellness in mind. Maybe a few will spark some inspiration for you! Here’s to living a life of wellness in 2018. For the new year then, we give you 12 wellness and […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/garten.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/one-simple-new-year_s-goal-2-1024x695.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWellness and Physical Fitness: 10 Simple Fitness Resolutions<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWellness and Nutrition: 5 Simple Nutrition Hacks<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWellness and Mindfulness: 3 Simple Mindfulness Hacks<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWellness and the New Year<\/h2>\n