Healthy into the new year!

Happy New Year! Let’s all hope that 2025 has a lot of great things in store for us. We all just deserve it. Being and staying healthy is a great aspiration for the new year and often good resolutions revolve around that. Do you have a whole list of good intentions for 2025 or do you not? Resolutions are hard to keep if you don’t really support them. So how can you go into the new year healthy and keep it up? We have the best tips for you!

Healthy and still fun!

Healthy and fun often do not go hand in hand. Because who doesn’t like good food and wine? Don’t be too hard on yourself and try to eat a variety of foods and save the wine for the weekend. Not a fan of vegetables? Hide the vegetables in a sauce for pasta, in a soup or in a puff pastry. A vegetable-based waffle is also always a fun and healthy idea!

Cutting down on meat is also good for you and the environment. You really don’t have to become a vegetarian right away. There are very tasty meat substitutes. You can find them at the supermarket or at the Vegetarian Butcher. Sometimes not even distinguishable from real meat!

Nice and active

You also don’t have to sign up at the gym right away in January. If you don’t like something at first, do you really think you’re going to stick with it? It’s often fun for a few months and then it’s a waste of money. After all, it’s not cheap! You can exercise in many different ways. Leave the car at home more often and take the bike. In the winter it may not sound very appealing, but getting some fresh air in the winter by bike is wonderful!

Or go for a nice walk. This is not only very healthy, but also very sociable and therefore easy to keep up! Walking is fun and enjoyable in any season. For example, go to the beach or to the forest! Or spend an evening on the dance floor! You don’t necessarily have to be a member of a sports club to be healthy. You just need to adjust some things in your daily routine.

Healthy for your head

Everyone is busy, some more than others. And in the long run, all that running and flying really isn’t good for you. You get stressed out and, in the worst case scenario, can even get burnout. And that’s really something you don’t want, because the recovery is long. Unfortunately, I know that from experience. I’m still very busy, but I do try to take care of as many moments of rest as possible. Me-time in other words! And that can be as little as 15 minutes a day. Just read a book, listen to some music, watch Netflix or pick up a puzzle book. Because the latter also trains your brain.

Yoga and meditation

Both physically and mentally very good for you: yoga and meditation. There are many different types of yoga. You can make it as strenuous for yourself as you want. Perhaps it is wise not to start immediately with the Bikram variant. Here you do yoga in a room where it is very hot. I found it very heavy and I was sweating all over. Also nothing for you? Don’t worry: there are a total of 8 forms of yoga. And the nice thing is, you can easily do yoga at home!

Hatha Yoga is the most classic form where you make your body flexible and strong. Yoga Nidra is also called the Yoga of Sleep. This form is the most peaceful and works perfectly for people with sleep problems. Yin Yoga is mainly for unwinding. This form is also very good for your joints and connective tissues. Ashtanga Yoga is a spirited one. In a high tempo you go through a fixed program of yoga exercises. Vinyasa Yoga is similar to this, but does not follow a strict schedule so it feels more varied. Power Yoga is especially suitable for people who want a tighter body, more fitness and muscle mass. Kundalina Yoga is a dynamic form of yoga that focuses mainly on breathing techniques, mantras, chakras and meditation.

Online yoga can be followed via YouTube, for example. Yoga With Adrienne is great for beginners! She has lots of different videos on YouTube so you can get started right away, all you need is a mat. Prefer a Dutch-speaking yoga class? Then follow the classes of Yoga with Milou.

Meditation is a very nice way to clear your head. You can meditate in 5 minutes a day. You have to learn it, you are often thinking too much anyway. When your mind wanders you actually have to make yourself aware of the fact that you are meditating. A good way to learn to meditate is through an app. There are several (free) apps available for Android and I-phone. So sit down in a quiet place and just try it!

Let yourself be pampered

What is also very healthy and fun is to enjoy a spa treatment with a friend once in a while. Now that’s not possible until at least January 19, but after that I hope we will! A massage, a facial, a good haircut, you know the drill. Pamper yourself at a beauty salon or wellness center. For example, enjoy a wonderful float session at Blitz Wellness in Heemstede or pamper yourself with a massage. A sauna visit should also actually be given on prescription. Very healthy, also for your skin!

A visit to the hairdresser is also always a great time to compulsorily unwind. For example, pay a visit to Quinto Kappers in Bleiswijk or Berkel en Rodenrijs. They too are closed for now, but it’s great to look forward to! We hope that with these tips you can start the new year healthy. And keep it up, of course!

Credits photos: www.canva.com