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Beating bad habits
Created: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Smokers often get defensive when you point out the folly of lighting up yet another cigarette. Yet, they are well aware of the negatives: it's smelly, it's poisonous, it's bad for the kids and it is unappealing. Worse, it can kill you.

 
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A sad fact, but many people have completely preventable bad health habits in many respects, agrees Carel Bosman, Marketing Head at Momentum: Health & Multiply. "It's not just the smokers who ignore the obvious. We are in such a hurry today that many of us don't even know how to eat our food properly. We know that we should drink water and eat fresh fruit and vegetables, but we don't. We know we should take a walk, but it's too much effort. We fall so easily into the trap of "it's just this once, so it doesn't matter'," he notes.

Momentum Health knows that beating bad health habits can be tough, if only because the force of habit can be difficult to overcome. While the addiction of cigarettes is a physical one, many other issues are quite simply a matter of identifying the vice and then consciously putting your mind to changing it.

Start by setting yourself small daily health goals and commit to achieving them, one step at a time. You'll be glad you did.

Goal posts
Physical and mental wellness starts with a decision to live better. Your journey to wellness includes your mind, body & soul. Start yours with Momentum Health's wellness programme, Multiply. It incentivises good living, aiming to help you to achieve a healthier, more active and balanced lifestyle. "Wellness is a preventative approach; instead of spending when you are ill, rather invest in your health while you are well," says Bosman. "Wellness is something that influences every aspect of your life; it allows you to get more enjoyment out of being alive every day."

Improving your health need not cost anything. In many instances - all it requires is for you to think about the habits that you have and to focus on those that you know are bad.

For instance, are you drinking too much alcohol or caffeine? Why not trade it for a glass of water? Water is an essential nutrient that is involved in every function of the body. It helps transport nutrients and waste products in and out of cells and is necessary for all digestive, absorption, circulatory, and excretory functions. It is also needed for the maintenance of proper body temperature.

How much fruit and vegetables do you eat? This is probably one of the few things you can never get too much of. Did you know the deepest red and blue flavonoids found in the jewel-like colors of blueberries, cherries, and pomegranate boost metabolism by helping leptin [protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure] work properly? Well, now you do.

And what about exercise? When we physically exert ourselves, the body releases endorphins, which makes us feel good. And for effective stress management, every little bit of exercise counts. Don't think if you can't commit to a stringent fitness routine that it's useless. It's not. What motivates people to do more of something is to do little of something.

Momentum Health offers a unique Health Platform benefit that is available to all Momentum Health members. It is aimed at encouraging health awareness, enhances the quality of life and gives peace of mind through early detection, preventative care, maternity programme, health education and advice, management of certain diseases and emergency cover.


 
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