Top 5 Ways to Boost Your Health in 2019

Tips to a better you based on the latest research

2019 should be your year for a holistic approach to health. For example, an early morning jog might not be worth the effort if it costs you sleep and increases your stress. shutterstock

It’s the start of a new year and there is no doubt that 2019 will be as saturated with nutritional nonsense as 2018. The wellness industry was worth $4.2 trillion in 2017 and this figure is set to keep rising. That includes everything from appetite-suppressing lollipops to activated charcoal.

With this in mind, the start of the year seems like a good time to round up the latest health research to give you a better understanding of the best things to do to support your health in 2019.

1. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Last year saw a sharp rise in the number of people adopting vegan and plant-based diets. The scientific jury is still out on whether a completely vegan lifestyle is the best thing for our health in the long run, but eating more fruits and vegetables has always been high on the list of positive things you can do for your body.

A growing area of interest is the impact of diet on brain function. One big review of studies published in 2018 reliably demonstrated that for every additional 100g of fruit or vegetables eaten, there is a three percent reduction in the risk of depression.

Eat the rainbow. Shutterstock

The past couple years have also seen increased interest in the role of polyphenols—particularly flavonoids—in our overall health. These phytochemicals are naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables and are responsible for helping the plant to stay healthy. Unlike vitamins, they are not essential to our health but they do help prevent disease and keep our bodies working effectively.

It is thought that polyphenols benefit the immune system and have an anti-inflammatory effect. This means they can play a role in the prevention of the progression of many diseases—including diabetes, neurodegeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

2. Sit Less

Research shows that exercise not only helps us shrink our waistlines—by helping to create the right balance between energy in and energy out—but also reduces the risk of colon cancer, uterine cancer, and breast cancer.

This is thought to be because of the improvement in hormone profiles in those who exercise regularly. There is also really strong evidence to show that exercise is a great way to improve our mental health.

At the start of a new year, it can be easy to think that you need to join a gym, aiming for visible abs and adopting that latest grueling workout schedule—but the truth is that anything that gets you off the sofa will do wonders for your health. In essence, the less time you spend sitting still, the better.

3. Get More Sleep (but Not Too Much)

There were several interesting breakthroughs in research in 2018 linking the “dose” of sleep we get and our health. It turns out that too much, as well as too little sleep, increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Healthy adults need between six and nine hours of sleep a night.

New research has also revealed how lifestyle interventions can help to extend people’s sleep—and how a better night’s sleep might help to improve dietary intake during the day. The same research also found that partial sleep deprivation can lead to people craving higher energy foods and consume more than 400 additional calories over the course of a day.

4. Make a Stress Management Plan

Modern life can cause stress and this has a major detrimental effect on our health.

This is why it’s important that any plans you make to improve your health in 2019 should not add to your stress burden.

Put an effective stress management plan in place for the year ahead. This should include an understanding of the cause of your stress and a plan in place for how to reduce your hormonal response to these stresses.

5. Drink More Water

Did you know that being just one percent dehydrated can impair your ability to concentrate? We all know that drinking water is great for us but becoming just slightly dehydrated on a busy work day can really impair our performance and increase stress.

Make sure you keep a reusable water bottle with you to keep hydrated. You’re looking for your urine to be the color of pale straw throughout the day. Don’t fall into the trap of adding lemons to your water either—lemon juice is more damaging for tooth enamel than coca-cola.

Drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Shutterstock

Ultimately, for the year ahead, aim to focus on your overall wellness and not just one aspect of it.

This is important, because a strict diet that adds to your stress because you can’t find anything to eat, or an exercise regime that has you up at five in the morning every day is going to have many of its benefits offset by detrimental health effects.

And as the research shows, being tired and stressed makes eating healthily much more difficult.

You’re likely better off to aim for small achievable health goals each week so you can enjoy sustainable benefits.

Sophie Medlin is a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London in the UK. This article was first published on The Conversation.