Looking to improve your health but feeling overwhelmed by all the information about diet, exercise and other lifestyle habits you’ve read or heard about?

Relax. You don’t have to change everything at once. Here are five simple things you can do this week to start improving your health.

1. Drink more water
We've all been told it's important to drink water to maintain good health, clear skin, etc, but you're not often told why. Water is essential to the body, making up between 55 and 75 percent of a person's body mass.

The body cannot store water, however, which is why it requires daily replenishment. Adults lose between about three litres of water each day through bodily functions and perspiration and more is lost during exercise and in hot weather.

Health and performance coach and managing director of Clean Health www.cleanhealthcom.au, Daine McDonald, emphasises the importance on drinking enough water.

"A great way to check if you are adequately hydrated is to see if your urine is clear and odourless," McDonald says.

"If not, you are not drinking enough! Our muscles are comprised of about 75 percent water and our brains are a tad over 80 percent. If you are dehydrated these two very important components of your body will not be functioning optimally. To avoid this aim for a minimum of 2.5 litres per day — this may increase even more dependent on your age, level of activity and current state of health."

2. Get more sleep
Sleep is as essential for good health as food, water and oxygen. We don't know exactly how it works, but doctors agree that sleep is important for restoring physical and mental health — giving your body a chance to repair itself and refresh the mind.

Lack of sleep causes fatigue, poor concentration, memory loss, mood fluctuations, affects your judgement and reaction time and physical coordination.

"Sleep is generally the first thing I fix when it comes to helping my clients lose body fat and attain overall health," McDonald says.

"In the late evening and early morning your body releases an anabolic hormone known as human growth hormone. HGH has both an indirect and direct effects on the body. It assists in increased muscle mass and strength, decreases body fat and increases energy levels.

"Tips for better sleep include sleeping in a pitch-black room, ensuring that you eat your last meal three to four hours before you go to sleep, and training in the first half of the day so that the stress hormones released while training have come down by the evening allowing you to switch of and get some quality rest."

3. Eat more dark leafy greens
Leafy greens such as spinach, broccoli, rocket and kale are great sources of essential vitamins and minerals, such vitamins A, C, K, many of the B vitamins, folate, iron and calcium. They are also high in fibre, which promotes good bowel health, and pack a powerful phytonutrient punch. Phytonutrients are natural chemicals proven to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial benefits, as well as aiding cellular repair.

"One of the first things I get all my clients to do is to cut back on beige carbs and replace them with green goodness," McDonald says.

"One of the biggest benefits is increased fibre content, which promotes the body's natural ability to excrete toxins out of our body when we go to the bathroom — these toxins when accumulated over time store themselves as fat on different parts of our body. An increase in dark greens will enhance this process and allow the removal of toxins and a decrease in body fat."

4. Get moving
You know you should probably do more exercise, but here's why it's so good for your physical and mental wellbeing. Exercise causes the brain to release endorphins or "feel good" hormones, it can also help to combat levels of the stress-hormone cortisol responsible for weight retention.

Exercise will help you build lean muscle mass, which in turn will help your body to burn more kilojoules each day, helping you to maintain a healthy weight. It also strengthens your heart and lungs, helping them to do their job more efficiently. If your heart is able to do its job better, then your whole body functions better. You will have more energy and find it easier to fall asleep at night.

"Our bodies are designed for movement, just like a car is designed to drive," McDonald says.

"If you never drive your car it will get rusty and gradually fall apart, the same applies to humans and the use of our body. We are designed to lift and sprint — not run long distances. I always get my clients to replicate this, primarily with two types of exercise activities — weight training and interval-based cardiovascular training, which are two sure-fire ways to increase not only your health but to keep fat off year round."

5. Quit smoking and drink less alcohol
It's pretty clear why you should stop smoking. Aside from causing cancer, emphysema, blood clots and much more, tobacco smoke is made up of thousands of chemicals, most of them are harmful and at least 60 of them cause cancer.

These include carbon monoxide, the same poisonous gas in car exhaust fumes. Would you put your mouth over a car's exhaust pipe and inhale? We didn't think so.

Carbon monoxide starves your lungs, heart and liver of the oxygen they need to function properly. The tar particles, which attach themselves to the inside of your lungs, increase mucus production, which makes it harder for you to breathe. For more information, visit www.quitnow.info.au.

When it comes to alcohol, moderation is the key. Australian guidelines from the National Health and Medical Research Council recommend that men and women consume no more than two standard drinks on any one occasion.

Anything more than four standard drinks is considered binge drinking which — aside from leading to hangovers, potential for embarrassment due to reduced inhibitions, vomiting and memory loss — causes damage to organs such as your kidney and liver, and can also lead to brain damage.

How healthy is your lifestyle? Share your health tips and advice below