HEALTH + WELLNESS
NEW YEAR ,
NEW YOU …
Simple steps to starting the year the right way
“ AS HUMAN BEINGS , OUR GREATNESS LIES NOT SO MUCH IN BEING ABLE TO REMAKE THE WORLD – THAT IS THE MYTH OF THE ATOMIC AGE – AS IN BEING ABLE TO REMAKE OURSELVES .” THE WORDS OF MAHATMA GANDHI , AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN AND A TRUE EXCEPTION TO THE LIMITATIONS THAT SEEM TO HOLD BACK MOST OF THE HUMAN RACE . THANKFULLY FOR THE REST OF US , IT ’ S STILL THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND IT ’ S NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE SOME POSITIVE CHANGES , SO , IN THE SPIRIT OF GANDHI HIMSELF , WE ’ VE HAD A THINK ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN ALL REMAKE OURSELVES FOR THE GREATER GOOD . HERE GOES NOTHING … BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
BODY
Stop using pollutants
Our bodies are made up of 70 percent water and almost all plants and animals need it to survive , yet it ’ s estimated that only 2 per cent of all the water left on our planet is drinkable , and that most of that is polluted anyway . Why ? Because of all of the waste we keep pumping into it . Containing contaminants that range from suntan lotion to hair dye , facial wipes and lipstick , our planet ' s lakes , rivers , streams , and groundwater are becoming a dangerous chemical cocktail , so look into what impact your beauty products are having on the environment ( and by proxy on your health ) and source anti-polluting alternatives wherever possible .
Think about your eating habits
Without naming names , did you know that a particularly popular fizzy drink contains at least six potentially very harmful chemical additives ? Researching what you eat will highlight things like whether it contains toxic GMOs ( genetically modified organisms ); whether the eggs you eat are laid by hens cruelly kept in tiny cages ; whether the meat you ’ re buying is factory farmed and treated with hormones or antibiotics ; and whether the vegetables you ’ re eating have been picked by someone paid a pittance – all of which should be avoided . Meat-free Monday is a great initiative to introduce too ; having one vegetarian meal a week might not seem like a big deal , but raising livestock emits a massive amount of greenhouse gases and cutting meat out just once a week has the same positive environmental impact as driving a hybrid car .
Exercise
Regular exercise isn ’ t just a brilliant way for you personally to get a free hit of happy hormone , endorphin , it ’ s also undeniably good for your health , which in turn means less trips to the doctor and less strain on our already stretched NHS . Plus , we live in a society where ( whether consciously or not ) we are constantly comparing ourselves to others – with fitness , your only competition is yourself , so you ’ ll start to feel more confident and less concerned with the ins and outs of other people ’ s lives too .
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