Health & Fitness

10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Health Today

From quitting smoking to watching your diet, here are some effective health tips to keep you healthy all year long

By Wellness Matters /

Credit: Flickr /.scarlet.

Hold your drink in your dominant hand to make reaching for food more difficult

Take the first steps toward a healthier year right now

  1. Limit antacids. One strange but harmless side-effect of taking antacids containing bismuth subsalicylate (e.g., Pepto-Bismol) is a blackened tongue.


  2. Quit smoking. Smoking has been linked to premature aging, including speeding up rates of hair loss and the development of grey hair.


  3. Read nutrition facts. Even healthy foods can be loaded with salt, so always read labels (e.g., 1 cup/250 mL of cottage cheese contains 800 mg of salt).
  4. 

Get on the DASH diet. The DASH diet – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension – focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and low-fat dairy foods.
  5. Watch your stance. To avoid injury during a workout, don’t 
arch your back, and avoid locking your knees 
and elbows.


  6. Avoid over-eating. If you hold your drink in your dominant hand at a party, it makes it harder to reach for food on impulse.
  7. 

Identify potential food allergies. The eight most common food allergens are eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat.


  8. Exercise the abs. Exercising to strengthen your abdominal muscles helps tighten your tummy as well as support and protect your back.
  9. 

Cut down on energy drinks. Sugary, heavily caffeinated energy drinks are more acidic than regular soda, and can potentially harm tooth enamel.


  10. Eat potato skins. Potato peels contain more fibre, iron, potassium and B vitamins than the flesh.

Originally published in Wellness Matters, Canada Wide Media’s quarterly newsletter on health and wellness.