These dark December days are the perfect time to curl up on the couch with a big mug of tea and catch up on some reading. I hope you enjoy the interesting articles below with useful tips for a healthy and happy 2015!
On Healthy Living
- Did you hear about the amazing medical breakthroughs that occurred this year? Check out the most exciting health stories of 2014.
- 10 Wellness Trends to Watch in 2015. I’m secretly hoping #3 will make its way to my hometown!
- If you’re thinking about starting the new year with a super strict diet or crazy fitness plan to improve your health, give these 15 small steps to living well and whole a try first.
- Need even more inspiration? Here are 101 revolutionary ways to be healthy. How many of these are you already doing?
- Great advice: Stop working out and DWYLT instead – it will change your life.
- Hunching over your keyboard all day creates tension in your neck, shoulders and lower back. A Cup of Jo shows us six simple stretches for people who sit behind a desk.
- Leo Babauta from Zen Habits rounds up all his best tips for getting in shape in one handy post.
- Going for a walk is one of the simplest yet effective activities to boost your physical and mental health. But if strolling around is a bit too dull for your liking, have a look at these 7 powerful ways to make walking more exciting.
On Living with Chronic Illness
- Being sick isn’t as glamourous as they make it out to be in the movies. What is it really like to be chronically ill?
- Lessons learned from tragedy: “13 Ways I Live My Life With Purpose After Cancer”.
- Liz Obert created a compelling photographic series exploring the double lives of everyday people living with mental illness.
On Psychology
- What if you had the ability to turn your obstacles into opportunities? Ryan Holiday shares 10 strategies from great historical figures for doing just that.
- Proof that tiny habits can make a difference: “How A Password Changed My Life“.
- Shocking: We would rather give ourselves a painful jolt with a battery than spend time alone with our thoughts. Can you ignore digital distractions to stop and think?
- This is such a beautifully written and important message: There’s More To Life Than Being Happy. “Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desire are easily satisfied, and difficult or taxing entanglements are avoided.“
- Fascinating read: “When it comes to your moods and behaviour, your brain isn’t the only one doing the thinking.” Read all about the secrets of your second brain.
On Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
- Kickstart a healthier lifestyle with these 21 small habits that make a big difference!
- Do you want to eat healthy food but struggle to get a homemade dinner on the table each night? Then “How to Get More Time to Cook Healthy Meals” has got just the strategy you need!
- James Clear wrote a great article on ‘the aggregation of marginal gains’: what happens when you improve every tiny thing by 1 percent? A must read if you want to make better decisions on a daily basis.
- One of the main reasons it’s challenging to build healthy habits is that life doesn’t always go as planned. Steve Kamb from NerdFitness offers an interesting solution: Becoming antifragile by preparing yourself for chaos.
- What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life, according to science?
- But Danielle LaPorte makes a good point: What you stop doing is just as important as the things you start doing. What will you put on your ‘Stop Doing’ List in 2015?
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I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas!