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Community Corner

Top 10 Health Tips for the New Year

A healthy and more relaxed new year can be had by following a good nutritional plan and making time to have fun.

The best way to start off a new year is with good habits for healthier living and a longer, happier life. Here are 10 tips for making that happen:

  1. Decide to eat a vegetable with each meal.  A quick way to add vegetables to your eggs is to by frozen chopped veggies and mix in with an omlette.  The goal is 5-9 servings of veggies and fruits per day.  Eat at least one salad a day which adds 2 servings of vegetables as well. Vegetables add antioxidants, phytonutrients, and vitamins that resist disease and prevent cancer.
  2. Start a smart exercise program like walking 20 minutes per day.  Do yoga, start swimming, join a gym to shed those extra unhealthy pounds and get your heart working better.  Make sure to check with your doctor before beginning any program of exercise.
  3. Meditate:  relaxation techniques, meditation, relaxation CD's, and videos are great to help relieve stress, reduce anxiety, retrain your brain to relax and handle daily challenges.  Studies have shown people who meditate daily have a reduction in blood pressure and decreased heart disease.
  4. Get a pet.  People with pets tend to live longer and manage stress more effectively over time.  Pets provide us with unconditional love and acceptance, an atmosphere of non-judgement, and they are always happy to see you when you come home.
  5. Do something everyday that you enjoy.  Take a walk, paint a picture, listen to your favorite music, sing, play an instrument, read a book.  This will inspire you, make you more relaxed, and help to handle the mundane task of the day.
  6. Eat fish twice a week.  Fish has healthy fats, protein, and fat soluble vitamins that prevent heart disease and provide the body with much needed fats that prevent inflammation and damage in the body.
  7. Shut off the television and go to bed earlier.  7-8 hours of sleep a night is required for proper brain and body repair.  Most people are sleep deprived and have a hard time thinking clearly and performing their jobs effectively.  Sleep is needed for healthy body repair from injury and damage from our daily lives.
  8. Drink more water.  We need to hydrate our cells to allow them to function properly.  Men need 10-12 8 oz. glasses of water per day and women need 9-11 8 oz. glasses of water per day for proper hydration of the body.  Water is responsible for many energy producing reactions in the body.  If you feel tired or hungry try drinking water first and see how you feel.
  9. Take a media break.  Pick one day a week without any media, no phone, no computer, no ipod, and no tv.  Try it you will be amazed how you feel.  Energy goes up, fatigue will go away and your focus will improve.
  10. Get a chiropractic checkup to make sure that your spine is well aligned.  A balanced posture will help with better mobility, improved nervous system function, and a reduction in abnormal forces on the spine and joints.  This decreases your risk of arthritis and injury.
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