Dancer Health

Healthy Hints for the New Year

Get plenty of sleep.
Are you getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a night? Sleep gives our bodies time to recover and repair.  Sleep is important in concentration, growth, hormonal balance, memory formation and immunity. 1

Eat breakfast

Eat a healthy breakfast every day to kick start your metabolism and give you the necessary energy to start your day. Choose a natural, high fibre breakfast. Forget the pancakes and bagels!

Choose foods rich in fibre.
Fibre increases bowel movement as it helps your digestive system to absorb water and pass necessary waste. High fibre foods can assist with weight loss as they contain more bulk than low fibre foods and can slow the onset on hunger. A high fibre diet can also lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. 2

Stay hydrated.
Drink eight glasses of water a day. Limit the intake of soft drinks and juices which are high in calories. Increased water intake can enhance fat loss, reduce hunger, combat fatigue and headache and keep you looking younger by hydrating your skin. 3

Eat fruits and vegetables with each meal. 
Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals that keep us healthy and protect against disease. They are also high in fibre. 4

Go organic.
A growing body of research suggests that highly processed foods are detrimental to our health. They are harder for our bodies to digest and they contain less nutritional benefit than natural, organic choices.  Why not start a veggie patch?

1 About.com: Longevity, Benefits of Sleep, Mark Stibich, Ph.D http://longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/sleep_benefits.htm
2
Ehealth MD Fiber: It’s Importance In Your Diet www.ehealthmd.com/library/fiber/FIB_benefits.html
3 The Diet Channel, Top 4 Benefits Of Drinking Water www.thedietchannel.com/Top-4-Benefits-of-Drinking-Water.htm
4
CDC, Fruit and Vegetable Benefits www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/benefits/index.html

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