3 Healthy Habits To Encourage
Get your New Year off to the best start!
Here at Abbey Road Dental we love supporting healthy changes that help towards your physical and mental health. The New Year is a great time to make those healthy changes, to build on excellent new habits that will carry you well through the year.
The only problem is, which healthy habits to choose? It is common knowledge trying to change everything at once is a bad idea because it is too overwhelming. Ideally, you could pick one or two things to change and stick to building those habits long term. One long term change could make a huge difference to your life compared to making lots of changes that aren’t sustainable.
To help with your New Year healthy habits, your favourite St John’s Wood dentist has 3 ideas for you to consider doing more of in 2018:
1. Eat More Plants
We don’t know much about veganism, but we do know that most people can benefit from eating more plants. The Veganuary idea seems like a lot of fun, but if you can’t go fully plant based for the month why not try just eating more plants in general? They benefit your whole body, including your dental health. Veggies like celery and kale, need chewing and help to clean your teeth, whereas fruits like apple and strawberries naturally whiten the teeth. According to Cancer Research UK:
“A diet high in fruit and vegetables may protect against head and neck cancer – insufficient fruit and vegetables intake is linked to an estimated 56% of oral cancer cases, and an estimated 45% of laryngeal cancer cases in the UK.”. So fruit and veggies can also help keep you protected too. Check out the BBC Good Food guide on implementing more fruit and veg into your diet.
2. Get Outdoors More
If you struggle with mental health on any level, going outdoors could be a wonderful new habit for you to develop. Maybe you get a bit stressed day to day, or you suffer with a deeper issue like anxiety or depression? However you struggle with your mental health, your mind fuels everything you do so it is worth taking care of in the same way you take care of your body. Ecotherapy, recommended by UK mental health charity MIND, is an umbrella term for using ‘being outdoors’ to heal the mind. Have a read about their various green therapy programmes to get inspired to go outdoors more.
3. Move More
Moving more does not need to mean going to the gym everyday, or becoming a yoga instructor within three months (although if you’re inclined to do so, that’s great too!) Moving more can mean walking ten minutes around the block, swimming once a week with friends, or attending a beginners yoga class for the first time. If you simply make the decision to ‘move more’ and have that as your motto, soon enough you’ll find yourself taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking to a friends instead of driving, and perhaps taking more classes and walks eventually. Every part of your body will benefit from moving more, including your smile which will get a boost from the extra oxygen in your blood created by movement. Read more about why moving more benefits the body on the NHS Livewell website.
Stay Even Healthier With Regular Visits To Your NW8 Dentist
Your dental health is an important part of your overall health and attending regular checkups is important to keep your oral health tip top. Call us on 02076241603 and we will be more than happy to make you an appointment. Here at your St John’s Wood dentist we’re always happy to help you stick to healthy habits, including keeping your smile as happy and healthy as possible!