At the start of every new year, the Internet seems to explode with articles telling us how to become better, healthier version of ourselves – how to get in shape, how to lose 10lbs in two weeks, how to get beach-body ready, how to eat clean and live well.

Sounds familiar, right? It may also sound a bit exhausting, perhaps even daunting.

While a tough exercise regime or strict diet might work for some, at C3 we believe that it is often the less dramatic changes we make to our every-day habits that can make a big difference to our health over time.

So, with that in mind, here are C3’s top tips for a healthy new year:

 

1. Don’t drink too much

Campaigns such as Dry January or Sober October asks participants to give up alcohol for a full month – a welcome break for many people, and for their purses.

But if you are looking for some all-year-round advice that does not involve going teetotal, C3 suggests making sure that you have three consecutive days of not drinking each week.

 

2. Eat less, and eat more greens

There are plenty of strict eating regimes to choose from and certainly no shortage of people telling you ‘what works’ when it comes to diet. There seems to be a new diet to follow every week – from cut out all red meat, cut out all dairy, to starve for two days, eat whatever you please for five, or survive almost entirely on grapefruit juice (yes, really). It can all be pretty confusing.

C3 recommends keeping it simple instead: try to reduce your portion sizes and add more greens to your meals.

 

3. Get off the bus one stop early

Getting fitter does not have to include a new gym membership. Simply getting off the bus one stop early and so adding an extra ten or fifteen minutes walk to your day can make a difference. If you are not a morning person, try it on your way home.

 

4. Walk to work whenever you can

Walking to work can be a great challenge to set yourself, especially as the sun starts to rise earlier and the mornings get warmer. There are also plenty of good audiobooks and podcasts out there to lose yourself in as you are walking! If you live in London or in the south east, avoiding the tube or train strikes is just another reason to start making your morning commute entirely leg-powered.

 

5. Smoking is out!

Sorry, we can’t compromise on this one. A smoke-free 2019 would be a fantastic new year’s present to give yourself!

 

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