Unanderra Family Doctors

Just five hours of moderate intensity physical activity or two and a half hours of vigorous intensity exercise a week, plus muscle strengthening activities, can get you healthy and happy.

Friends make you smarter. Socialising can improve memory and cognitive function and is a key factor in maintaining good mental health and preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s. Why not sneak in a little extra social time by having lunch with your workmates?

Everything in moderation – Unless you’re a full time athlete with a strict diet and no alcohol policy, life is for living. Being healthy does not mean you have to be 100% clean, lean and green. It is okay to splurge here and there. Try using the 80/20 rule, 80% good and 20% cheeky.

No time to leave the office? Just 15 minutes of walking every day can extend your life by 3 years! If you need more motivation than that, 15 minutes of brisk walking burns the same amount of energy as 3 squares of dark chocolate.

Perfect your plank, the safest and most effective way to a strong core. Simply start with short increments, 20 or 30 seconds at a time, and build up to the maximum amount of time you can hold for. Integrate planks into your routine a few times a day – perhaps every time you wait for the kettle to boil, while you run the bath or during the ad breaks of your favourite TV programme. Do this regularly to improve core strength, flatten your stomach and feel great!

Having a laugh is one of nature’s best health remedies. Many studies show laughter boosts energy levels, decreases stress hormones, improves immunity and diminishes pain. This is because it triggers the release of endorphins, the natural feel-good chemicals that make us happier.

Healthy habits form with friends. Our health and wellbeing habits form in relation to those around us, and we sure do spend a lot of time with our co-workers! Befriend someone at work who shares your wellbeing goals and commit to healthy diet changes together.

Walk tall - Your posture can affect your mood, so pull those shoulders back and strut your stuff.

Power up your brain. Create a culture of health in your office by sharing brain-boosting foods like fish, avocados, whole grains, raw carrots, blueberries, dark chocolate, nuts & seeds. Just remember to keep your work snack or lunch low in sugar and free from refined carbs or you’ll have a collective sugar crash to deal with later in the day!

Numerous studies show that sitting quietly and reflecting regularly offers numerous health benefits, including reducing stress. Take just 11 minutes out of your day to clear your mind and become truly present and aware. A simple way to do it: Sit in a comfortable seated position with your palms pressed together at heart center with thumbs lightly touching your sternum. Repeat a word or phrase silently to yourself and let its meaning calm you.

Just 30 minutes a day of brisk walking can increase your cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness, reduce your risk of heart disease, increase your muscle strength and endurance, and improve your spinal health. Get outside and get walking!

Reduce Side Pain when Running
Most people, when running, tend to exhale when their right foot strikes the ground, which actually puts pressure on the liver and causes the dreaded “side stitch” in many runners. Try simply training yourself to exhale when your left foot strikes the ground and take the pressure off your poor liver… which probably takes enough abuse as it is.

When at work or home, many people love to get a cup of tea or coffee. Decide that you’ll be more healthy and get a warm cup of herbal tea. The selection available today is absolutely massive, so you’re guaranteed to find one you enjoy.

Pick exercises you enjoy!
When you enjoy the sports, you’ll naturally want to do them. Exercise isn’t about suffering and pushing yourself; it’s about being healthy and having fun at the same time. Adding variation in your exercises will keep them interesting.

If you haven’t got time for anything else in the morning, make time to drink a big glass of water. We lose a lot of oxygen through the night and to rejuvenate our cells, we need to supply them with water and oxygen. Drink a glass of water and within a week you’ll begin to feel less tired. If you don’t the taste of water, squeeze some fresh lime into your water to give it taste and drink up.

Stretching will make you a better athlete!
When you're able to bend and move into various positions more easily, you will achieve better athletic performance since your joints can properly move through the full range of motion. Stretching increases blood flow to the muscle and will only improve your workout results. If you stretch consistently, you will see improvements in your flexibility.

Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. Exercise also can improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All this can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

Attitude: No one expects you to walk around giddy and grinning all the time, but your emotional responses can affect your physiological function. Try to cultivate a positive outlook. Hang out with fun, positive people. Read motivational or inspirational literature. Even small behavioural changes can produce a big improvement in attitude.

You don’t have to tell us carrots aren’t as cool as chocolate; we know. But the Easter Bunny loves ‘em, right? Wrap a few carrot sticks with green ribbon, or fill small cellophane bags with baby carrots to jazz the veggie up. Toss a few individual hummus containers in the basket as well for a healthy dipper.

Pick exercises you enjoy. When you enjoy the sports, you’ll naturally want to do them. Exercise isn’t about suffering and pushing yourself; it’s about being healthy and having fun at the same time. Adding variation in your exercises will keep them interesting.

Fill your diet with a wide range of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, pulses, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and naturally low-fat dairy foods. When it comes to fruit and veg, different colours provide your body with the different nutrients it needs to stay strong and healthy – it's not just greens that are good for you!

Neck and Shoulders: The tension you hold when talking on your mobile, typing on the computer driving the car can be released by exercises that drop the shoulders, hold the head back neutral to the hips, and stretch the muscles three times a day.

How does stress affect the body?
The human body responds to events that provoke stress by releasing more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and metabolism. These changes prepare you to react quickly and effectively and improve your ability to perform well under pressure.

Stressed? Sniff an orange! 🍊When you’re stressed, your sense of smell actually gets sharper because your body is in survival mode. Put those superhuman powers to use by sniffing some citrus essential oil. In a recent Brazilian study, participants who endured a stressful test felt much less anxious when they sniffed orange essential oil for five minutes prior to the exam. Best of all, the effects followed them throughout the day.

3 Simple Steps to Help Reduce Knee Pain Whilst Walking
1. Walk Quietly: Every time your heel hits the ground while you walk, a jolt of force travels up your leg and through your knee. Keeping the intensity of that ‘jolt’ to a minimum reduces the wear and tear and ultimately reduces pain.
2. Walk Straight: People experiencing knee pain often adapt the way they walk to reduce knee pain. Turning their foot and leg outwards without really thinking about it. In simple mechanical terms, your knee is a great big hinge which works best when being used in a straight line.
3. Walk Gently Downhill: Higher impact and shearing forces make walking downhill a challenging and often painful experience for people with knee problems. Try reducing your step length while descending.

Carry a water bottle.
Keep refilling it and drinking it throughout the day. You’ll be less hungry (and it’s free!). Staying hydrated is also one of the best beauty tips out there.

Connect with others. Develop and maintain strong relationships with people around you who will support and enrich your life. The quality of our personal relationships has a great effect on our wellbeing. Putting time and effort into building strong relationships can bring great rewards.

Give yourself a break - much of our stress is self-imposed, as we often have unrealistically high standards for ourselves. So what if the house is a pigsty for a day? Or even a week? You’d be better off catching up on your sleep or going swimming!

Since eating more than usual cannot be avoided entirely at this time of year, burn off calories by taking morning or evening walks or jogs. With daylight saving available in most states, the sun is up bright and early for us to get active and outdoors, so take advantage of this amazing weather and start moving!