The holidays are here and with them comes (for many) disconnection.
But we also know that many times we have to deal with that kind of Stockholm syndrome, which traps us and does not allow us to enjoy ourselves to the fullest.
This means that we do not take advantage of our free time, we cannot put down our mobile phones, the Tablet and we continue to watch the chaos.

That is why today we bring you some routines that we hope can help you regain balance and generate healthy habits.

1.
Despierta temprano cada día

Waking up at a decent hour is essential for optimal health.
The human body and brain have evolved to follow a circadian rhythm that helps regulate the sleep-wake patterns that our natural environment establishes, specifically the sunrise and sunset.

This natural circadian rhythm also corresponds to the body’s natural cortisol levels .
As we know, this is a hormone well known for its role in our metabolism and stress response and energy levels.
In a balanced state, cortisol levels begin to rise 2-3 hours after sleep onset and continue to rise until the early morning, helping us wake up.

The circadian rhythm is related to cortisol levels.

Cortisol levels in the body will peak around 8:30 – 9:00 am and continue to gradually decrease as the day progresses.
Therefore, following the body’s natural circadian rhythm and cortisol levels is a simple way to maximize energy levels, productivity, and overall health.

Sleep pathologies are approaching epidemic levels globally, affecting about 70 million people in the United States alone.
In some countries, the direct and indirect costs of sleep-related problems are thought to be close to 1% of gross domestic product. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/29.3.299

If you allow us a suggestion, Active Sweet Dreams is a supplement made from melatonin, a highly antioxidant substance that reduces the time to fall asleep.
It also incorporates plants of traditional use such as valerian, hops, passionflower, lemon balm, recognized for their anxiolytic properties and rhodiola.
In addition to griffonia (5HTP) and L-thianine that promotes relaxation.

2.
Mantente hidratado

Even mild dehydration (when we “forget” to drink fluids during the day) can lead to a lower mood and decreased concentration.

Water is essential for life as we know it, i.e. carbon-based living.
The hydrogen and oxygen atoms that make up water tend to combine very well with carbon atoms, but there is more.
Liquid water, when combined with carbon, adds physicochemical properties that make this compound-solvent pair the most common in the universe.
Water in a liquid state, needless to say, is essential for the most important biotic reactions.

Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to stay hydrated.
Being thirsty is a sign of dehydration.

According to an announcement from the Harvard School of Public Health, drinking enough water every day is crucial for many reasons:

• Helps regulate body temperature
• Keeps joints lubricated
• Prevents infections
• Means of transporting nutrients to cells
• It keeps the organs working properly.
• And if we relate to the aforementioned point, being well hydrated also improves the quality of sleep.

Experts recommend drinking about 10 glasses of water per day on average.
And not all of that liquid should come from running water; Other beverages such as coffee or tea also count in this sum. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/the-importance-of-hydration/

According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, it is advisable to try not to consume sugary drinks when trying to stay hydrated, since these could be associated with an increase in the genetic predisposition to obesity.
DOI: 10.1056

3.
Haz tiempo para moverte

Human beings are designed to move, it’s in our genes, but as we created more sedentary lifestyles, exercise became less and less.
Many of us work sitting, travel seated, relax sitting down, so it’s becoming increasingly important that we can create ways to move while performing routine tasks.

Lack of physical activity is a known, but modifiable, risk factor that contributes to lifestyle-related diseases, including many preventable causes of death.

Current public health recommendations recognize regular exercise and physical activity as a cornerstone in the prevention, management, and treatment of numerous chronic conditions, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, obesity, type II diabetes, and sarcopenia.
DOI: 10.1161

Exercise daily as much as possible to improve your healthy habits.

Aerobic and resistance exercises represent the extreme points of exercise and elicit markedly different training responses that are mediated by a complex interaction between different signaling pathways between neurons.

Exercise has tremendous health benefits, both for the body and mind, and there are many different ways to create movement throughout the day.
Whether you enjoy biking, swimming, dancing, or going to the gym, it’s imperative that you find some form of movement that you enjoy and take time for it every day.

