Focus on the new year and lifestyle

This text was written by a TecMundo columnist; Learn more at the end.

Today a new year begins and it comes with an impact: a new beginning. This is an effect recognized in science and characterized by the human tendency to take into account changes in important dates such as Monday, birthday or new year.

Theoretically, the distance from previous failures left behind is a kind of “lifting Psychologically, it makes us feel differently about what we want to change, and a “new self” that looks at the future more optimistically emerges. So how can we do it differently this time?

It seems like we always want to improve things, right? There is always an aspect of life where we believe we can do a little (or a lot) better.

The fundamental basis for success in our health, relationships, studies, work and leisure is the lifestyle we lead. Science is advancing and increasingly confirming the importance of a set of actions that reflect our attitudes, values ​​and opportunities: lifestyle.

Lifestyle and its components

Lifestyle components include: physical activity, social relationships, stress control, restful sleep, anti-smoking, and preventive behaviors. A healthy biological basis for humans consists of balancing these behaviors.

Victor Hartmann, host of the O Sem Groselha Podcast, one of Brazil’s most successful podcasts, says: “After recording more than 360 episodes with experts from all fields, I realized that the path points to a better life with less pain, more happiness and it means honoring our ancestral past, respecting biological characteristics that cannot be ignored,” says Hartmann. “The future is inherited from our ancestors and we have to fulfill what our biology demands.”.

According to one study, a healthy lifestyle consisting of factors such as no smoking, regular physical activity, adequate sleep and a healthy diet can add five years to life by compensating for 62% of genetic predispositions thought to be bad for longevity. If genetics are not under our control, lifestyle is.

The truth is that we cannot adopt the lifestyle. Change is personal and individual, but remember that the current world is not helping us and our challenge is great.

Modern standard environment

Lifestyle behavior, although simple and basic, suffers from the modern standard environment. Our world encourages us to eat too much (and be undernourished with overly processed foods), move less (because everything is accessible with the flick of our thumbs on our cell phone screen), and sleep less than necessary (because we suffer from overeating). stimuli).

“The environment of industrialized societies is a storm of what our bodies need.”

The enemies of well-being today include such phenomena as excessive use of mobile phones and social networks, which steal our ability to focus and concentrate due to endless notifications, pornography that disrupts real social relationships, and online games and sports that minimize natural body movements. Bets that destroy the financial health of families.

We perform many of these and other activities while sitting, which increases health risks.

Moreover, according to a nationwide survey, we read very little. The majority of Brazilians (53%) do not read books. We seem to be wasting our precious time with superficial videos on the internet, which gave birth to the phrase “”.brain rot(rotten brain or brain rot) is chosen as the expression of the year 2024 by the Oxford Dictionary.

But how to change it?

First of all, understand that New Year’s Eve is not what will transform you into what you want. The change from December 31st to January 1st may mean nothing if we don’t really change our behavior and maintain healthy habits in the long run.

This is a process that takes place in stages and takes time. Radicalism is therefore frowned upon because it makes it difficult to sustain change.

Whether you want to exercise more, eat better, use your cell phone less, sleep better, drink less alcohol or quit smoking, know that change is gradual and there are progressions and relapses.

Where to start?

Preparation is an important stage as it involves logistics and practical considerations, but the truth is that for many behaviors we experience waiting for the hypothetical perfect moment to begin, we may not realize that it probably does not exist and that it is not possible with physical exercise. Sometimes we just need to take a minimal initial step.

My suggestion is to start with physical exercise. Moving your body creates immediate, medium and long-term transformations. This behavior can act as a core habit and affect others: sleep, eating, stress and relationships.

In practice, many people try to incorporate exercise into their routine, encountering difficulties, but the sacrifice seems so great that this behavior will not be tolerated for the rest of their lives. Avoid the “ripe, then rotten” scenario by paying attention to the intensity of effort at the beginning of your journey. The inclusion of exercise should be carried out in a balanced and specific way. Researcher David Raichlen’s suggestion is “Open the door and take a thousand steps.”

In this process, look for rewards along the way. But they’re not the ones that motivate you to start, because they’ll probably take a while to show up. Notice the faster benefits that occur, such as improving your mood and disposition. Remember that exercise this time of year is a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment for what you eat.

Your environment has a complete impact on your behavior. Therefore, be careful about the content you consume and the people you follow and chat with. In 2025, lifestyle should be everyone’s priority.

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Fábio Dominski He holds a PhD in Human Movement Sciences and a degree in Physical Education from Santa Catarina State University (UDESC). He is a university professor and researcher at the Laboratory of Sport and Exercise Psychology (LAPE/UDESC). he does scientific dissemination on social media and in podcast available on Spotify. Author of Physical Exercise and Science – Facts and Myths.