Pamela has decided to take a different direction in her work so is leaving FB+H. Jan is very sad to see her go as Pamela has been a fabulous practitioner and admin manager for the practice. Good luck Pamela!

1. Exercise most days of the week. You are probably groaning now, "not that exercise thing again!". However, exercise is the number one priority for well being and good health. Go for a 40 minute walk five days a week as your minimum exercise. And, do some resistance exercise two to three times a week for 30 minutes. You can do this at home or at the gym or with a personal trainer.
   
2. Give up the ciggies and over-charred barbecued food. In fact, avoid other chemicals including those in cleaning products, skin products and numbered ingredients in food products such as colourings and flavourings. All of these substances add to your toxic load, making you more susceptible to disease.
   
3. Eat some berries or other purple foods each day. Think blueberries, beetroot, cherries and other purple to red berries and you will be on the right track. Purple fruit and veg contain powerful antioxidants that help prevent free radical damage. This means they help to prevent ageing and disease.
   
4. Make sure you have some leafy green vegetables every day. Choose from salad leaves, spinach, Asian greens, broccoli, broccolini, cabbage or other favourite green veg (Jan loves Brussels sprouts so try those too).
   
5. Keep alcohol in moderation and avoid binge drinking. And, have several alcohol free days per week to give your body a rest.
   
6. See us for a "grease and oil change" a couple of times a year. This might involve having a few tests to see how your digestive system (or engine) is running. And, it might include checking your zinc status and body composition. For people with chronic health problems a hair tissue mineral analysis test might also be in order. We give ourselves a grease and oil change a couple of times a year to make sure we stay in top shape internally which is mirrored on the outside by a glow of good health. Ask Jan about having a check today.
   
7. Keep your diet simple. Avoid falling into the trap of buying processed food products. Basically you need to buy mostly unprocessed foods. For example go for a pile of raw / fresh vegetables and some protein food at your evening meal. Occasionally you might want to have some basmati rice or spelt pasta with it, but not much and not too often. If your diet is overloaded with processed foods, you're probably feeling sluggish and carrying extra weight and it could be time for a diet review with Jan to get you back on track.
   
8. Take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement each day. The B vitamins are essential for many processes in your body as are the various minerals. A couple of the B vitamins also help to keep your homocysteine levels healthy. Homocysteine is a substance that is naturally produced by your body and is converted into two essential nutrients. However, when you are deficient in B vitamins this conversion might not happen which then leads to a rise in homocysteine. Raised levels of homocysteine are linked to an increased risk of cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease. So taking your daily vits and mins is a very simple way of improving your health.
   
9. Give yourself time out each day to relax and reflect. Even if you can only snatch 10 minutes to simply sit and do nothing it will help with stress levels and peace of mind.
   
10. Finally, assess your attitude. Are you optimistic or the voice of doom and gloom? Are you motivated or apathetic? Are you kind when you talk to yourself and others? This is probably the most important point on this list because if you are leaning on the negative, pessimistic side of things you are making yourself more vulnerable to disease. If you cannot get yourself out of a negative way of thinking it can help to jot down or make a mental note of all the things that are worthwhile in your life. Still having trouble? Next stop is to seek some counselling help.