Tag Archives: new years

Jan7

Three Simple Steps To A Happier 2019

Posted on by
Standard
Three Simple Steps To A Happier 2019

Want to be happier, more positive and upbeat this year? Of course you do! Even if you don’t see yourself as a naturally chipper individual there’s plenty that you can do to improve your mood and start enjoying life more. Here are three steps you can take towards a happier 2019:

Exercise:

When you think about happiness, for most of us, exercise isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. It’s hard work and it can be a bit of a chore, however, it’s incredibly good for your mental as well as physical health. Exercise regulates hormones, can help you to sleep better and, despite it being tiring, it actually gives you more energy. If you’re in a bit of a slump and feel like you have no ‘get up and go’, sign up for the gym and give it a try. If you’re not one for the gym, long hikes with your dog, swimming, cycling, or whatever else gets you moving can be just as good!

Learn:

When we leave formal education and get a job, most of us stop making an effort to learn new things. But it shouldn’t be the case, regardless of what you’re interested in. There’s so much information out there that you don’t yet know! You could research a topic yourself using articles, online libraries, podcasts, and more. You could attend a course, the subject doesn’t necessarily have to be academic – it could be art, baking, or another kind of craft.

Another option would be to take on some official education, whether it’s an online degree or paralegal studies to further your existing law qualifications, this kind of study can help you to progress in your career. Learning new things gives us satisfaction, something to work on, and it feels good when we reach our goals. Feel like you’re stagnating? Choose a topic and hit the books, whether it’s just for yourself or for your career.

Give:

You might feel as though you don’t have much to give. For example, you might feel like unless you have lots of money to give that there’s not much you can do to help a charity. But it’s simply not the case. You could hold a fundraiser and get people to sponsor you or your workplace. You could volunteer your time, spending an hour a week at a soup kitchen, a women’s hostel, or an animal shelter. Even a couple of dollars a month helps these kinds of organizations.

Giving back in some way to a cause that does good benefits both you and them. It helps them to continue on in their work and it makes you feel good, too. It’s nice knowing that you’ve been able to help and that your time and efforts have been appreciated. See if there are any charities or schemes locally that are in need of help, most are usually desperate for volunteers and donations as they don’t receive any kind of government funding.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan1

Need A New Year’s Resolution For 2019? Try Always Being Prepared

Posted on by
Standard
Need A New Year’s Resolution For 2019? Try Always Being Prepared

The new year is here. So, if you’ve been struggling to think of a New Year’s resolution, it’s imperative that you think of one ASAP. Our suggestion: make sure that you’re prepared for everything life can throw towards your direction. Life has a tendency to throw curve balls your way just when you least expect them. A little planning and preparation will make those unforeseen situations feel far less daunting. And, it can allow you to deal with the fallout in a more effective manner. Here are three key points of focus that crave your attention right away:

Be Prepared For Financial Headaches:

Nothing makes us feel quite as stressed as facing financial worries. Sadly, studies show that most families couldn’t even handle an unexpected $500 bill. Given that your finances could take a hit at any stage, it’s important that you take control of the situation.

Starting a savings fund for a rainy day is certainly a good idea. However, you should take things one step further. You can do this by protecting yourself through suitable insurance coverage from the most reputable firms. This can protect your assets, earnings, and financial health in one fell swoop. Take control of this aspect, and 2019 will be far happier. This platform can be used for many years to come. too.

Be Prepared For Health Issues:

Nothing in this life is more important than your health. First and foremost, you should try to adopt a healthier lifestyle that includes healthier eating and regular exercise. While you certainly don’t need to live a perfect life, this winning platform is essential.

Your health is a fragile thing and could take a downturn at any stage. Even if it’s only a short-term problem, you must get treated in the right way. Searching for an urgent care clinic near me will put you in a stronger position. Spending an hour looking for healthcare services following an accident is the last thing you need. In truth, it could be a matter of life and death.

2019xx

Find the right doctor for you!

Be Prepared For New Additions:

If your family is going to get bigger in 2019, you need to take greater responsibility. Otherwise, the change could change everything. Okay, so you’ll have nine months to prepare for a child. However, you may want to consider the potential addition of a pet, too.

In this case, preparing the home is crucial. Failure to do this could bring some very negative reactions. Every member of the household needs to be ready for the change, or else the addition could be unfair. Whether it’s a pet or a person, you need to take careful consideration before bringing someone new into the family home. If nothing else, it should encourage a smoother transition.

The Final Word:

The sense of control gained through being prepared for anything life can throw at you will change everything for the better. If you want 2019 to be the best year ever, the trio of features above cannot be ignored. Happy New Year!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan1

Happy New Year!

Posted on by
Standard
Happy New Year!

