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Top one hundred instant health tips
We're bombarded with advice on healthy living - which can be very confusing. Here, we sort out the myths from the facts with our top one hundred health tips from the experts.
Diet
Dr Wendy Doyle is a state-registered dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. She says:
• Do not 'go on a diet'. Switch to healthier eating habits that you can continue long term. If you lose weight gradually, you are more likely to keep it off.
• Eat plenty of fibre-rich food such as brown bread, pulses and cereals. Fibre helps keep the digestive system in order. It also reduces the risk of bowel cancer. We need to consume around 5g more than the average 13-18g of fibre a day - that's one extra slice of wholemeal bread.
• Aim to eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day to boost energy levels and general health. One of the portions can be a glass of fruit juice.
• Have a varied diet. Look for different, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables which generally provide plenty of nutrients.
• Reduce the amount of saturated, or animal, fat you consume. Most people eat more than the recommended 35 per cent of total calories from fat. But saturated fats should make up no more than 10 per cent of total calories.
• Keep alcohol intakes within sensible boundaries. Safe weekly limits are 21 units for men and 14 for women - one unit is the equivalent to a glass of wine or half a pint of beer. A moderate intake has heart protective effects but too much is bad news.
• Eat more fish. It is the omega 3 fatty acis in fish oils that are thought to make the Mediterranean diet more healthy and protect against heart disease and raised cholesterol levels. You should have 1.5g of these fatty acids a week - two or three servings of fish.
• Don't eat too much salt. The recommended daily intake is 5-6g. An average fry-up contains 10g of salt per plateful. Some brands of breakfast cereal contai as much salt per bowlful as a packet of crisps.
• Drink around 1.5 to 2 litres of liquid, not necessarily water, every day. This will ensure the kidneys stay healthy and help prevent urinary infections.
• Take vitamin and mineral supplements only as an insurance policy - they are not a substitute for good food. Most people eat more than enough food to meet nutrient requirements.
Posture
Warwick McNeill is a physiotherapist at the Physioworks clinic in London. He says:
• Do Pilates regularly. The exercises work the deepest stomach muscle, the transversus abdominus, which has perhaps the greatest bearing on the shape of your midriff.
• Avoid wearing corset-style restrictive clothes. Normally you breathe using your lower lungs and your diaphragm moves up and down. With this sort of clothing, you are forced to breathe in the upper part of the lung which creates tension in the shoulders and affects posture as well as breathing.
• Take off your suit jacket at work. It doesn't allow for much movement when you are sitting at a desk, and if your jacket is tight it can cause all sorts of postural distortion and cause back pain over time.
• Carrying a heavy handbag on your shoulder can throw your body off balance and seriously hamper your posture. A bag you can wear in various positions is the best buy because it means you aren't putting all the pressure in one spot.
• Focus on your breathing and posture while gently contracting your stomach muscles throughout the day. It maintains and strengthens the abdominal region.
• Perform small muscle contractions throughout the day, at your desk, in queues protective effects but too much is bad news.
• Stretching: regular activity such as walking, and massage can help unlock tightened muscles that affect your posture.
• Laugh a lot - believe it or not it strengthens your tummy muscles and relaxes knotted muscles.
• Stand up straight. Shoulders back, abdominal muscles pulled in, pelvis tilted forward. Walk and move with better posture and the habit will stick.
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