Health & Wellbeing

18 Health & Wellbeing

So much about getting healthy seems to be expensive, but actually, there are plenty of things you can do which will improve your health hugely which don’t cost a penny. Changes to our lifestyle and environment are often overlooked, but are actually some of the most powerful things we can do to improve our health and energy levels, and to cut some body fat. The first has to be sleep If you sleep well, you feel good, and you’ll find it easier to make good food choices. People who don’t sleep enough eat an average of 20% more calories than people who do sleep well. Pay attention to your nightly routine as a first step to improving your sleep. Turn screens off at least an hour before bed, have a soak in the bath and read a book! Next, is daylight Morning daylight boosts your serotonin, which is the wake-up hormone which helps you feel happy, and hopefully has a knock-on effect on the choices you make for the rest of the day! Whatever the weather, you’ll get a boost in serotonin if you get at least 30 minutes of daylight before noon. This will have a positive effect on your sleep too. Down-time Stress is a big deal. Lose the guilt and start prioritising time for yourself. Meditating, walking and reading are all great options. The ultimate free –fasting! Going for periods during the day when you’re not eating is the ultimate time-saving freebie! A great entry level to fasting is simply waiting to eat breakfast until you’re hungry, having lunch when you’re hungry, then eating dinner as early as possible. This should give you at least 12 hours without food overnight. Or, you could take a more planned approach. You could skip breakfast altogether and not eat until lunchtime to give a longer fast, but a better option is to eat your calories at breakfast and lunch, then skip dinner altogether. This is more difficult for most of us to achieve, but remember that fasting doesn’t have to be something you do every single day. Heather Smith is a fat loss specialist Personal Trainer. Get in touch for a free five-day meal plan www.fitbiztraining.co.uk Free ways to get in shape in January By Heather Smith