It’s an ideal time to really look after your health properly. Stress levels can build up during the year and there is nothing like the endorphins released during exercise to calm you down. In just four weeks, you can make a real difference to your health and fitness levels. It is also a time for quality family time together. Playing games reading books and visiting museums.

Follow this action plan and you really will be looking fitter and healthier for September.

Start by thinking about nutrition — make sure you don’t exist on takeaway junk food and big lunches.
 

Buy in fresh fruit and vegetables — but remember that even fresh food in the Gulf loses its nutritional value very quickly, so don’t get in more than a couple of days stock at a time.

Decide to take the first positive step by eating five portions of fruits or vegetables a day. Diets rich in fruit and vegetables have been linked to health benefits concerning a number of diseases including cancers, heart disease, strokes and obesity.

If you include fruits and vegetables in your diet, you will notice other benefits, as fruits are also an excellent source of energy. So — if you feel you need sugar, pass on the cake and have an apple instead.
 

Start the day with a glass of 100 percent pure orange or grapefruit juice — squeeze it yourself!

Have a banana on whole-meal toast for breakfast — or put chopped banana on your cereal with plain yogurt and milk.

Pack an apple for your mid-morning snack.

Eat salad for lunch or put loads of salad in your sandwich.

Chew on a raw carrot as you prepare supper.

Have vegetables or fruit salad with your evening meal.

There ­­— you’ve done it! For a copy of my healthy eating plan e-mail me: [email protected] or pick one up at ardenhealth.com.
 

Drink lots of water. Start the day with a glass of water. Build up to drinking 2 ½ liters a day. This will get your kidneys to flush impurities out of your body more regularly. A proportion of extra weight in the Gulf is due to water retention.  Sip water through the day and cut down on dehydrating caffeine laden drinks to one or two.

Drinking more water equals less water retention. Also, when your body gets the water it needs you feel less tired and your skin looks healthier.

Of course, with all this healthy eating you will have the energy for exercise!
 

If you haven’t exercised in a while, try to exercise for 20 minutes, three times a week and make it a part of your routine. If your habit is to drive home and sit down in front of the television, change it and plan to stop and exercise on the journey home. Or plan it for the morning in place of the school run that you don’t have to do now. Just pop your gym kit in the car and drop in at the gym. If you aren’t a member of one, now is the time to sign up for the summer; gyms and pools can be quiet during the summer. Remember — exercise will not only tone your body, it’s good for your heart, and it’s a great stress buster! Cut out this article, highlight the resolutions that apply to you and four weeks from now you will be able to stride out confidently.

For more tips on slimming, diet and exercise e-mail me at: [email protected] to receive my Newsletter.
 


If you have gum disease then I would first recommend that you go see a dentist. However, it has been found that taking 60 mg per day Coenzyme Q10 over a period of 8 weeks shows a marked improvement in unhealthy gums.