We all have habits we need to reset, so I’ve got you covered with four habits you’ll want to break and my four favorite replacements for an optimal you in 2019.

EXERCISE

If your idea of a workout is a brisk walk on a treadmill for 20 mins while checking your social media or email, you need to break that habit. You know it’s not doing you much good! Get active outdoors anytime and anyway you can. My favourite outdoor winter activity is to ski, find what you love to do outdoors and try to do more of it.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) can also help boost your immune system. (Source) Try the following HIIT circuit. It should take you only 15 minutes or less. The idea is to move through each of the six exercises without taking a break.

  1. 10 push-ups: If you can’t complete a traditional push-up try doing push-ups with your knees resting on the ground.
  2. 10 squats: Keep your feet under your hips and thrust up through your heels. If you need extra assistance, use a chair for added support.
  3. 10 tricep dips: Place your hands on a chair or a low table, with your back to the chair. Put your legs straight out while balancing on your palms. Bending from your elbows, lower as far as you can, then press up to the original position. Engage that core!
  4. 20 lunges (10 each leg): With your bodyweight in your heels and your toes facing forwards, take a deep lunge forward, keeping your knee above your toes. Alternate legs.
  5. 20 crunches: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart with your hands in the air. Curl up and forward so that your head, neck, and shoulder blades lift off the floor. Hold for a moment at the top of the movement and then lower slowly back down.
  6. 25 jumping jacks: jump from a standing position with legs together and arms at the sides to a position with the legs apart and the arms over the head.
  7. 15 second rest.
  8. Repeat circuit three times.

QUALITY SLEEP

If you’re like the majority of people, you spend more than seven hours a day looking at one of four screens and you need to break that habit – especially before bed. The blue light emitted from your smart device, computer screen, television or tablet interrupts your circadian rhythm, which controls the sleep-wake cycle. (Source) This in turn impacts your overall health. Instead, try reading 30 minutes before bed with a dim non-LED light. If you must be on a screen, wear blue blockers (yellow lensed glasses). This will ensure efficient melatonin production prior to clocking the necessary seven to eight hours of quality sleep for a healthier you.ENRICHMENT

You already know what I’m going to say, but I’ll say it anyway since there is no better dietary habit to break: ditch the sugar and refined carbohydrates already! It creates fats and depresses your immune system. (Source) (Source) Switch out pasta for shirataki noodles, sugar for xylitol, bread for gluten-free black rice bread, and potato chips with creamy dips for blue corn chips with salsa. More importantly, limit all the aforementioned.

Remember to eat seven servings of fruits and veggies every day and make sure you get every colour of the rainbow. (Source) Another way to empower your immune system to fight against cold and flu is to take COLD-FX daily. I do. It’s made from North American ginseng extract and indicated to help reduce the frequency, severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms. To be sure this product is right for you, always read and follow the label.

DESTRESS

Stress is North America’s #1 silent killer contributing to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer. (Source) It turns out, the rhythm of your heartbeat will impact the brain during stressful or negative emotions and has a profound effect on the brain’s emotional processes. (Source)

Heart rate variability (HRV) increases when you take deep breaths. (Source) It also increases during relaxing and recovering activities. HRV decreases during stress. (Source) (Source) Think about it: when you are in a stressful situation you breathe quickly and usually from your upper chest with a tight stomach. In this case, your heart beats faster and with less variability (you’re in a mode we call “fight or flight”). When you are relaxed, your heart beats quicker during inhalation but more slowly during exhalation. (If you can find your pulse, give this a try!) Studies demonstrate that the highest value of the HRV is associated with a healthy heart, nervous system and immune function. (Source) Where am I going with all this? Break the habit of holding in your stomach and breathing shallow breaths. Relax, drop your shoulders, and take deep belly breaths for two minutes at a time as often as you can throughout the day.

  • After touching garbage

A Cochrane Systemic Review concluded the highest quality randomized control trials suggest respiratory virus spread can be prevented by hygienic measures, such as hand washing, especially around younger children 5.

Stay healthy, my friends, and have a great #YOUseason!

To be sure this product is right for you, always read and follow the label.