Health and Lifestyle
FAMILY WELLNESS
Simplify Your Health in Four Easy Steps by DR. TAINA TURCASSO, N.D., R.M.
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e are a month into the new year and many of us have been hard at work trying to stick to our resolutions, “Dry January,” cleanse, or whatever January has held for us. For me, January is a month to complete a round of “Whole30,” which allows me to reset my body with 30 days of a whole foods, grain/alcohol/dairy free diet. The challenge with resolutions or a 30-day cleanse (or anything designed to be short-term) is trying to figure out how to use it to improve the quality of your life and your health long-term. The reason we make these changes is because we want to improve on what we were doing before, not because we want to slip back into our old habits. Most of us are familiar with the idea that a new routine takes 30 days to become a habit, but I believe that it can take up to several months. One way to make these changes stick is to start small and make simpler changes. Big, long-lasting life changes often start with small steps that you build upon over a long period of time. Here are four small but impactful steps that you can take to improve and simplify your health long term: Drink More Water An adequate amount of clean water should not be understated as an important aspect of health. Many Canadians are not meeting their minimum water requirement and some drink no water at all, drinking only pop, coffee, and juice. While juice does provide hydration, caffeinated beverages actually increase your need for water intake. Water is so important for maintaining healthy skin and hair, promoting optimal functioning of your internal organs, and improving energy. The average adult
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Big, long-lasting life changes often start with small steps that you build upon over a long period of time. requires two to three litres of water daily, more if engaging in moderate exercise or drinking caffeinated beverages. Start by buying a water bottle and carrying it around with you so you can work on meeting your water goals throughout the day. As an added bonus, you will reduce the amount of plastic, single use water bottles being sold.
Move Your Body Almost all New Year’s resolutions revolve around some form of physical activity. We resolve to train for a marathon, sign up for a triathlon, or to suddenly start lifting weights when jumping straight into these activities (for most of us) will lead to injury and ultimately abandonment of the long term goal. Be aware of your current fitness level and simply resolve to move your body more. Train for a 5k, start going for a daily walk, or start lifting weights under the guidance of a trainer who will adjust based on where you are at.You are much more likely to ultimately run that half marathon if you start out at a pace that is easier to maintain.