Health reboot: Easy diet and exercise tips for a healthier year

Each week our health columnists – dietitian Leslie Beck, fitness writer Alex Hutchinson and personal trainer Paul Landini – tell you how to live better, eat healthier and be more active.

Here they pick their top advice from the past year to kick-start your 2019.

How to start the year off right

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Our health columnists share the one thing they would each change for a healthier 2019

From getting more whole grains to breaking up your sedentary time, our experts help narrow down the daunting amount of health advice to a few manageable tips that can lead to big results.

What to eat for better health

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Want to eat healthier? Avoid these nutrition myths

Before you overhaul your diet based on questionable nutrition advice, take a moment to read the facts about five popular diet claims.

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What to eat for brain health as you age

A large study has linked eating plenty of fruits and vegetables from middle to late adulthood to significant protection from memory loss – and certain fruits and vegetables were found to be especially protective.

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Four nutrients you are probably lacking

Even the most disciplined eaters can be skipping out on key essentials, which can eventually drain energy and lead to health problems.

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How to build an anti-inflammatory diet

Research has tied a pro-inflammatory diet to an increased risk of cancer. The North American diet is linked to higher levels of inflammation in the body, while a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with lower inflammation levels.

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Is it worth taking sports supplements?

Although widely used by athletes and non-athletes alike, supplements’ benefits are often backed by flimsy or non-existent evidence and their downsides ignored. There are some rare exceptions – if you know where to look.

How to be more active

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How running can help manage depression or anxiety

There’s solid evidence that over time, regular running produces two of the key changes thought to explain the effects of antidepressant drugs.

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Grab life by the poles: Why you should take up cross-country skiing

The combination of high intensity and full-body involvement in cross-country skiing seems to be particularly potent in fighting heart disease.

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How to perfect your pull-ups

No other exercise hits as many upper-body muscles – and strikes as much fear in the hearts of the uninitiated – as the pull-up. Here’s how to do them right.

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How to fight toxic gym culture

Bullying and sexual harassment are the most obvious examples, but ageism, ableism, sexism, racism, fat-shaming, homophobia – if you train at a standard big-box gym, there’s a good chance this stuff is happening all around you.

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Tips to avoid falling prey to fake fitness gurus

How to sift through the ocean of fitness information so you can make intelligent and informed decisions – and not place stock in the wisdom of false prophets.

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