Hello everyone and a very Happy New Year to one and all! We are officially in 2019! Can you believe it?! It’s a brand new year for all of us and another year of fabulousness on lifewithlilred. As usual, I didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions. And, sadly, my mouth is still wreaking havoc on me from my surgery, so celebrating isn’t in the cards for me, either. But, to continue on in the holiday season is exciting, all the same, and I hope that all of you enjoy yourselves no matter how you spend your day! Happy 2019!

How are you celebrating New Years? What are some of your New Year’s Resolutions? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec10

Small Steps To Big Changes: Simple Ways To Get Your Health Back On Track

Posted on by
Standard
Small Steps To Big Changes: Simple Ways To Get Your Health Back On Track

We’re approaching that time of year when we start to think about the months ahead. As we near the New Year, many of us will be making resolutions. Often, we take vows and make promises to improve our health and boost our happiness, but many people lose interest in resolutions very quickly. Sometimes, this is due to the fact that we tend to be a little too optimistic when it comes to goal setting. If you’re keen to get your health back on track, the key to success lies in taking small steps. Here are some simple measures that will make a massive difference to your health and well-being:

Adjust your sleep routine:

Are you one of those people that doze off in front of the TV every night and then struggle to get up in the morning? If you’re not getting seven to eight hours of quality sleep on a regular basis, modifying your sleep routine is one of the best ways to improve your mental and physical health. You have an internal clock, and it is possible to get into a routine, which will help you get more sleep. Instead of curling up and nodding off on the sofa, go to bed an hour earlier. Rather than hitting the snooze button, get up at the same time every morning. Your body clock will soon adjust to these new times, and you should find that you’re enjoying better quality sleep, as well as more downtime.

small

Catch some Z’s!

Drink more water:

Are you guilty of turning to sodas when you’re thirsty or is your body fueled by coffee? If you don’t drink enough water, this is a really simple resolution to stick to. Aim for two liters of water per day, and carry a bottle around with you so that you can sip and go. If you’re not keen on the taste of water, consider buying sparkling water with a hint of fruit flavor or add sugar-free cordial. Dehydration increases the risk of headaches, muscular pain, fatigue, and dry skin.

small1

Cheers!

Be more active:

It’s very common for people to go on a fitness drive after the holidays. It’s a brilliant move to try and get into exercise, but often, we try and do too much too soon, and we lose interest and motivation. You don’t have to join the gym and go every single day to get in shape. You can increase your fitness gradually, and you can try a whole host of activities. If you know you don’t enjoy running on a treadmill or spinning, consider joining a sports team or trying classes like boxing, Pilates, or high-intensity interval training.

Aim to work out a couple of times a week, and increase the frequency as you get fitter and stronger. Exercise is often used as a means of shifting festive pounds, but it’s so much more than a weight loss tool. Being active reduces your risk for lots of serious physiological health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease, and it’s also proven to lower the risk of depression, stress, and anxiety.

If you’re on a mission to get your health back on track, start by taking small steps and setting manageable goals and watch yourself succeed!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan12

New Year’s Resolutions Worth Keeping

Posted on by
Standard
New Year’s Resolutions Worth Keeping

The clock strikes 12, it’s finally 2018. Everybody is celebrating and a lot of people are coming up with new year’s resolutions. A lot of them involve losing weight or drinking less alcohol and they don’t usually last that long. If you go to the gym at the beginning of January, it’ll be packed but just a few weeks later, half of those people have gone. The generic resolutions that people make often go out of the window because they just aren’t that valuable. If you really want to make something stick, you need to pick a great resolution that will make a significant positive change in your life, just like some of these:

Quit Smoking:

We don’t need to tell you that smoking is bad for your health so if you’re a smoker, the start of a new year is a great opportunity to try to quit. The reason that most people fail is because they try to go cold turkey straight away. It’s difficult to succeed that way and if you’re serious about quitting, you need some help. Get some e-cigarettes and CBD juice to replace the cigarettes. It’s not the ideal situation because you’re still relying on that e-cigarette but it’s a good stepping stone and it’s nowhere near as bad for your health. There is also loads of great free help and advice on quitting smoking that you can get, which you can speak to your doctor about.

Drink Less Alcohol:

The key word here is ‘less.’ If you try to cut out drinking completely, you’ll get to the end of the week and find that you fancy a drink with friends. There’s nothing wrong with having a casual drink once or twice a week. What you should be doing instead is just cutting down on drinking. For example, if you would have a drink after work during the week, cut that out and just stick to weekends. Or you could just go out on Saturday instead of Friday and Saturday. These small changes will improve your health and save you a bit of money, but they don’t constitute a huge change to your lifestyle like giving up drinking completely would.

