You’ve heard the saying – ‘health is wealth’! Being healthy doesn’t have to be difficult. Try these small steps that lead to a healthier you!
Prioritise Sleep
Good quality sleep plays a critical role in our physical health as it is involved in the healing and repair of tissues, it boosts our immunity, it promotes better moods and helps with our productivity!
Enjoying great sleep also impacts our ability to manage our weight so if you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces ghrelin- a hormone that boosts appetite and decreases leptin- a hormone that tells us that we’re full. A cocktail of these 2 hormones together produces a dangerous combo!
Aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep means that when you wake, you’ll already be on the front foot for a great day!
Manage Stress
While our bodies were designed to leap into action when being chased by a sabre-toothed tiger (fight or flight), they weren’t designed to be in a perpetual state of stress for long, sustained periods of time! In this day and age, our stress response can be switched on when we log in and find 150 unanswered emails or when we are rushing from one commitment to another!
Practise relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga or massage. Even try spending time in nature, connecting with family and friends or setting aside time for hobbies such as reading or listening to music.
Regularly Moving Your Body
There are numerous benefits of movement. It’s common for us to get bogged down with what to do and how often to do it. The key is to just start!
Start with a walk around the block, some vigorous housework or time spent in the garden!
Find something you enjoy doing and recruit a friend to do it with. Aim to include 2-3 sessions per week. Doing something is always better than doing nothing!
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water is another small step that will lead to a healthier you! Drinking more water give you more energy, less brain fog and more clarity. It also helps to eliminate the toxins in your body and gives you a much better sense of wellbeing.
Fill up a drink bottle and be sure to sip away at it throughout the day. Have it on your desk, pop it in your handbag or use an app as a reminder to drink!
Increase Your Veggie Intake
When it comes to our nutrition, we can tend to focus on eating ‘less of’. Less processed food, less sugar, takeaways, coffee or alcohol. Sometimes it can be a better approach to focus on ‘more of’ as it naturally tends to crowd out those less desirable food choices. Veggies provide important nutrients that fight disease and ageing. You don’t have to wait long to feel the benefits.
Add a side of spinach to breakfast or a smoothie, more salad to a sandwich, some veggies sticks with hummus as a snack or fill up half your plate with veggies at dinner time.
