When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, vowing to exercise more, lose weight or just “get healthier” are often top of the list. At AMG, we believe that coaching healthy-lifestyles is as important to wellness as traditional medicine.
Throughout 2018, this News page has brought you the latest in health news and advice. So, to help you achieve those new year goals, here’s some of our favourite articles from 2018.
7 dimensions of wellness
In February we brought you the 7 essential steps to achieving optimum health and well-being. Here’s how it’s done:
- Physical wellness – Keep physically fit to decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer and depression.
- Emotional wellness – Practice daily mindfulness and meditation. De-stress in the morning to improve your confidence and self-esteem. Meditate in the evening to help improve your sleep.
- Spiritual wellness – For greater calmness, empathy and higher self-worth, learn to be kinder, more forgiving, grateful, compassionate and less judgmental.
- Intellectual wellness – Learn new skills. It will keep you stimulated and engaged and reduces the risk of cognitive decline in later life.
- Environmental wellness – Spend more time outdoors and allow the tranquillity of nature to restore your energy and improve your mental health.
- Occupational wellness – We can’t all love our jobs, but for maximum wellness try to achieve a good work/life balance and seek enjoyment from your work.
- Social wellness – Research shows that people who have ‘meaningful’ social relationships live longer, happier, healthier lives.
Time to get healthy
Far too busy to be healthy? Leading a healthy lifestyle doesn’t need to take up hours of precious time. In September, we explained how just a few simple lifestyle changes can be great for good health:
- Find time for fitness – Make a date with the gym. Mark it on your calendar, and don’t cancel it! On weekends, get up one hour early and use the extra time to exercise.
- Fun for all the family – Take advantage of one of Ontario’s amazing national parks and go walking, cycling, kayaking or climbing.
- Find your incentive – Going out for dinner? Give yourself that extra incentive by choosing a healthy restaurant near to your gym, and meet your dinner date after your workout.
- All in the planning – Make shopping lists. They save time and money and prevent unhealthy food from magically ‘appearing’ in your shopping cart!
- Commit to 3 healthy meals a day – and make time for breakfast!
- Easy does it – Canned, jarred or frozen fruits and vegetables are a real timesaver and avoid the need for last-minute grocery shopping.
- Preparation first – Prep vegetables in advance. Make and freeze a few sauces, or mix some marinades for the fridge. Having healthy food available will stop you snacking on unhealthy alternatives and eliminate the need for fast-food.
Focus on . . . Rejuv Cardio Health
Need a little extra motivation? AMG is always here to help. In May, we shone the spotlight on our Rejuv Cardio Health Program which uses the Four Pillars of Prevention to improve cardio health and overall wellness. They are:
- Pillar 1: Daily exercise – A personalized, cardio-enhancing exercise routine including stretching and resistance training.
- Pillar 2: Nutrition – A nutritious diet, drawn up by our professionals, which is low in fat and easily metabolized by the digestive system.
- Pillar 3: Stress Management – Mindfulness and meditation to help you release the tensions of everyday life.
- Pillar 4: Communication for prevention – MiVitals™ – The AMG healthcare app for fast online communication with health-care professionals.
For more information on Rejuv Cardio Health take a look at our video.
Alternatively, you can drop by the first floor Fitness Centre (suites 102 + 103) or second-floor Wellness Coaching (suite 210) at 230 Victoria Street.
Until then … we wish you all a very happy (and healthy) New Year!