For many of us, the past year has been a time of stress or at least uncertainty. Financial, work-related, family and health problems have troubled many, and the political situation at home and overseas just adds to the discomfort. While she can’t fix the woes of the world, Australian nutritionist and psychotherapist Carole Kelly can offer 10 easy lifestyle changes to make to feel healthier and happier ..
Take a Positive Approach
The key is to take a positive approach to the year ahead, Ms Kelly says. “Many people regard the New Year with trepidation because they think they have to set goals that are difficult to achieve and may be more of what they ‘should’ do and less of what they would really like to change.
“It’s more helpful to see New Year as a chance to re-evaluate the past 12 months, and to celebrate the positive things that you achieved in that time, as well as making goals for this one. These goals don’t need to be world changing, and by making them realistic, you are more likely to reach them. Make this the year that ‘should’ is dropped from your vocabulary and replaced with ‘I will’ or ‘I won’t’!”
These lifestyle changing decisions don't have to be made just at New Year, she stresses, but can be implemented any time to have positive effects on health and happiness.
Five Simple Ways to Better Health
Here are 5 simple steps she recommends to improve general health.
- Eat Your Greens – Green vegetables should be an important part of your diet, packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and essential micronutrients to boost your body’s immunity and help fight diseases. Try to eat three to five servings a day.
- Put a little less on the plate – It’s easy to get in the habit of over-eating or over-indulging a favourite treat.. Simply putting a smaller portion on your plate, whether eating out or at home, or ordering a smaller serve from a fast food outlet, cuts down on calories and health damaging weight gain, while still allowing those favourite foods.
- Get moving every day – Make sure to exercise every day, or at least three times a week. As well as muscle-building workouts such as weights, men and women both need load-bearing exercise to build strong bones and avoid osteoporosis or injury in later life. The best exercise for building bone mass and bone health is also the simplest - walking or running.
- Wash your hands – Good old-fashioned soap and water is making a comeback in the fight against infection. According to the Mayo Clinic, lathering up and washing hands with ordinary soap for a count of 20 is the most effective way to avoid infections like H1N1flu, colds and viruses. Don’t use antibacterial or antimicrobial soaps and washes, the Clinic says, as these could lead to bacteria developing resistance to these products, resulting in ‘superbugs’ that are almost impossible to kill.
- Learn about your health – Take responsibility for your own health by learning about the health problems or prospects for your age group, gender and lifestyle, and understanding how to deal with them. There is a wealth of information available online and in the media. See a doctor for regular check-ups. Understanding your health needs and taking responsibility for them is empowering.
Five Commonsense Approaches to Emotional Wellbeing
As well as looking after basic health essentials, Ms Kelly suggests five approaches to improving emotional wellbeing.
- Stay connected to your community – Pick up the local newspaper and find out what’s happening in your town, suburb or community. Join in with local activities. Shop locally where possible. Greet people in your street or on the bus. People who feel connected to where they live are happier than people who are isolated.
- Lend a helping hand – Several studies have found that volunteer work is good for volunteers’ mental and physical health. People of all ages who volunteer are happier and experience better physical health and less depression than people who don’t. Some studies found that volunteering even helped alleviate chronic pain. Plus, volunteering keeps you in touch with your community.
- Take a break – Work is not the be all and end all. Make time to take time off at weekends, or rostered days off, as well as annual breaks, to spend relaxing with family and friends, and to get away from the desk and computer. You’ll come back refreshed and energised, and be more productive. During the work day, take time out for a walk around the block, or a run up and down the stairs, or maybe have a coffee with a colleague. These mini-breaks will rest your brain and eyes and refresh you.
- Reward yourself – It’s just as important to help yourself, as it is to help others. Think about something you have always wanted and start this year off with a plan have it before New Year’s Eve. Whatever it is, use your reward to energise yourself and focus on what’s needed to get through another year, but also to remind yourself that you are worth valuing and rewarding.
- Start with a clean state – A new year, and the start of a new decade are psychologically positive, if you see them as new beginnings rather than a continuation of what’s gone before. Forget how awful things might have been, or the mistakes you’ve made in the past. The ‘Noughties’ are gone, and you can focus on the 2010s and get excited about where you want to be and what you want to achieve.
Putting these simple steps into place can lead to positive changes in all areas of life, Ms Kelly says. They may take some effort until they become routine, but the rewards are incalculable.
You might also be interested in reading Take Stock of Your Life This December 31 and How to Be Happy – It’s All in Your Mind, or Lifestyle Not Genes to Blame for Ill-health.
Sue Cartledge - I'm a science, health, nutrition and lifestyle journalist, fascinated by the way the physical world operates in all its forms, and how ...
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