Does your life need a major overhaul?

Stress at work, too little trust in your body, relationship problems or a little more appetite than would be good for you — you've probably thought about how you could get your life back on track. As always, it is the small steps that count in order to make long-lasting changes. With that in mind, we've put together a few effective and simple tips for making positive life changes.

Get up!

It's simple, but it's not always easy — especially when you're working in an office. Sitting for long periods of time builds up sugar, fat and insulin in the blood, which in turn slows down metabolism and facial gain. Get up every 20 minutes and walk a short distance to counteract this damaging process — your body will thank you for it. Even if you work out regularly, this simple tip is recommended for sedentary activities. Scientific studies have shown that more than half of the female participants who worked out regularly gained weight because they felt they deserved to be less active afterwards.

Turn off the juice from energy suckers

Your mental and emotional health depends largely on your social environment and intimate relationships. You may think you have no control over it—but in reality, you can change it. First, think of the five people you spend the most time with. Would you like to have their satisfaction? Ambition? Kindness? We are social beings — and we learn about other people's character traits and adopt them. When your friends or partner pull you down, break away from them and save your time and energy to invest them in new, more balanced relationships.

That's what you should eat

The many, sometimes contradictory, nutritional tips that you get every day make it difficult to distinguish superfood from supertrend. But proper nutrition can have a huge effect on life. Choose from everything — lots of fruit, vegetables, fish, lean meats, nuts, legumes and whole grains. Avoid added sugar in the form of cakes, cookies, and lemonades — swap sugar for healthy alternatives such as honey and maple syrup, and only eat chocolate if it contains at least 70% cocoa.

Learn something new

There is plenty of evidence that learning something new has a positive effect on wellbeing and self-confidence. Not only is it good on a psychological level, but it can result in a new job, a new hobby, and even new friends. When you're really passionate about a new hobby, you create something psychologists call “flow” — the state in which you forget time and space because the activity engages you. Thanks to today's technology, there is virtually nothing you can't learn — from salsa dancing to surfing, from creating a homepage to becoming an amateur winemaker.

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