Hi, my name is Tamara de Weijer and from the first issue of Santé magazine of this year you can find me with a regular column about nutrition, lifestyle and health. You can watch my vlogs afterwards on Sante.nl. It's really nice to share my knowledge and experience with you every month!
The first edition of my vlogs is about good intentions. Most of us know it, the holidays are over, January has started and we are full of New Year's resolutions. For example, losing some weight, less stress, sleeping better… And many people fall into the same trap, changing far too much at the same time. Eating healthier, less alcohol, running three times a week, going to bed on time, less time on your screen, meditating every day… A few manage to keep this up, but most people don't. How is this possible? That's because your brain doesn't like change at all, it prefers to keep everything as it is. So everything I mentioned earlier your brain sees as a sacrifice, something it really doesn't feel like doing.
Read also: 'Good intentions for your skin'
So what if you take a completely different approach this year? What if I asked you the question:what makes you get out of bed in the morning? What gives your life meaning and what gives you meaning in life? Because if you know what you're doing it all for, eating healthier, exercising more, relaxing and sleeping will be a lot easier.
Did you know that people who experience that their lives have meaning live longer and grow old healthier? This is evident from research into the 'Blue Zones'. Blue zones are areas in the world where people live to be 100 years or older more often than average. And keeping yourself busy with a meaningful life doesn't have to be very big or heavy, start with small steps. A simple exercise to do is write down three things at the end of the day for a week that made you happy. And if you keep a week that makes you happy, think about what you want more of in 2021. What do you need for that? Have fun with it and see you next time!
Photo Tamara:Brenda van Leeuwen