4.
Descansa lo necesario

When establishing a routine, it can be easy to forget the most important activity: resting.
Human beings are simply not made to work all day, every day without rest.

If you don’t consider this in your routine, there is a danger of so-called “burnout”.
According to the most widely accepted description today, this syndrome is characterized by exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced performance satisfaction.

Due to its etiopathogenesis, burnout is today mainly considered to be the result of chronic stress that has not been successfully treated.

Breaks, even if they are brief cessations of work, physical effort or emotional stress, promote:

• Mental health
• Boost creativity
• Increase productivity
• Promote well-being
• Reduce stress
• Improve mood
• Strengthen relationships

As we mentioned in the article on stress, excess cortisol in our body is the cause of the appearance of stress-related diseases.

With high levels of DHA (760mg) and different concentrations of B vitamins, Active Stress Control could be an excellent alternative to reduce accumulated stress levels.

5.
Hazte yogui por un día

The practice of yoga is a tradition that is more than 3000 years old.
The origin of the word is from Sanskrit and refers to the idea of union.
According to those who practice it regularly, yoga promotes strength, endurance, flexibility, and facilitates the characteristics of kindness, compassion, and greater self-control, while cultivating a sense of calm and well-being.
Sustained practice also leads to important outcomes such as changes in outlook on life, self-awareness, and a better sense of energy to live life fully and with genuine enjoyment.

The practice of yoga produces a physiological state opposite to that of the flight or fight response and with that interruption of stress, a sense of balance and union between mind and body can be achieved.

The practice of yoga also generates a balanced energy that is vital for the functioning of the immune system and leads to an inhibition of the sympathetic area of the hypothalamus.
This inhibition optimizes the body’s responses to stressful stimuli and restores the autonomic regulatory reflex mechanisms associated with stress.
DOI: 10.4103 / 0973-6131.43541

In addition to the above, the practice of yoga inhibits the areas responsible for fear, aggression, and anger, and stimulates the rewarding pleasure centers in the midbrain and other areas that lead to a state of bliss and pleasure.
This inhibition results in lower anxiety, reduced heart and breathing rate, decreased blood pressure, and cardiac output.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2005.08.013

In the face of the overwhelming amount of scientific evidence and countless benefits, we only advise you: become a yogi for a day.

6.
Pasa tiempo respirando aire fresco

Getting fresh air on a regular basis is one of the easiest ways to improve your overall health. Sun exposure allows the body to produce vitamin D, which has been shown to have many essential functions in the body.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to fatigue, weakened immune system, low mood, and depression.

The release of serotonin is affected by the concentration of oxygen present in the blood. Serotonin promotes feelings of happiness and well-being, so the more fresh air you breathe, the significantly improved your mood.

Oxygen-rich air helps to synthesize serotonin.

Knowledge about the beneficial biological activity of ions in air, especially those with negative charges and in oxygen-rich atmospheres, has been the subject of extensive analysis.
Some studies of the so-called green and blue spaces have also been key in the possible relationship between fresh air and the prevention of mental health diseases by indirect means. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.004

On the other hand, hot and dry winds are known to cause controversial symptoms such as depression, malaise, headaches, irritability, and exacerbation of respiratory ailments.
This disorder is known as Sharav syndrome, because of the winds with these characteristics in the town of the same name in Israel.

Urinalysis combined with the study of the complaints of two hundred climate-sensitive patients suffering from Sharav, have shown that there are at least three different patterns of reaction to this type of weather: serotonin hypersecretion causing a general irritation syndrome, catecholamine deficiency resulting in burnout syndrome, and finally an overproduction of histamine and creatinine combined with clinical hyperthyroidism. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01440676

7.
Tómate el tiempo para cocinar tus alimentos

Learning to cook is one of the simplest healthy daily habits you can do and one of the best gifts you can give to your health.
Although cooking is often considered a chore, it is a basic human skill that is required to satisfy another basic human need, food.

