Five Tips To Improve Your General Health & Well-being

Here’s what we call the foundations of health.

Prioritise these tips in your everyday life to build a healthy foundation for your body and mind.

Drink plenty of water

Far too often I see that patients are not drinking enough water. Water consumption is essential for regular bowel movements, elimination of waste from the body, kidney health, electrolyte balance, brain function, energy production, blood glucose management, prevention/treatment of headaches. Aim to drink 2 litres of water each day, and more if you’re exercising.

Nutritious diet

Many, many symptoms can arise as a result from nutrient and mineral deficiencies. Ensuring you are consuming plenty of nutrient dense foods in the form meats/poultry/fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes will help maintain your nutrient status and reduce inflammation. 

What I like to call - Daily “me time” 

It is essential to take some time out to balance cortisol levels (our stress hormone). Excess cortisol can result in impaired digestion, poor sleep, thyroid dysfunction, hormone dysregulation, inflammation, weight gain, hair loss, high blood pressure, fatigue, headaches, low libido, anxiety and mood swings - just to name a few! I recommend daily “me time” for all of my patients. I highly recommend listening to positive affirmations on YouTube, walking outdoors, sitting with a cuppa and a good book.

Sleep

Poor quality and/or quality of sleep increases cortisol and inflammation. After just reading how important regulating cortisol is for our health, you can see why getting a good night of shut-eye is beneficial for our health. Try dimming the lights and minimising the use of your devices a couple of hours before bed time. Aim to get into bed at the same time each night to establish a good night time routine.

Movement/physical activity

A sedentary lifestyle raises your risk of osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, anxiety and all-cause mortality. It’s essential we keep our body moving for general health. I recommend walking, weight training, pilates, yoga and stretching.