6 FREE tips to improve your health

Given this is my first blog, I want to share with you 6 things you can do for FREE to improve your health.

There is often a misconception that anything health and fitness related is expensive, so I wanted to share with you my top tips that I focus on when I am trying to improve my health.

You don’t have to do all 6 at once, even improving on one of these areas will be hugely beneficial for your health.

1. SLEEP

It is important to make sure you get enough sleep every night. Not getting enough sleep can influence how much you eat that day! In a study comparing those who didn't get enough sleep, they ate an extra 270kcals a day vs those that got enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can make it harder to stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight. It does this by increasing your hunger through hormonal disruption by reducing leptin (satiety hormone) and increasing ghrelin (hunger hormone).

If you want to build muscle you also need adequate sleep. Reduced sleep can reduce various maximal lifts- meaning you cant lift as heavy as you could if you had gotten a good night’s sleep. Research has shown that athletes that slept on average less than 8 hours each night were 1.7 times more likely to have an injury (Milewski et all 2014).

2. HYDRATION

Many of us don’t get enough water each day. Keeping hydrated is so important for our gut health, our blood pressure. Often when we are tired at work, it is because we are dehydrated. Try and carry a water bottle with you or keep a glass and a jug of water at your desk- this has helped me increase the amount of water I drink throughout the day.

3. VARIETY

Variety is the spice of life!! I know we can all be creatures of habit and often eat the same types of food each day, but try and see where you can change it up. It doesn’t have to be a big change. For example, instead of always buying sunflower seeds, try some chia seeds instead. Or instead of only getting red peppers (capsicum), try a yellow or orange one.

Eating a variety of foods can help us get all the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need for optimal health. Especially a variety of fruit and vegetables is great for our gut health.

4. MANAGE STRESS

High levels of stress can have a negative impact on our general health and can really impact your gut health as your body is in a constant state of flight or fight.

Research has shown that keeping a gratitude journal has psychological benefits.

5. MINDFULNESS

As a society we are constantly on the go and often we are completely distracted when we eat our food. Whether that is watching TV, responding to emails at work or chatting to someone else and not paying attention to what we are eating. I am also guilty of this- there never seems to be enough hours in the day sometimes. But trying to bring more mindfulness when we eat and slowing down to eat our foods and enjoy it- this aids our digestion by chewing food properly.

6. Movement

Moving your body in whatever way that feels good for you is so important not only for your cardiovascular health but your mental health as well. Find something that you can do everyday- walking, swimming, running, yoga, weight training, Pilates.