The key to successful change is to start small.
In that vein, here are 10 tiny steps to get you on a
path to wellness. | by JILL BUCHNERSTRETCH IT OUT
When you wake up, give your mus-
cles a stretch to reconnect with your
body and how it’s feeling. Ask your-
self, Are there any tight areas? How
is your neck feeling? What about
your shoulders and back? “It’s just
about spending time in your own
body rather than focusing on every-
thing else you’re doing that day,”
says Dr. Eric Viegas, a naturopathic
doctor at Ottawa Holistic Wellness.ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY
INGREDIENTS
This year, forget about calories on
nutrition panels and focus on ingre-
dients instead. Registered holistic
nutritionist Andrea Donsky simply
wants you to eat foods that contain
only real ingredients (that go by
names you can comprehend on an
ingredient list). In other words, you
don’t want to eat processed foods
that contain artificial colours and
f lavours, aspartame, MSG, trans
fats and high-fructose corn syrup.
Those additives have been linked to
everything from headaches to obe-
sity to diabetes. Donsky, who is
coauthor of Unjunk Your Junk Food
and founder of NaturallySavvy.com,
says this doesn’t mean that treats
are off limits. If you decide to
indulge your sweet tooth, she rec-
ommends avoiding artificial sweet-
eners. Instead, reach for a treat that
is naturally sweet or contains
unprocessed sugar (all in modera-
tion, of course). If you’re craving
sugar, it’s OK to have it once in a
while, but seek out the real deal, not
chemical imitations.”SPEND TIME
OUTSIDE EVERY DAY
Dr. Viegas recommends heading
outdoors to be mindful and to
reconnect with yourself and nature,
but the benefits don’t end there.
Being outside ensures that you get a
dose of vitamin D from sunlight,
encourages you to keep up your
workout a little longer (a trail is so
much more motivating than a tread-
mill!) and helps keep your circadian
rhythms in check so that you sleep
well at night. Research also shows
that exercising outdoors boosts
mental health.MAKE OVERNIGHT OATS
It may seem more convenient to
grab a coffee in the morning and go,
but Dr. Viegas warns that skipping
breakfast creates dips in blood
sugar and makes you more likely to
overeat later in the day. By prepping
oats the night before, there are no
excuses when mornings get hectic.
Simply submerge quick oats in just
enough water to cover them and add
chia, f lax or hemp seeds for protein
and maple syrup or berries for
sweetness.RESOLUTION?
best »NEWS
ISTOCKF4 DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018 best health besthealthmag.ca