Cut Out Toxic People:

Most new year’s resolutions are focused around improving yourself by cutting out unhealthy habits, but you probably haven’t thought about cutting out people. When you’re around people that are overly negative all of the time, that rubs off on you and it can really affect your mood. If you spend a lot of your time with people like this, it can make you feel very negative yourself which has a knock on effect on all areas of your life and stop you from improving yourself. Cutting somebody out of your life can be difficult and it’s often very awkward, but you’ve just got to be upfront about it. Simply tell them that you don’t want to be around them while they’re being so negative. In a lot of cases, you might find that it’s the kick they need to make a change in their own life and you won’t end up cutting them out at all.

These three resolutions are valuable ones that you can keep easily and will positively affect your health, mental health, and wallet.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan2

Ensuring Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

Posted on by
Standard
Ensuring Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

The New Year is upon us, and if you’re like the majority of people in the western world, chances are that you’ve made a resolution or two. Perhaps you’ve decided to make 2018 the year you get serious about exercising, giving up drugs and alcohol, or volunteering in your local community.

Whatever your resolutions are, if you want to stick to them, you’re going to have to get serious because approximately 80 percent of all resolutions are broken by February! If you want to buck that trend, here are a few things that you can do:

Small Steps:

In January, it makes sense to start small. Instead of resolving to spend six days in the gym every week, start with two or three. That way, your resolutions will be much easier to stick to, and you can build upon them as time goes by instead of doing too much too soon, burning out and failing!

One Thing at a Time:

You might want to quit smoking, take up lifting, and eliminate any and all junk from your diet, but numerous studies have shown that the more you try to do, the less likely you are to succeed at changing any of your habits. So, instead of doing the traditional thing of writing down multiple resolutions and trying to work on them all at once, try working on one at a time. Once you’ve got the exercising habit down, then start working on your diet, and so on. Chances are you’ll be much more successful.

Share Them:

Whatever your New Year’s resolutions are, it’s always worth sharing them with others, whether that be friends, family, or even a dedicated support group. Why? Because once you let people know what your intentions are, you’ll be more motivated to stick to your goals and see results, so that you don’t let them down. Not only that but having the support of a group can make the whole process simpler.

Track It:

Whether you’re using an app to track how many pounds you’ve lost, a calendar to mark off every day you’ve gone without a drink/smoke/etc., or something like My Fitness Pal to log the nutritional value of your food, keeping track of your progress is a great way to keep your head in the game. Try it!

goals1

Log that progress!

Seek Help:

Whether it’s a personal trainer, an intervention specialist, or your spouse, asking for help from someone who understands your issues and wants to help you overcome them can be a very effective way of not only sticking to your resolutions but of achieving your goals, too.

Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself:

Remind yourself that there isn’t such a thing as perfection. Just because you caved and ate a piece of cake a week after you vowed to give up sugar doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. The only thing that will make you a failure is throwing in the towel. Most people slip when they’re trying to make positive changes to their lives. But it is the ones who don’t beat themselves up, who stand back up, and keep fighting, who get to where they want to be eventually!

Good Luck!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan1

Happy New Year!!

Posted on by
Standard
Happy New Year!!

Hellooooo everyone and welcome to 2018! Here’s to hoping that this is your best year yet, that you keep up with your resolutions, and that you accomplish great things in the new year. Enjoy your celebrations and thanks for sticking around with lifewithlilred! Much love. -Sarah

Nov20

Tips For Your Healthiest New Year Yet

Posted on by
Standard
Tips For Your Healthiest New Year Yet

It’s usually around this time of the year that we realize that the months have flown by. Christmas is right around the corner and the end of the year is fast approaching. And with that, we tend to think ahead to what the new year will bring. Some of us will do this in good faith, hoping for a vast improvement on the current year, while others will be a little more pessimistic, thinking that most years are the same. Regardless of which camp you fall into, you may be thinking about making a commitment to be healthier next year. If that’s the case, then good for you – but be sure to read the do’s and don’ts of how to do it first:

Don’t Go Cold Turkey:

For most people, when they think about making healthy changes to their diet and lifestyle, they tend to think that going cold turkey is the answer. From cutting out sugar, coffee, and fatty foods to trying to take up an intense exercise regime, they tend to go from a somewhat unhealthy lifestyle to one that’s super strict. And guess what? It doesn’t last! Mainly because it’s too much of a change and it’s not realistic. When you make unrealistic changes like this, you’re going to find them too hard to stick to. When you want to commit to a healthy change, you need to know that it’s going to last. So, in this case, gradual changes are often best.

Do Read Reviews:

Whatever it is that you’re thinking of doing, be sure that you read up on it first. When you find detailed information like the AlgaeCal reviews, you’re going to find that you get all of the background information that you need. Then, you can make a call on whether that change or product, in particular, is good for you.

