OH! Magazine - Australian Version September 2018 | Page 15

( FOOD & NUTRITION )
FIVE TIPS FOR A
HEALTHIER YOU
DR
JOANNA
Dr Joanna shares these simple tips to boost your health.
aking vague resolutions to eat less
sugar or do more exercise really
won’t improve your health. Make right
now the time to get more focused, set
proper goals, and really make a difference
to how you feel for the second half of this
year. Here are five tips to set you on a
healthier path for the remainder of 2018. drink a glass of water upon waking, and
then at least one every hour – more when
it’s hot or during exercise. The goal is to
produce pale, straw-coloured urine –
that’s your signal that you are well
hydrated.
1. Embrace whole foods and cut the junk Unfortunately, today’s world is often more
challenging on our brain than our body, at
least for many of us. So unless you have
a physically active job, you need to
consciously build activity and movement
into your day because sitting for more
than eight hours a day, can be highly
detrimental to your health and wellbeing.
Think of ways to break up your time spent
sitting with movement. Invest in a
standing desk where you can alternate
between sitting and standing. Walk at
least part of the way to and from work.
Get a half-hour or 45-minute exercise
class in at lunchtime. Meet a colleague
for a walk instead of a coffee. Spring-
clean the house or spend an afternoon
gardening on the weekend. Join a dance
class or take up yoga. It will all add up to
a healthier, happier you.
M
For optimum health you need to eat a
wide variety of whole foods, including
plenty of plant foods, while minimising
the junk – it really is that simple. The key
is to focus on limiting your intake of fast
food, ultra-processed food, foods with
loads of added sugar and refined fats
(e.g. vegetable oil) and refined carbs (e.g.
biscuits, cakes, burger buns and
pastries). Instead, enjoy meals and
snacks based on veggies, fruit,
wholegrains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fresh
meat, seafood, dairy or dairy alternatives,
and use unrefined oils such as extra virgin
olive oil with proven health benefits. Do
this and you’ll find it easier to control
how much you eat, as the food will be
nutrient-dense. If you do need to lose
weight, cutting out snacks may be all you
need to do.
2. Make water your principal drink
Your body does not need fancy hydrating
drinks, and you are actually not
physiologically designed for our kilojoule
sources to come from fluids. This is
because chewing solid foods plays a role
in triggering your appetite control, and so
if you’re getting too many kilojoules in
fluid form, it can mess with your system
and make it harder to turn down the cues
to eat. Your body is designed to drink
water and always has been, so aim to
3. Move more and sit less
4. Ensure good quality, sufficient sleep
Sleep is so often overlooked. One of the
most common questions I am asked is
‘what can I eat to have more energy?’, yet
when I ask how that person sleeps they
often haven’t considered this may be the
source of their problem! It sounds
blindingly obvious, yet it slips under the
radar, as we often feel pushed to
maximise how much we can get done in a
day. Most adults need seven to nine hours
of sleep a night. You can cope with a
night or two that falls short, but if this
happens continuously then your health –
both physical and mental – will suffer.
Better sleep habits are key. Turn off your
smartphone and all screens at least an
hour before bed to allow your brain time
to wind down. Make sure your bedroom is
quiet and dark. Deal with a snoring
partner! Avoid eating for at least two
hours before bed. And get to bed at a
time that will allow you roughly eight
hours before the alarm goes off.
5. Keep stress levels under control
A certain level of stress is a good thing
and that ideal level varies from person to
person. The right amount of stress keeps
life interesting and exciting, but too
much tips us over into anxiety, poor sleep
and ultimately poorer performance at
work and during our free time. Learn to
recognise your warning signs. If you’re
snapping at your partner and/or the kids
over small things, that’s a pretty clear
sign you are in stress overload. Tossing
and turning in the night, drinking too
much alcohol, turning to bad food as a
mood lifter (it doesn’t work long term) or
just feeling as if you can never reach the
end of your to-do list should all ring alarm
bells. You may not be able to alter the
external stressors, but work out which
ones you can. Then think about how you
deal with your stress. You may feel you
are too busy to get to an exercise class,
but make the time and you might well
find the other hours in the day are more
productive. You may think your mind is
far too busy to meditate, but learn the
skill and suddenly stilling your mind
becomes second nature.
YOU CAN FOLLOW DR JOANNA VIA:
Web: drjoanna.com.au
Facebook: drjoannamcmillan
Twitter: @joannanutrition
Instagram: @drjoannamcmillan
OH! MAGAZINE ( SEPTEMBER 2018 )
15