Tips 8 - 10
8. Go Brown and Enjoy WholemealAbout a year or two ago, I made the switch to brown bread. It took some doing but I'm now at the stage where brown bread is a must and white bread quite frankly doesn't even taste like bread anymore! Brown bread contains vitamin B, vitamin E, a wide range of minerals and a whole lot more fibre than white bread.
Why stop there? After making the switch to brown bread, and preferring it to white bread, I sought other alternatives too and sure enough, I found them. Brown pasta, brown spaghetti, brown rice, though often in the furthest corner of the supermarket, they are available and they are delicious.
Bonus tip: Brown rice not tasting so good? Remember that brown rice takes a whole lot longer to cook than white rice, perfect your cooking technique and you'll soon forget it's not white.
9.
Find a General Practitioner you like
In the UK, we're privileged to receive free health care. Yet, friends I know often don't like to visit their GP simply because they don't like them, or because they think they don't care. If that's the case, find another one!
Your GP and you should work together to ensure you keep healthy. Illness is best prevented, rather than treated! If you haven't seen your GP lately, make an appointment and take the time to have a check up and discuss any health queries you may have. That's precisely what the NHS is for.
Bonus tip: If you are on the lookout for a new GP, or indeed any other health service, try the NHS' find a local health service website.
10.
Sleep Well
Last but not least on this list is sleep. The recommendation is to sleep for 7-9 hours each night. If you're one of those who can't stop doing things late at night, be it watching TV, reading a book, using the laptop or listening to music, try turning it all off for once and try going straight to sleep.
Your body needs sleep, it's a time of recovery and a time where cell repair is most active. You might well be sleeping, but your body will be hard at work, give it time to work its magic!
Bonus tip: Do you wake up to a deafening buzz from your alarm clock? Try turning it off! It may sound silly but I now wake up each morning without the help of an alarm clock, the body clock itself does a great job. Though, don't blame me if you do end up late for work - I suggest trying it at the weekend first!
There we have it, 10 health tips for you to think about in the New Year. I don't claim for this list to be definitive, but I do believe it to be a good starting point to a better lifestyle. Be sure to give your feedback and indeed let us know which of the above you plan to try and how you're getting on with them over in the HEXUS community.
