Forget the fads; which healthy decisions will genuinely make a difference to your life in 2016? Nutritional therapist and naturopath Rosemary Ferguson cuts through the garbage
1. Take a course of probiotics every six months
Gut health is essential for our immune system and also our psychological health (lots of our serotonin is produced in the gut). Having a colony of good bacteria helps your gut stay healthy, and also helps it absorb nutrients from your food, which means a happier body overall. Don’t take them all the time, allow the colony to fend for itself and then every 6 months invest in some really good quality probiotics to give it a boost.
2. Juicing for snack time
Try having a vegetable juice or smoothie at snack time, not only will this mean you aren’t eating cakes but it is also a good way of keeping your energy levels stable and helping your blood sugar levels out. Green juices will really help the liver along too, and if you are having one a day you will be having a lot more vegetable nutrition that you otherwise would
3. Do a juice day once a week (or even just once a month)
This allows the body to repair, but I find it reminds my clients to try to keep balanced and not go too far off the rails, it helps to keep people motivated as they feel great after just one day.
4. Go for a run
Running is the easiest, most transportable exercise you can do. I used to hate it but I couldn’t understand it, and then someone told me to start with just 1km, and that is what I did. I did feel the ‘cardio high’ and you do feel great from it. The best way to start is to start small and slowly and build up.
5. Try to get to bed a little bit earlier
Six hours sleep isn’t really enough, I know those box sets are hard to resist but going to bed is much better for you. On a week night try to turn the TV off and have an extra hour.
6. Take Vitamin D in winter time
If you don’t get away for winter sun then you will almost certainly be deficient in it. Taking vitamin D will change your life if you have never taken it, and at the very least not having enough will leave you feeling tired and your immune system in a low.
7. Fill half your plate with leafy greens
This is another really simple way to keep yourself in check. make sure half your plate is filled with leafy greens, a quarter lean protein and quarter complex carbs. So easy to do and a really easy trick.
8. Drink more water
Most people need to drink more water or fluids, so make sure you are getting 2 litres a day. If you are way off that it can be one of the simplest reasons for fatigue, so make sure you check how much you are drinking.
9. Drink herbal tea
While we are talking fluids, coffee and black tea are very dehydrating whilst herbal teas are not. There are loads of them and I am sure there will be one you like. They also count as fluid so can count as part of your 2 litres per day.
10. Take Vitamin B
If you are a stressed out wreck, a course of a good quality vitamin B complex will really help you. It will make a difference so give it a go, if you aren’t sure what or how much to take then make an appointment with a good nutritionist who can advise you.