Reverse your health mistakes

We all have a fairly good idea of how to live a healthy life. But every now and then even the most pious will stray from the good-health path. As the experts say, there is no point harbouring regrets – instead, use the following advice to help yourself recover from an unhealthy habit or slip-up.

Too many sleepless nights

Sleepless nights can cause more than dark circles the next morning. A recent study found not getting the required eight hours per night is costing the economy more than $3 billion in lost productivity.
“The official figures say about nine per cent of people have a sleep disorder but there are a whole lot more people out there who are short on sleep and quite frankly they don’t work or function as well as they could if they had an unrestricted sleep,” Professor David Hillman from the Sleep Health Foundation says.

The good news is sleeping in and catching up on lost sleep on the weekend can help.

“Sleep is a little bit like a bank,” Hillman says. “The brain banks sleep so that if you run up a bit of a debt it will carry that debt forward. So you’ll notice after a few days – normally towards the end of the week – things are getting more and more difficult, but on the weekend you can make up for the lost sleep. It’s like you’re paying yourself back.”

If you are not getting enough shut eye, Hillman recommends setting aside “worry time” when heading to bed. “A lot of people are worriers, which disrupts their sleep,” he says. “Make the time in the evening to review the day’s activities, work out what you need to do tomorrow and then set it all to rest before you hit the pillow.”

A former sun lover

We all know the dangers of sun exposure now but have all those sunbaking years caused you irreparable damage? And how about the accidental burn you caught last weekend?

“If you are guilty of being a beach bunny in a previous life, all is not lost,” beauty therapist Allie Clark says. “There have been great advances in skin treatments that will significantly reduce deep lines and wrinkles, pigmentation and loss of elasticity.”

Clark says regular peel treatments will trigger the skin’s rebuilding mechanisms and help create fresh, healthy cells. “Team this with a course of light therapy or laser treatments for more targeted results, especially when treating pigmentation and age spots.” And to avoid further damage? “You can start repairing damage before it even begins by wearing a daily SPF product,” she says.

“Team your daily sunscreen with high-powered antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, green tea and idebenone to help skin defend itself against any environmental damage – not just UV.”

A smoking history

If you are a reformed smoker – even if you were guilty of just a few cigarettes – time is definitely on your side. “If you quit smoking, your body will begin to repair itself almost straight away,” says Louise Sylvan, CEO of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency.

Official figures suggest while smoking prevalence in Australia has declined over time, about 15 per cent of adults still smoke daily. But studies have found just three months after quitting, the cilia in the lungs begin to recover, meaning lungs regain the ability to clean themselves. In a year, the risk of developing heart disease has halved and five years after you stop smoking your risk of a stroke has dramatically decreased.

Overdoing the alcohol

If you have enjoyed a few too many late boozy nights recently, dietitian Kate di Prima’s advice is to “draw a line in the sand”. “Too many people use the busy summer period as an excuse to drink more,” she says. “But at some point you need to get back to normality.”

Di Prima suggests having a couple of alcohol-free days in a row to kick-start your detox and then reintroducing alcohol on set days.

“My husband and I have decided not to drink from Monday to Thursday, which leaves the weekend free for us to enjoy ourselves,” she says.

If you have really overindulged, the good news is your liver will start to repair itself naturally but you can help proceedings by eating well, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly. To avoid future slip-ups, di Prima’s advice is to be “size aware”.

“Don’t drink from those huge fish-bowl glasses – you’ll automatically be having more,” she says.

The holiday weight gain

Holiday indulgence isn’t uncommon so don’t beat yourself up about a couple of extra kilos. Instead, dietitian Kate Di Prima says to just reverse one bad habit at a time. “If you eliminate everything bad all at once you’ll end up reverting to bad habits, so be patient with yourself and just start with one thing like cutting out your 3pm chocolate fix,” she says.

Introduce some “good” fats, such as olive oil, avocado and walnuts, into your diet to help lower cholesterol, which may have crept up over the holiday break.

Di Prima also advises against going on a diet. “Instead of thinking, ‘Right, I’m starting my diet tomorrow’, it’s better to think about it like you’re at a fork in the road and you’re going to take the right path instead of the wrong one,” she says. “My favourite saying is ‘when in doubt, cut half out’ and that’s a great way to get yourself back on track after any lapse in your healthy eating.”

Source: bodyandSoul