As Millennials make their name as the most green-conscious generation in history, they not only focus only on the planet but the well-being of their body and mind, too.

More than ever people are choosing healthier lifestyles, and why wouldn’t they when it’s something we should all be aiming for in order to look, feel and be as good as we can.

And it’s not too difficult to do.

Incorporating simple health-supporting habits into your daily routine will assist you with prevention, so Skin Online pointed out five routines to get you started:

– Put sugar on hold “forever”

Simply put, sugar is as toxic as poison to the body, it undermines all the bodies natural processes and raises the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Sugar is the number one cause of inflammation in the body and as such should be avoided at all costs. The challenge is finding foods that exclude sugar, mainly because it’s a key ingredient in just about every processed food imaginable.

Sadly it bears mentioning that artificial sweeteners are not the solution either, as they still spike your blood sugar levels.

** Handy hint
Try taking a supplement called glutamine, 1 000 mg every four to six hours. It’s a benign amino acid that tricks your body into thinking it’s getting sugar, aka glucose, making it super effective at taming the sugar monsters when they call.

– Keep it real

Healthy lifestyles include whole foods, as in that which grows in the ground, goes bad if not refrigerated, or has a limited shelf life—so, yes, not those foods which are so man-made that they do not perish. Instead of worrying about food labels and all the unpronounceable ingredients on them, rather choose fresh and organic produce. Make your own soups and sauces, so that you can control the ingredients and avoid any packaged foods.

– Keep moving

Modern life and office jobs make for a sedentary lifestyle, making exercise a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. If you’re a beginner, why not hit the gym, or even better hit the great outdoors and start by walking at lunchtime or after dinner? At the office, commit to moving five minutes out of every hour, be it a lap around the office, a bathroom break or even fetching your favourite drink of choice.

– Relax a little

One of the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood is with deep breathing or mindfulness. The rhythmic, conscious breathing of air in and tension out triggers a relaxation cycle in the body, changing the way you react to stress, downshifting the old fight-or-flight response.

– Sleep a little longer

Sleep is not overrated. In fact, studies now show that proper sleep is more important than ever before. It’s time to relearn and re-implement what was once the norm – in other words, a minimum of eight hours sleep per day.

Granted, it’s hard to imagine going to bed and getting up at the same time every weekday, but for healthy lifestyles, this is a must. As a result, your body will learn to start producing melatonin at around 11PM to make you sleepy, and at around 6AM it will start pumping serotonin and cortisol, the wake-up hormones.

Suddenly you will feel more energetic and falling asleep and waking up will be much less of an effort.

– Start taking vitamins you need

Vitamins and minerals are your first defence in a modern world polluted with super bugs and ever increasing illness. These micronutrients are the army that will fight off age-related ailments and deterioration of systems.

Obviously, the ideal way of getting your vitamins would be through diet, but the modern diet is making this harder and harder. While it’s always important to eat well, it becomes especially essential around age 40 because that’s when the rules start to change.

As each one of us is a unique individual who needs our own set of guidelines depending on our lifestyle, speaking to a Health Professional is the ideal way to figure out a daily routine suited to your needs.

At Health Renewal, specialists will give you a full consultation before giving you what you need.

Looking after yourself is as important as looking after those around you. Now is as good a time as any to start.