New Year's health resolutions from GEMS

1) Reduce your sugar intake in 2017

Diabetes effects around three-and-a-half million South Africans and is one of the fastest-growing, potentially fatal non-communicable diseases. You can help to reduce your chance of developing type 2 diabetes if you reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, in your diet.

Here are some sweet tips for cutting back on sugar in the year ahead:

• Avoid sugary breakfast cereals, and opt for muesli or oats instead.
• If you have a craving for something sweet, rather eat a little dried fruit.
• Sweetened soft drinks contain more sugar than you might imagine, opt for low-kilojoule alternatives or water instead.
• Remember that honey is not much better for you than sugar, as it is also made up of natural sugars that are quickly released into your bloodstream. 
• While many of us look forward to dessert after supper, this need not be a sugary ‘sweet'. A serving of fresh fruit can be just as satisfying as an unhealthy pudding.

If you make healthy changes such as these, it will go a long way towards keeping your blood sugar level stable, which assists in preventing insulin resistance and the onset of type 2 diabetes. In controlling your blood sugar levels, limiting sugar intake should go hand-in-hand with regular exercise.

2) Get fit to feel fabulous for year ahead

Getting regular exercise is not only about losing weight and improving your health; it makes you feel great too. While you are exercising, your body releases special hormones called endorphins that create a feeling of wellbeing and euphoria. When you are physically fit, your immune system is likely to function better and you will truly feel that you are in peak condition.

Fitness tips for 2017:

• Start off with 20 minutes of gentle exercise three times per week and gradually increase the intensity and length of your workout.
• Train with a friend, your partner or your colleagues to help keep motivation strong.
• Remember to warm up and cool down before and after exercise to avoid straining your muscles.
• Do not train in the heat of the day. Rather do exercise early in the morning or in the early evening, and remember to drink water. 
• Remember to consult your family practitioner before embarking on a new exercise regime.

Speak to your colleagues and employer about joining the GEMS Workplace Fitness programme to kick-start your year. Your department will have to register on the programme by accepting some terms and conditions, then we will host an activation event where principal members of GEMS can sign up to get started.

3) Cut back on salt

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is the leading preventable cause of heart disease and stroke, and reducing the amount of salt in your diet can significantly help to diminish your risk of developing hypertension. 

High blood pressure is known as "the silent killer" because often people who have this condition experience no symptoms until irreparable damage has been caused, including kidney failure, visual impairment, heart damage and dementia. This is all the more reason to take immediate steps to cut back on the amount of salt in your diet.

• Check how much salt is in the products you buy by reading nutritional information on the labels and avoid buying products that are high in salt or sodium.
• Avoid adding salt during cooking, rather add fresh herbs or lemon juice to enhance the flavour.
• Gradually reduce the amount of salt you add to your food. This will give your taste buds time to adjust and soon you will not miss it at all.
• Instead of eating salty snacks such as chips, salted nuts, pretzels or biltong, try vegetable sticks, cherry tomatoes, raw unsalted nuts and raisins.
• Add up your total salt consumption, and cut down to less than a teaspoon (5ml) per day.

4) Find healthy ways of dealing with stress

In stressful times, it may seem impossible to simply ‘wish' stress away. However, extreme anxiety and stress over a long period of time can have serious consequences for your physical health, potentially weakening your immune system, and impacting the adrenal, cardiovascular and reproductive systems in the body.

The hormones released in our bodies when we are severely stressed prepare us to either run away or fight in potentially dangerous situations. Nowadays, however, the common causes of stress are frequently related to work, financial pressures, health worries and other non-physical threats, which means that these ‘fight or flight' hormones are not quickly neutralised, unless we do strenuous physical activity.

Fortunately, a good work out or intense exercise session provides an excellent outlet for stress and helps to undo some of the potential damage stress can cause to our health. Not only will the exercise make you feel good physically, but it also assists in improving your quality of sleep, which often suffers during times of stress. Exercise may not be a silver bullet to remove the source of your stress, but it can significantly help you to cope in stressful times.

5) Steer clear of substance abuse, help is available

Make 2017 a year of healthy choices. A little of what you fancy does you good, however if you feel tense at the thought of not having alcohol for a few days, you may want to consider moderating your drinking.

Tobacco, alcohol and most drugs are addictive substances, which means that once we start getting used to having these things, our bodies and our minds crave them, making them very difficult to give up. Fortunately, help is available and you do not have to face breaking addiction alone. Speak to your family practitioner for advice on how to free yourself from the burden of substance abuse, and in a very short while you will wonder why you did not kick the habit sooner.

For those who do not drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs, remember that caffeine and sugar are also addictive and unhealthy substances that many of us mistakenly regard as ‘harmless'.

Make 2017 your healthiest year yet, through cutting back on the foods, substances and behaviours that can damage your body. Increase your intake of wholesome foods and engage in healthy activities for improved all-round wellbeing.