On his 100th birthday, Eubie Blake said “If I had of known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

Wellness for Life:

Wellness is not defined solely by the absence of disease; it is all about achieving mental, emotional and physical well-being by promoting positive lifestyle choices that can lead to good health and balance. It is preventative medicine in action. Wellness encourages optimal health and promotes a healthy and happy mind, body and spirit. With a simple and practical Wellness program you can stay active for as long as possible, reduce your risk of chronic disease, and increase your vitality.

7 Easy Tips for ‘Eating Your Way to Wellness’

Sustainable, healthy eating is truly the best way to achieve your goal of vitality and Wellness for the long-term. It is easy to eat well and be healthy following these key steps of the Wellness eating plan:

1. Include protein-rich foods in each meal or snack, including fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs, dairy, tofu, and tempeh. Remember fresh is best.
2. Enjoy a minimum of three cups of fresh vegetables per day to help increase long-term health and vitality. Aim to have a rainbow on your plate to ensure good antioxidant intake and seasonal variety.
3. Enjoy a minimum of two pieces or one cup of fruit per day.
4. Starchy carbohydrates should be kept at a minimum, with one to two small serves each day. These include cereals, pasta, bread and rice. Where possible choose low glycaemic index options such as wholegrain varieties.
5. Include nuts, seeds and healthy oils daily. Enjoy up to two tablespoons of healthy oils such as olive oil, macadamia oil or flaxseed oil, and ¼ cup or a small handful of nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds can also provide protein and other nutrients, such as selenium from Brazil nuts.
6. Ensure you are well hydrated. Enjoy at least eight glasses or two litres of pure water per day. Use natural flavourings such as fresh lemon, lime, mint or watermelon instead of opting for soft drinks. Reduce caffeinated beverages to one to two per day, and minimise alcohol intake.
7. It can be a challenge to maintain a perfect diet 100% of the time. Allow yourself a freedom meal once a week. This will keep your life-long Wellness program achievable, realistic
and enjoyable.

Plan to Play, Be Active, Relax and Enjoy:

Achieving Wellness can require a bit of juggling initially to maintain balance in all areas of your life; and consistently eating well is only one facet of your Wellness plan. It is important to exercise regularly to support your physical and mental well-being. Aim for 30 minutes of light to moderate
exercise most days of the week. Find an activity that you enjoy doing and stick with it. Relaxation activities such as yoga, spending time in nature, playing with pets or meditation can also help increase the feel good chemicals in your brain and help you to de-stress. Fun social activities, such as sharing a meal or having a laugh with friends and family are also an important aspect of a happy, balanced life.

Speak to your Practitioner for advice on setting Wellness goals and monitoring your progress towards health and vitality.

Maintain Your Wellness with Key Supplements:

Research shows key natural supplements can complement your Wellness diet and lifestyle program such as:

1. A high quality fish oil to provide daily omega-3 for a healthy heart, supple joints and healthy nervous system.
2. A high-strength probiotic can help to maintain the right balance in your digestive tract, as many lifestyle factors can throw this balance out.
3. A daily multivitamin and mineral formula to fill any nutritional gaps that your diet doesn’t fulfill.
4. A good quality antioxidant formula to support healthy ageing and reduce the risk of developing chronic disease.

You Too Can Achieve a Life of Wellness:
Would you like to improve your energy, vitality and mood whilst also supporting cardiovascular, immune and digestive health? Your goal of Wellness can be achieved by combining a Wellness eating plan with regular exercise, relaxation, fun and key nutritional supplementation.

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression, according to psychiatrists working with the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. It is believed to be the largest such investigation ever undertaken.

Low levels of vitamin D already are associated with a cavalcade of health woes from cardiovascular diseases to neurological ailments. This new study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, helps clarify a debate that erupted after smaller studies produced conflicting results about the relationship between vitamin D and depression.

“Our findings suggest that screening for vitamin D levels in depressed patients and perhaps screening for depression in people with low vitamin D levels might be useful,” said E. Sherwood Brown, professor of psychiatry at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre and study author.

Researchers examined the results of almost 12,600 participants from late 2006 to late 2010, the journal Mayo Clinic Proceeding reports.
Brown and colleagues found that higher vitamin D levels were tied with a significantly decreased risk of current depression, particularly among people with a prior history of depression, according to a Texas statement.

Low vitamin D levels were tied with depressive symptoms, particularly those with a history of depression, so primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessing vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources, such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D.

Christmas is over and the New Year is here! However, you may feel the indulgences from the festive season are still hanging around – especially on your waistline. With the motivation of New Year’s resolutions urging you to take action, now is the perfect time to shed those extra kilos.

More Than Meets the Eye

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is not only about looking good – that’s just an added bonus! The real benefits come from minimising the risk of developing chronic conditions such as arthritis, depression, diabetes and heart disease, which are all associated with an increased percentage of body fat. While the long-term impacts of obesity are well known, what you might not realise is that being overweight can also affect your energy levels, making you feel tired and lacking vitality. By achieving a healthy weight, you give yourself the gift of increased energy and vitality to bounce into the New Year with gusto. You also set yourself up for health and wellness in the long-term.

Yo-Yo No More

If you have already tried a number of different weight loss strategies in the past without significant results, then you’re not alone. ‘Fad diets’ not only give varying results, but can also often lead to rebound weight gain. It is important to focus on healthy weight management and long-term health through lifestyle and nutrition. Monitoring and guidance from a Healthcare Professional will ensure you get the best results possible, and keep the weight off for good.

Kids Are No Exception

Childhood obesity has now become a serious health concern, affecting approximately one-quarter of children in Australia and New Zealand. With this in mind, it has never been more important to find options to support healthy weight in our children.

Twenty-five percent of teens are in danger of early hearing loss as a direct result of MP3 players, researchers in Israel say.

Chava Muchnik of Tel Aviv University, Dr. Ricky Kaplan-Neeman, Dr. Noam Amir and Ester Shabtai studied teens’ music listening habits and took acoustic measurements of preferred listening levels.

MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear audio at high volume for hours on end, but the personal listening devices are a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group, the researchers said.

The results, published in the International Journal of Audiology, demonstrated teens have harmful music-listening habits when it comes to iPods and other MP3 devices.

“In 10 or 20 years it will be too late to realize that an entire generation of young people is suffering from hearing problems much earlier than expected from natural aging,” Muchnik said in a statement.

Hearing loss caused by continuous exposure to loud noise is a slow and progressive process and people may not notice the harm they are causing until years of accumulated damage begin to take hold, Muchnik warns.

“Those who are misusing MP3 players today might find that their hearing begins to deteriorate as early as their 30s and 40s — much earlier than past generations,”

Taking a minimum of 15 minutes of exercise a day can extend life expectancy by up to three years, according to Germany’s Society of Neurologists and the Stroke Society.

A regular program of exercise can reduce the risk of stroke, cardiovascular illness, cancer and diabetes. The advice is based on a study of over 400,000 participants in Taiwan whose health status was checked regularly over eight years.

The study discovered that 15 minutes of exercise a day made a surprising contribution to improving overall health. The mortality rate for those who took the exercise was 14 per cent lower than the inactive participants.

Extrapolating the results over 30 years resulted in a projected extended life expectancy of three years as well as a reduced chance of developing cancer and diseases of the cardiovascular system. The conclusion was that the more a person exercises, the less chance they have of falling ill.

The recommended 15 minutes a day is half what the World Health Organisation advises people to take.

More evidence about the importance of being physically active