Attaining good health is always at the top of our New Year’s Resolutions and January full of the latest diets as well as plenty of advice for taking up outdoor exercise, stimulating walks like rucking, pilates, cold water immersion and good sleeping habits are established rituals for starting the year with the best intentions.
We have teamed up with Spain’s leading private health group, HM Hospitales for their top tips for how we can all make decisive steps for better health in the year to come.
It could make all the difference.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there is a 20%-30% risk of early death for people with do not exercise or have a poor diet, which are both key to better health.
HM Hospitales’ s nutritionist Lara Garcelán shares her top twelve tips to ensure we start the year with our best intentions to stay healthy and look after our bodies in 2024.
- Add more quantity of fruit and vegetables in our diet. You will feel your body doesn’t need anymore those biscuits or chocolate after dinner.
- Guide yourself with the plate method to organize your lunches and dinners: fill half of your plate with vegetables of all colors in the form of a salad, grilled, baked, cooked…; Divide the other half of the plate in two: fill one quarter with good quality, leaner protein (chicken, turkey, fish, legumes…) and the other quarter with whole grains such as pasta, rice, quinoa… a potato or a piece of bread.
- Avoid or reduce the consumption of ultra processed food (already prepared meals).
- Reduce the quantity of salt, use species instead to give flavour to your meals.
- Reduce the consumption of alcohol and sweetened drinks that provide us empty calories without any nutritional value and drink a lot of water.
- Plan your weekly menu so you can make a good shopping list and avoid snacking on unhealthy foods due to poor organization.
- Keep moving and do exercise every day, outdoor if possible in contact with nature. This way you will reduce the blood pressure and any sense of anxiety and it will help us to improve the quality of our sleep.
- Recover your sleep routine little by little. Early risers are sure to be difficult again, so try to have proper sleep hygiene with a nighttime routine that allows you to rest well: turn off devices two hours before going to sleep, reduce the intensity of light, have dinner early…
- Do not abuse caffeine and prioritize the consumption of natural coffee (The Arabica variety is one of the healthiest as it is roasted at a low temperature and contains less caffeine and more oxidants) and choose green or white tea instead.
- A more anti-inflammatory diet will help you reduce the inflammation that the Christmas holidays generate, rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, infusions…
- Control your levels of cortisol, that stress hormone. Having prolonged high peaks over time can affect your health.
- Start taking care of your health, if you have any symptoms such as non-specific food sensitivity, a lot of abdominal distension, gas, irregular bowel movements, migraines, joint pain, you can’t lose weight… it’s time to have a good medical check-up!
And why not try converting the time you spent watching your favourite series into time to do some exercise, even if it is walking to the office and taking the stairs instead of the lift?
And dont forget that just like your car check up our bodies need one too, to make sure that we have all the vital nutrients like calcium, minerals, vitamin D, B12 or magnesium to keep our bones, muscles and joints in the best of shape for 2024
HM Hospitales offers different check-up services including tests for food intolerance, genetical intolerance as well as gluten, lactose and fructose, diets for each metabolism or study of intestinal microbiotic. You can book any of these clinics at HM hospitales.
