Pro Tips And Practical Products To Help You Build Healthy And Sustainable Habits This Year

Building a habit is the foundation of any successful endeavor. When it comes to maintaining or working towards getting a healthier and fitter body, establishing something as a habit is the key to achieving your desired results. Sustainability can only be achieved when you start to embrace all the effort and work that need to go into your routine.

As we start this year strong, here are some pro tips and products that will help you create better routines and habits to help you accomplish your health and wellness goals this year.  

Train safely.

Running is one of our favorite cardio activities because it’s fun to do it with friends, it’s easy to get into, and it doesn’t need overly complicated equipment or memberships. However, just like other physical activities, competitive and intense running comes with the risk of injuries.

Nike encourages us to always train safely, this is why they came out with the Nike React Infinity Run 2 and Nike ZoomX Invincible Run to serve everyday runners. These new running shoes are some of the best in terms of cushioning, stability, and rocker geometry, providing protection against common runner injuries. The Nike React Infinity Run 2 is now available in select Nike Park, while the ZoomX Invincible Run will be available starting February 11.

Break down your big dream into small, realistic steps.

We all have goals that we want to achieve in life—build a two-story home, buy a car, start a business, or have that dream body. When thinking about how we can achieve these big goals, the realistic way to go about it is to come up with easy and doable tasks that will allow you to slowly build up and reach those goals.

If your goal, for example, is to have a healthier and fitter body, you can start small and build on these simple habits so that you’re working towards it sustainably.

To achieve your fitness goals, you can keep track of your fitness data and adjust to the little changes in your body by using a wearable tracker like Fitbit. With a Fitbit watch, you can track your heart rate during an exercise for optimum cardio intensity, optimize your sleep, set a goal for the day, track your distance and pace when you’re running outside, and so much more.

Invest in your goals.

Achieving our dreams and goals comes at a price—time, effort, and sometimes, money. When we’re working towards our fitness goals, for example, it’s only fair to invest in ourselves to make the journey smoother, safer, and more efficient.

If you’re looking to pick up a new sport or elevate your workout routines this year, you’ll find that good quality sportswear go a long way. Not only do you feel motivated to keep grinding and working at it, but there’s also the security that your gear won’t let you down when you’re working at your hardest.

Take advantage of Under Armour’s End of Season Sale, which is happening until January 31 to score amazing deals on top-notch trainers, apparel, and other sporting goods. Get up to 60% off on select Under Armour items if you buy in-store or through their Viber & Collect group. Check out @AthletesProPH on Instagram for the full list of Under Armour stores and join their Viber group.

Boost your immunit.

Vitamin C has always been the top choice for many, since the daily intake of this vitamin can help boost your family’s immunity. In fact, even though there is no cure or preventive medicine for COVID-19 yet, many hospitals and researchers found that both oral and IV doses of vitamin C treatment may aid people admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) for critical illnesses such as COVID-19.

Make Vitamin C a part of your daily routine for 2021, to strengthen your body and protect your loved ones from getting sick too. Check out Cecon Ascorbic Acid, which is available in Mercury Drug, Watsons, and Southstar Drug outlets nationwide.

Don’t forget to work on your hygiene.

Sometimes, we fall into the trap of focusing so much on the aesthetics—how good our dress looks, how glammed up our makeup is, or how refreshing our perfume smells. 

Focusing on our overall hygiene is the thrust of Gumtect Toothpaste, the first Filipino gum formula toothpaste professionally accepted by the Philippine Dental Association. Overall hygiene also includes gum care, which when taken for granted, leads to tooth hypersensitivity or pangingilo. Gumtect takes care of this since it’s specially designed to promote healthier teeth and gums.

With a virus still out and about, personal hygiene is of utmost importance. Dress up, glam yourself up, but don't forget to take care of your gums as well to further boost your confidence level.

Embrace your insecurities.

This is the expert advice of Tyff Short, founder and owner of One Earth Organics: “Embrace your insecurities.” Dark underarms, thigh burns, and problematic bikini areas are some of the biggest insecurities women are afraid to talk about. But Tyff established her brand precisely to create a safe avenue for women to address their skin and beauty needs.

One Earth Organics is a proudly Filipino brand that offers organic products for the body, face, and overall skincare. If you’re looking to start your business this year, this may be the perfect opportunity for you! If you’re passionate about helping others embrace their diversity and uniqueness, One Earth Organics has business packages for interested franchisees, distributors, and resellers. Sign up on their website to know more.

Choose more sustainable options.

Leading a more sustainable life can be tricky especially in a world filled with single-use items for the sake of convenience and cost-cutting. But with the world getting more resource-depleted each day, it’s up to our individual efforts to help create change in the society.

One of the things that you can easily shift to if you want to live more sustainably is shifting to menstrual cups. Did you know that 400 million pounds of non-biodegradable sanitary pads and tampons end up in landfills every day? A reusable menstrual cup like this one from Sati saves you from adding to this plastic waste and even saves you money in the long run because you don’t have to keep buying pads whenever you have your period.

If you’re ready to make this shift, check out the Sati Menstrual Cup on Instagram.

Add more plant-based food to your diet.

It's not only vegans or vegetarians who can (and should!) appreciate plant-based food. Eating more plant-based food helps improve your gut health so your body can absorb nutrients better. The fiber present in them also lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar, and helps in good bowel management.

This is why it’s nice to know that more places like Starbucks are offering plant-based options for those who’d like to eat better and healthier. They now have a plant-based lasagna made with vegan cheese and noodles, a BBQ mochi bun stuffed with sweet plant-based Asian BBQ filling, and mince rolls stuffed with a plant-based ground patty.

Seek help when you need it.

Your fitness journey is different from others’ fitness journey. Some prefer to workout at home, some prefer to go to the gym. Some follow specific workout routines, while others like to double down on cutting calories through their diet. Your fitness journey is your own journey, so embrace it. But sometimes, it's best to seek the help of experts to guide us on what the best way is to go about our chosen path.

Rebel is a new fitness app created by Erwan Heussaff and Nico Bolzico to help more people find a workout and healthy lifestyle that complements their needs. And four months into the app’s release, they are now launching Rebel+, the premium subscription service under the free-to-use app.

Subscribing to Rebel+ opens up hundreds of new content, videos, full access to their new 30-day Rebel Resolution program, and exclusive live workouts. Subscription is P249 a month or P1499 a year. If you’re interested, hurry because the first 1,000 users to sign up will get a 30-day free trial.