Bonitas Member Magazine B-Living Issue 4 | Page 28

Resolve to stay healthy
Making a health-related new year’s resolution can be a challenge to maintain, but is a powerful step in the direction of
creating an overall healthy lifestyle. As you head into 2018, consider some of these age-old health resolutions, while
motivating and rewarding yourself along the journey to a healthy and happy life.
Don’t focus on dieting Sleep eight hours a night
Focus on eating healthy foods every two to three hours.
Skipping meals won’t make you lose weight and will just
make you hungrier. Eliminate unhealthy products such as
chips and sodas from your fridge and kitchen cupboard.
Then restock with nutritious options such as carrots and
air-popped popcorn. You can track what you eat with an
online kilojoule counter so you know what foods you are
putting into your body. Studies confirm you need at least eight hours of sleep
a night, as not getting enough sleep puts you at risk
of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease,
anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment, slower motor
function and mood swings. Keeping a fatigue diary can
help you pinpoint the time of day you feel tired and
help you make adjustments. So, if you’re tired in the
afternoon, maybe you need to rethink what you eat for
lunch.
Get moving
To build a healthy body and burn kilojoules at a faster
rate, you need to incorporate exercise into your life.
If you prefer not to go to the gym, try going for walks,
dancing or copying a fitness routine from the internet.
If you haven’t exercised in a while, talk to your doctor to
make sure you are healthy enough to start your exercise
plan.
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Reduce sugar and caffeine intake
The first step to cutting back on sugar and caffeine is
tracking how much sugar and caffeine you consume in
a day by paying attention to nutrition labels on foods
and beverages, as well as over-the-counter pain relievers,
which can contain caffeine. Keep a log of these numbers
and compare them to the recommended amounts for
consumption of caffeine and sugar.
B-Living Issue 4, 2017