Four Simple Ways to Improve your Health this Year

With so much chaos, confusion and uncertainty around, it’s good to come back to simplifying our lives wherever possible.

And keeping things down to earth and manageable for clients is my signature. In a world that likes to over complicate things, we crave the simple tried-and-tested techniques that work.

Your health is the perfect example. There are so many different diets, supplements and exercise routines, not to mention thousands of self help books. Where do you begin?

With a time-honoured foundation of putting the things in place that actually work.

If you aim to put the following four ideas in place over the coming year you’ll find your health gradually improves, you’re setting the foundation to build new positive habits and you’ll feel happier and energised.

Hydrate

Most of the people who come to see me for allergy testing are dehydrated. There’s a quick and simple test I can do, using kinesiology, to tell in an instant whether you are hydrated. But let’s assume that you don’t drink enough water and / or drink too much tea, coffee and soft drinks, because that’s what I see in the clinic.

A simple habit to bring into your life is to gradually drink more water. I’m not asking you to reduce other drinks, but just add the water – start with a small bottle of water that you carry with you during the morning, preferably at room temperature, and take frequent sips.

There is no magic amount that is right for everybody; we are all individuals, but aim to build up to 1 1/2 litres a day and you’ll be feeling benefits including less headaches and joint pain, clearer thinking, clearer skin and improved digestion.

Add a portion of fruit and vegetables

Depending on who you listen to, guidelines suggest we eat five-10 portions of fruits and vegetables each day. The five-a-day that you’ll most likely be familiar with is based on recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, scientists from Imperial College London discovered that approximately 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide could be potentially prevented every year if people ate 10 portions, or 800 g, of fruit and vegetables a day.

Now, fewer than one in three adults in the UK meet the five-a-day requirement, if you’re currently eating a cereal, sandwich, takeaway-type diet, eating 10 portions a day can feel overwhelming, so just start small.

Introduce a piece of fruit with your breakfast and a salad with your lunch and go from there. View this as a time to experiment with new tastes and textures. Instead of worrying about how much you’re eating, just enjoy eating a different range of colours for maximum benefits.

To find out more about specific fruits and vegetables and their impact on health, read the research here. When you’re feeling more adventurous, here are recipes that include three portions of the daily amount of fruit and veg.

Reduce toxins

Products we use every day contain a wide range of synthetic chemicals. Many of these are harmless, but some – found in electronics, carpets, personal care products, plastics and cleaning products can be harmful to your health.

There are certain things that we have no control over, such as the air you breathe when you walk down a city street, but in your own home, you can make choices that support your health.

Remember the aim here is to take small, manageable baby steps, so pick just one thing, make it a habit and then choose another.

For example you might swap to an eco friendly laundry powder or dishwashing liquid. If you fancy a new hobby, it’s fun, safe (as long as you follow the directions properly) and cheap to make your own household cleaning products from kitchen ingredients such as vinegar, lemons and bicarbonate of soda.

If you’re doing these things already, you might consider researching the impact of your period protection. Yoppie, who are dedicated to providing 100% certified organic cotton products told me that non-organic products may contain potentially harmful chemicals that can be bad for our bodies.

They went on to tell me that non-organic tampons can potentially contain carbon disulfide, toluene and m,p-Xylene which are reproductive toxicants. Methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate and heptane which can cause irritation. Hexane which is a neurotoxin, as well as methylene chloride which is carcinogenic.

Non-organic pads also contain harmful chemicals and hazardous ingredients which can include dioxins and furans, pesticide residues, unknown fragrance chemicals, and also adhesive chemicals such as methyldibromo glutaronitrile. All of which brings risks of cancer, reproductive harm and even allergic reactions.

Take a walk

At the beginning of lockdown in March 2020, we were encouraged to take one hour of exercise outdoors. If you think about it, this was one of the benefits of the pandemic!

Sales of bikes soared by 63%, and people who had never walked before, grabbed a pair of trainers and got to it.

Advocates suggest that walking is just about one of the best exercises there is. It’s low impact, can build stamina, as well as lower blood pressure, improve circulation and increase endorphins; the ‘happy hormones’ that help improve our mental health.

Walking doesn’t require any special equipment, except a supportive pair of shoes, you don’t have to go anywhere, except outside your front door and you don’t need to take a class to learn how to do it. Plus you get the physical and mental benefits of being immersed in nature, which you can read more about here.

Hopefully these ideas feel doable, rather than overwhelming and you can start to incorporate them into your life.

If you need help getting new habits to stick, contact us today for help with EFT – a brilliant tool to get past your limiting beliefs and on the road to success.

 

 

 

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