Cooking not only helps to control the quality of the food you consume, but it also helps to create more appreciation for your food and a more intimate connection with it.
If you’re just reheating food in the oven every night or ordering takeout, you’ll have a harder time paying full attention to your eating habits and your food.

Cooking is a simple form of self-care that you can practice every day, making it one of the most beneficial healthy daily habits.

According to one study, frequent consumption of home-cooked meals was associated with greater adherence to the DASH diet, a higher likelihood of having a body mass index within normal parameters, and a better body fat percentage.
DOI:10.1186/s12966-017-0567-y

8.
La gigantesca sensación de estar consciente

Mindfulness is an umbrella term used to characterize a large number of practices, processes, and characteristics, broadly defined in relation to the capacities of attention, awareness, memory, acceptance, and discernment.
While the term has its historical basis in Buddhism, it has achieved widespread popularity in psychology, psychiatry, medicine, and the neurosciences, which seem to be its best ally.

It was initially known for its role in mindfulness-based stress reduction, but the story took a turn when it was introduced as a complementary therapy for people with medical illnesses in the late 1970s.

Mindfulness is the ally to combat stress.

In recent years, the practice of mindfulness has gone from being a somewhat hippie topic to being an occasional replacement for psychotherapy, a corporate wellness tool and widely implemented educational practice.
According to the World Health Organization, the cost of stress to U.S. companies alone is as high as $300 billion annually, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75 percent of all that health care spending goes toward preventable chronic diseases.

If we need to spice things up more, a study published in the prestigious journal Nature suggests that mindfulness practice would reduce anxiety, depression, stress and improve the regulation of emotions due to the modulation of activity in neural substrates, while activating altruistic behaviors. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62652-1

9.
Guarda tu teléfono

Storing your phone (tablet or computer) may seem like a simple challenge, but it’s not so simple.

Being connected 24/7 can have many negative side effects on our health.

The average person has at least four social media accounts and spends at least 2 hours and 24 minutes checking their phone every day.
This constant digital connection can increase perceived stress and constant exposure to blue light has been shown to suppress the body’s natural melatonin production, which is imperative for regulating the body’s natural circadian rhythm and sleep patterns.

In one study, thirty-eight participants were instructed to avoid using their mobile phone thirty minutes before bedtime.
The result was that in the face of this restriction, sleep latency was reduced, while sleep duration and memory increased. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228756

So instead of surfing the web until the wee hours of the morning, turn off your phone at least an hour before bed and allow yourself to relax and unwind without the digital stress.

10.
Retoma la lectura recreativa

Reading has benefits for both your physical and mental health, and those benefits can last a lifetime. Not only can reading stimulate intellectual growth, but it can also help reduce stress, prevent age-related cognitive decline, and promote a good night’s rest.

Reading is exercise for your mental health and, in the same way that you take care of your body, it is important to take care of your brain.

In 2012, the Educational Standards Research Team (ESARD) in the UK, compiled the Research Evidence Report on Reading for Pleasure.
He found that reading for pleasure has educational benefits – both in children and adults – supports personal development and has a positive impact, which includes a significant increase in writing ability, improvement in the comprehension of texts and grammar, considerable expansion of vocabulary and regulates a fine balance in emotions, with the correlative improvements in social relationships. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284286/reading_for_pleasure.pdf

Conclusion

Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you should make a 180-degree turn or make radical changes all at once.
In fact, it is quite the opposite.
If you focus on small, healthy daily habits and create the ones you really enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with them for the long haul.

Developing healthy daily habits will take time, dedication, and determination, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be achieved.
Remember, you’re not in a race.
Avoid extreme solutions, take your time, and work on individual healthy habits to help ensure your health and success are lasting.

Thank you for coming this far with this reading.
We really hope you found this article useful and tell us what habits you have adopted to improve your life and focus on the path to wellness.

We will see you soon with another article from Salengei’s blog.
See you soon!