of your intake . Beverages sweetened with sugar , such as soft drinks or juice , alcohol , café-style coffees , and milkshakes , should not be your main source of hydration . If you don ’ t like the taste of plain water , try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice , mint leaves or fruit pieces to add some flavour .
GOAL : per day .
Increase your water intake by two to three glasses
To achieve this , assess your daily water intake . Then look for opportunities to drink more . For example , add in a glass at breakfast , drink a glass at morning and afternoon tea , and have a glass before bed .
Start
HABIT
3 an exercise routine
We all know we should exercise , but it ’ s often not the most popular habit to change . Exercise has many health benefits , such as building strong bones and muscles ; reducing the risk of , or managing heart disease and type 2 diabetes ; helping to reduce or maintain weight ; and promoting optimal mental wellbeing , to name a few . It is recommended that every week , you should participate in an accumulated 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity , or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise . If you don ’ t already exercise , remember that doing some activity is better than doing none . You can begin to move more simply by starting to increase your daily steps , and then gradually , you can progress from there . To be successful in maintaining an exercise routine , try and book it into your schedule like an appointment , otherwise other things can get in the way . There are many ways to get more active . Here are a few ideas :
• Increase your incidental exercise ( e . g . walk instead of drive , take the stairs instead of the lift , park your car further away from your destination ).
• Increase your steps by 1000 to 2000 steps per day . First , work out your daily average then try and do 1000 to 2000 more than that , each day .
• Walk around the block for 30 minutes , or take two to three 10-minute walks . Try and complete this for at least two to three days each week .
• Try out different group fitness classes , to find the ones you enjoy the most . Then commit to doing one to three classes per week .
GOAL : Put together an exercise schedule . Note down the days you will be exercising , the time of the day , how long per session , and what you ’ ll be doing ( e . g . increasing your steps , walking , attending a class ). Try including a variety of options into your routine as this will help you avoid getting bored .
Get into good sleep habits
HABIT
4
If you ’ re a night owl , you may need to reconsider your sleep habits , as sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and wellbeing . This is because , while you sleep your body goes into repair and restoration mode ; your brain prepares for the next day ; your body repairs itself ; and your hormones are regulated . Sleep deprivation can affect learning ability and performance . It can result in micro sleeps , increase the risk of obesity , affect your hormonal balance and your immune system ’ s defense against invading pathogens .
According to the Sleep Health Foundation , most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night . How much do you get ? The Sleep Health Foundation also has some good suggestions for a healthy sleep routine including keeping regular times for going to bed and having a consistent relaxation routine that you do one hour before going to bed , which may involve keeping distracting things ( such as devices or TV ) out of the bedroom .
GOAL : Get into a good sleep routine . This means having regular sleep and waking times , to ensure you have seven to nine hours of good quality sleep every night .
While these four habits may seem simple , they can make a big difference to your overall health and wellbeing . The idea behind this Healthy Habit Challenge is to set small goals that are relevant to you , and build on them from there . Work on each one over a week , and then move on to the next habit . If you need additional time to work on your goal , you can continue on the same goal for another week .
Once you ’ ve worked on all four habits , start again and perhaps increase the targets for each goal . Keep working on these goals until you ’ ve gotten them down pat . Good luck !
REFERENCES
• Australian Bureau of Statistics , 2016 , 4364.0.55.001 – National Health Survey : First Results , 2014-15 , Daily Intake Of Fruit And Vegetables , viewed 10 April 2017
• Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council , Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing , 2015 , Vegetables and Legumes / Beans , viewed 10 April 2017
• Australian Government Department of Health , 2014 , Australia ’ s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines , viewed 10 April 2017
• Water , Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council , 2014 , viewed 10 April 2017
• Good Sleep Habits , Sleep Health Foundation , 2011 , viewed 10 April 2017
WINTER 2017 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE 11