Increase your vitality to be carefree and active like a dog

Just about all of us got into some bad habits just to cope through the weird last five months. Continuing our theme of September being the new New Year, here are some ways to refocus, rebalance and restore your vitality after lockdown 

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  1. Gut flora The odds are that you’ve damaged your gut flora through this weird time of being tied to the house more. Sugar, alcohol and ready foods all take their toll on our friendly bacteria buddies that support our digestion. So taking a course of good probiotics this month will help to restore bowel function, improve mood and boost your immunity.
  2. Bowel function Have your bowels become a bit sluggish? Stress and less than saintly eating habits can scupper our regular rhythm. Increase the fibre in your diet by eating plenty of leafy greens, legumes, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds, especially chia and linseeds.
  3. Hydration Even just a 1-2% decrease in your hydration levels can affect your energy and cognitive function. So focus on drinking plenty of water and herbal teas and increasing water-rich foods such as cucumber, watermelon, lettuce, cantaloupe melon, strawberries, tomatoes and orange. STAR BUY: Check out our new BeWater bottles, the inspiration to stay properly hydrated.
  4. Alkalise Alcohol, sugar, processed foods, red meat, gluten and dairy are all acidic and if you’ve been having too much of these and not enough greens then your pH is likely to be out of balance. An acidic pH puts a stress on the body as well as long term increasing inflammation. Stepping up with leafy greens, lemon or lime juice, watermelons, papaya, mango, asparagus, parsley, spinach and broccoli can all help to alkalise. But also adding in some alkalising support to your diet such as apple cider vinegar, a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your glass of water or spirulina, and drinking green juices can all help to restore an alkaline pH.
  5. Creating good habits It’s all too easy to slip back into some old habits and wherever you are in your health journey focusing on creating one new habit this month will improve your health. So pick one, or pick two or do all of them, whichever you choose you will see the benefits:
  • Make sure you eat 5 veg and 3 fruit a day
  • Focus on one meal a day that needs to be healthier, whether it’s ditching the croissant for a smoothie or swapping your sandwich for a salad
  • Increase the amount of water you drink
  • Swap a caffeinated drink to decaf
  • Drink more herbal teas
  • Don’t eat late at night
  • Avoid sugary snacks
  • Stop drinking fizzy drinks
  • Banish the beige foods and bring in plenty of colourful foods
  • Swap white for wholegrain or brown
  • Eat more nuts and seeds
  • Go to bed earlier
  • Give yourself a break from your phone, tablet or computer two hours before bed

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