Small Changes to a Healthier You

What are some small adjustments you can make in your everyday living to help improve your overall well-being? Let's break this into a few important categories where minor changes can help improve your health...

Nutrition:

Plan a healthy diet that combines lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and dairy.

Reduce your sugar intake, increase variety of fruits and vegetables, increase your lean protein and healthy grains:

1.     By reducing sugars/carbohydrates, you can reduce your diabetes, liver function tests (fatty liver), improve your thyroid dysfunction, improve your cholesterol, reduce your blood pressure, improve your energy, reduce inflammation and pain and reduce your weight.

-        Reduce drinks with sugar.

-        Reduce adding extra sugar in/on your meals and drinks.

-        Reduce your sweets and substitute with healthier options such as fruit, cheese, yogurt, nuts, whole grain crackers.

2.     By increasing your variety of fruits and vegetables, you can improve iron and vitamin deficiencies.

-        Increase Vitamin A, C, D, E, zinc intake.

-        Eat leafy greens to improve gut health, increase antioxidants, improve weight loss, help repair skin, iron intake and increase your red blood cells.

-        Vary the color of the fruits/vegetables you eat to obtain different vitamins.

-        Use fruits as a substitute for snacking on processed or junk food.

3.     By increasing your lean protein intake and reduce your carbohydrates to feel satiated and reduce inflammation and pain in general.

-        Eat more nuts, seeds, beans/lentils/legumes and eggs which contain lean protein, iron and helps increase red blood cell production.

-        Reduce breads, especially refined white breads – improve inflammation, blood pressure, heart health, bloating and gut health, and improve energy.

-        Fat free, sugar free yogurt is an extra source of protein, that improves calcium intake and gut health with probiotics.

-        Increase whole grains that have more fiber than refined carbohydrates. Examples of whole grains: Bulgar, Oats, Quinoa, Brown rice, whole-wheat products, rye.

4.     Use plant based oils with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil, soy-bean oil – which are heart healthy fats.

5.     Drink more water!! This helps digestion, heart, cushions your joints, flushes bad bacteria, prevents constipation, increases your energy, helps brain function, helps headaches, improves skin health, helps weight loss and kidney function.

-        Drink about a third your weight in ounces/day, i.e. if I weigh 120 lbs, I should drink 40 ounces or 5 cups or water per day.

-        Can take small amounts throughout day if easier than a few large glasses of water.

6.     Drink milk daily if able for bone health and Vitamin D.

-        You can also get calcium from other foods such as calcium fortified orange juice, tofu.

7.     Eat more smaller meals (five meals per day rather than three large meals), reduce your portions to manage your weight.

- Start by reducing your meals by 25% of portion. If your still feel hungry, substitute with a healthy snack or healthy desert.

- You don’t have to finish your meal if it’s too much! Save it for lunch or dinner the next day.

8.     Avoid alcohol! This improves your sleep, energy, reduces depression and anxiety and helps reduce heart and liver related diseases.

9.     Reduced processed and refined foods as much as possible to help your pain and inflammation.

10.  It’s ok to have a desert or things you enjoy without feeling guilty, just in moderation.

-        Don’t stop everything you’re doing, just adjust!

-        Do it gradually if too overwhelming.

-        Treat yourself, enjoy the process, don’t judge or pressure yourself, it won’t help or work.

Don’t eat until you’re full. Enjoy the food you eat and the quality, not the quantity!

Exercise

Stand, walk and stretch more!

1.     Make sure you are standing up every hour – helps your heart, blood flow, reduces muscle tension, improves posture and decrease risk of injury, improves energy and balance.

2.     If able, walk and/or stretch throughout your day.

- This reduces chronic disease, improves your blood sugar, reduces pain, improves energy, reduces stress and improves mood, improves blood flow, improves your posture.

- Walking and stretching for as little 10 minutes/day can help.

Phantom Pain/Sensations (for our amputee population)

Desensitization

1.     Try to desensitize your DRL, use different sensation to do so, light and firm touch, vibration, cold and hot sensations. Massage/touch the end of your DRL as often as you can to train your brain the rest of your limb is no longer there.

2.     Stretch, reduce immobility, prevent contractures to reduce chronic pain.

3.     Reduce refined/processed foods, carbohydrates/sugar to decrease inflammation and pain in general

Psychological Well-Being

Eat better foods, talk to someone every day, get outside, do things you enjoy, be mindful

-        This can prevent comorbidities and increases life span.

-        This improves mood, reduces stress, improves concentration, reduces chronic diseases and pain.

1. Prioritize sleep! Try to aim for 7-9 hours sleep/day. Try meditating for 10 minutes before sleep to be mindful of things “on your mind” or preventing you from sleeping. Think about those thoughts being placed in a container or garbage can and no longer in your brain

   
   

2. Mindfulness – This is the practice of paying attention to the present moment – your thoughts and feelings, the environment around you and your own bodily sensations - without judging yourself.

-        Reduce screen time and avoid social media!

3. Pick up a hobby that doesn’t cause you stress and helps remove your mind from challenging thoughts or situations in your life.

-        Read a book – but only if this relaxes you.

4. If possible, surround yourself with positive people that make you feel relaxed, calm and happy. If you can't avoid people that are negative, realize that their negativity is their own issue and has nothing to do with you.

-        Don’t take what people say and do personally!

-        Don’t compare yourself to others! What makes someone else happy, doesn’t have to be what makes you happy. Think of things that can calm your own mind, create happiness and peace.

5. Most importantly: Get help when things become overwhelming!

Good Luck!! – Dr. Anjum Khan