Did you know that we often unwittingly ingest much more sugar than is good for us? Sugar is everywhere and is hidden in all kinds of foods. Not only in sweets and soft drinks, but also in many everyday foods such as breakfast cereals, bread, yoghurt and sauces.
Why is it better to cut down on sugar?
Sugar may provide energy, but too much sugar can lead to all kinds of health problems. By moderating your sugar intake, you can:
A healthier lifestyle by being more sugar conscious. How to achieve this.
– Check the Ingredient List: Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. If sugar is one of the first ingredients, the product contains a lot of sugar.
– Note the different names for sugar such as fructose, dextrose, agave syrup and so on.
– Note the nutritional value per serving: The listed sugar content is often given per small serving, while the actual consumption is usually larger.
Would you like to know more about how to read labels and avoid sugar? Then read the Diabetes Fund’s article ‘How to read a label’.
We live in a busy world, full of events that affect our lives and our energy. But how often do you ask yourself what really influences you or drains your energy? I like to use Stephen Covey ‘s concepts of the Circles of Influence and Engagement to deal with this.
The Circle of Influence includes all aspects of your life over which you have direct control: your own behavior, your reactions, your thoughts, your choices, your goals and the actions to achieve them. But also your attitude, mindset, values and way of communicating. By being aware of these and actively working to improve them, you increase your influence, which has a positive effect on your life.
The Circle of Involvement includes things you worry about but have no direct control over, such as other people’s behaviors and decisions, the economy or world events. By learning to deal with these in a healthy and more productive way, you can improve your sense of control and well-being.
So both circles encompass different aspects of your life but are closely related and overlapping. However, it is essential to know the distinction between these two circles. Focusing on what you can change (Circle of Influence) increases your effectiveness and control which has a positive effect on your life. Whereas focusing on things you have no control over (Circle of Involvement) can actually lead to stress.
An important part of increasing your circle of influence is proactive behavior rather than just being reactive. By being proactive rather than reactive and focusing on what is truly within your control, you not only increase your impact but also increase your life energy. Therefore, stop wasting your energy on the unchangeable and focus more on what you can influence and thus better balance your energy.
Book tip: “De Zeven Eigenschappen van Effectief Leiderschap” from Stephen R. Covey.
A few years ago, Wandelnet called the national campaign “Walk during your working day” (WTJW) into existence to get people to move more while working. With an average of no less than 8.9 sitting hours per day in 2022, the Dutch are European champions of sitting, according to research firm TNO. And that despite the fact that we all know that exercise is good for you, both physically and mentally.
Walking not only improves our physical health by lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but it also has an undeniably positive effect on our mental health. A daily walk can reduce stress, improve mood and even increase creativity.
That’s why Wandelnet challenges employees to take a stroll during their workday every first Thursday in April. One stroll won’t make a difference, of course; the real goal of the campaign is to raise awareness. So that it doesn’t just stop at that one walk but becomes a regular part of your workday.
It may seem challenging to incorporate strolls into a busy workday, but it is surprisingly easy to get started. Here are some tips:
Two videos that fit this theme perfectly.
A short informative video of Prof. Dr. Erik Scherder: waarom wandelen goed is voor je brein
And for a bit of humor … because a good laugh can be as refreshing as an afternoon stroll, this fun clip from Koefnoen ‘dood aan de stoel’
Have you set good resolutions for this year such as losing weight, exercising weekly or spending more time on yourself?
Often we see that good resolutions fade after a while. Research shows that many people have trouble sustaining new behaviors for a long time. John C. Norcross found that two-thirds of people with good resolutions give up after a month, and after two years only 20% continue the change.
Resolutions require different behaviors and new habits. But did you know that it takes an average of 66 days to learn a new habit – such as drinking more water or exercising more often? So says research by Philippa Lally.
This is why Vitalogy Day is 66 days after the first of January. It is time to reflect on our resolutions and possibly start over!
Ben Tiggelaar explains in his book the Ladder how to effectively change behavior.
Step 1: goal
First, set a learning goal for yourself. Where do you want to go? Formulate a clear why and why now? Start small. This makes it easier to take action and measure progress. If you have more than one goal, make a clear priority list.
And remember: Learning is trial and error, it’s part of the process, so don’t give up too quickly!
Step 2: behavior
Your goal requires new behavior. Make that concrete! Don’t say “I want to exercise more,” say “I’m going to run half an hour twice a week.” That way you know exactly what you have to do. Use as a rule of thumb that you must be able to demonstrate and imitate the new behavior. Also ask yourself:
Start small and simple and choose behaviors you like.
Stap 3: support
Denk bij support aan ondersteuning uit je omgeving. Denk breed; aan mensen die je kunnen helpen maar ook aan hulpmiddelen zoals een training of een dagboek of een app op je telefoon om je voortgang bij te houden.
Step 3: support
Think about support from those around you. Think broadly; people who can help you but also tools such as a workout or a journal or an app on your phone to track your progress.
Check the summary of Ben Tiggelaar’s talk at The Justice Conference 2018 here.
On Feb. 8, we celebrate Confidence Day, and self-confidence is the key to personal growth, success and overcoming challenges. Let’s reflect together on this powerful inner tool and discover how we can cultivate it in our daily lives.
But first, let’s understand what self-confidence actually is. It has everything to do with how you look at yourself. It’s about appreciating and respecting yourself with your strengths and weaknesses. It also represents a realistic view of your own abilities.
Why is self-confidence so important? Well, it forms the basis of a healthy self-image and the ability to achieve goals. It enables us to face life’s obstacles with courage. A healthy dose of self-confidence not only promotes personal growth, but also has positive effects on our relationships and professional performance. But why do we sometimes lack self-confidence? It can have several causes, including negative experiences, self-criticism, perfectionism, social pressure and comparison with others. It can all contribute to doubts about your own abilities.
The key to building self-confidence often lies in our mindset. Carol Dweck, a leading psychologist, distinguishes two types of mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
A fixed mindset sees talents as immutable and avoids challenges for fear of failure. They hide shortcomings and react defensively to mistakes because they believe mistakes indicate a lack of talent.
A growth mindset, on the other hand, believes that you can grow as a person by accepting challenges, experimenting, practicing too much, persevering in the face of setbacks and being open to feedback. They believe that making mistakes is part of the learning process; it allows for growth.
A growth mindset and fixed mindset are both okay. Growing with a growth mindset means taking active steps and seeing mistakes as contributing to self-confidence. In contrast, building self-confidence with a fixed mindset feels like an arduous task, where obstacles reinforce feelings of inadequacy and fear of mistakes is prohibitive.
In her book, Carol Dweck shares four steps to further develop your growth mindset:
Exercises can help you develop a growth mindset:
Building a growth mindset takes time, commitment and perseverance but its positive impact on your self-confidence and personal growth is absolutely worth it.
This blog highlighted the powerful link between your self-confidence and mindset. A fixed mindset makes it difficult to increase self-confidence, while a growth mindset contributes to self-confidence. Get started with the exercises today!
Discover more? Here are some more resources:
Book Tips: Carol Dweck: Mindset. Change the way you think to achieve your goals Michael Pilarczyk: Master your Mindset. Live your best life
Videos: Michael Pilarczyk has shared several videos on YouTube on this topic. Especially watch his short video on self-confidence and the one asking: Do you believe in yourself?