Do Talk To Your Doctor:

It’s also always a smart idea to talk to your doctor about any changes that you’re thinking of making. Firstly, this is so that they can be aware of what you’re doing. But it’s also so that they can be sure that you’re not making any rapid changes that could damage your health. At the same time, they will advise you on what’s best to do, as well as carry out key health checks to make sure that you start off on the right track.

Don’t Do Anything Drastic:

Even though it can be tempting, you really do have to make sure that you don’t do anything drastic. Anything dangerous or unhealthy, like over-exercising or restricting yourself with food, can seriously damage your health, and this will counteract what your initial commitment is trying to achieve. So be sure to relax, enjoy it, and be patient for your health to improve.

newyear1

Smoothies are a great in between meals snack!

Do Focus On The Change:

Above all else, be sure to focus on the change that you’ve committed to make. It’s easy to convince yourself that you need to cut back, but remember that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. You need to focus on the change of being healthier, and nothing else!

Start out your new year with a bang, and be sure to follow these tips for your healthiest year yet!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan3

New Year; New You! Update Your Life With These Inspiring Tips

Posted on by
Standard
New Year; New You! Update Your Life With These Inspiring Tips

Are you feeling ready for a new lease on life in 2017? I’m sure that most of us were ready for 2016 to be done and dusted. After all, it wasn’t the best year ever, was it? So there is no surprise that a lot of people are now looking to make 2017 their best year yet And the best way to get your life on track is to make some updates to various parts of it. Ready to make things great for the year ahead? Here are some awesome ideas which can help you update your whole life!

Improve Your Fitness Plan: Do you feel that you need to lose some of the excess weight that you gained during the festive period? There is nothing to be ashamed of after piling on the pounds – after all, Christmas is the only time of the year that many of us feel like we can indulge without too much guilt! But now that January is here, it is important to get things back on track with your fitness. Didn’t work out much in 2016? Well, now is the perfect time to get started. One of the best ways to improve your fitness is by taking part in a Couch to 5k Challenge. You’ll be amazed how much this can help you increase your fitness!

year1.jpg

Go, go, go!

Decorate: One great way to freshen up your life is to freshen up your home. Have you been thinking of redecorating for a while now? Why not put all of your ideas into practice and paint your living room or treat yourself to some bathroom remodeling. You will find that decorating and renovating your home is a great way to blow off some of the cobwebs that seem to be creating a fog over your life. It also helps your home look great for the rest of the year!

Reassess Relationships: Do you feel like some of your friends are always completely negative about everything and are bringing you down? If so, it might be time to break up with these friends. You shouldn’t feel bad about cutting ties with certain friends. Especially if they regularly take you for granted or always ask too much from you. You don’t need to deal with their drama in 2017! If things have been rocky in your romantic relationship, you may also want to reassess that, as well. If you don’t think you can fix things, then why bother sticking around with a partner who you aren’t completely committed to? Weeding out the good, the bad, and the ugly in your social life is like breathing fresh air into your free time which can now be filled with positivity and fun.

year2.jpg

Pixabay Image

Change Up Your Diet: Sick of feeling tired and lethargic every day? If you do feel this way regularly, you might find that small changes in your diet make a huge difference. Try not to eat so many starchy carbs and instead eat fresh green vegetables, grains, and lentils. They are bursting with nutrients and energy, and will keep you going until the evening!

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about 2017. Make these updates and reap all the benefits! What are your new year’s resolutions? What are you looking forward to in 2017? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan1

Happy New Year!

Posted on by
Standard
Happy New Year!

Hello everyone and happy happy New Year!! I hope all of you are having a wonderful time ringing in 2017! I, for one, am so excited to push 2016 aside and begin a fresh new year both in my life and here on lifewithlilred. Despite the excitement and anticipation that comes with entering into a new year, I am pretty bad at celebrating it because I NEVER make New Year’s Resolutions!

Lol, I guess I figure that if I want to do something like exercise more or lose a couple of pounds, I will do it when I feel like it as opposed to feeling obligated to doing it for the new year. Instead, I just try to focus my energy on things like *trying* to be a nice, well rounded person while dedicating myself to things like my work, family, pets, volunteer work, and friends.

But, no matter which way you cut it, I think we all can agree that the new year is a perfect time to make improvements. Whether you’re about to hit the gym or stop binge drinking every Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday the new year is the time to bring about healthy changes and a new perspective in your life. For 2017, I encourage my beloved readers and blogging family to practice kindness to everyone that they encounter to do their share in making the world a somewhat more tolerable place! 🙂

Happy 2017, everyone! Enjoy the rest of the holiday season and your new year’s celebrations and also: BYE 2016, ya bish. What is your New Year’s Resolution for 2017? What was your favorite or least favorite part about 2016 (or both!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Now, enjoy some new year’s themed music by a few of my faves: