We could all benefit from a gentle nudge in the direction of a more healthful way of life. In most cases, common sense is all that’s required; there are no shortcuts. And yet, it’s easy to get sidetracked or distracted, allowing us to overlook the seemingly insignificant but enormously impactful changes we can make.
Exercise More
Take a few deep breaths and get moving. It was built to move, so just do it as Nike advises. Obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other diseases are all made more likely by a sedentary lifestyle. All of these can be avoided by engaging in regular, long-term activities. Consequently, find something enjoyable to do and engage in it frequently.
Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
You won’t find a better source of vitamins and nutrients than fruits and vegetables. Vitamins such as these are essential to a long, healthy life. Aim for 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and 4-5 servings each week (see the full guide to healthy eating). It’s a serving size that’s the size of your palm. Colorful fruits and vegetables are easy to incorporate into your diet. If you spread their use out throughout the day, you’ll reap the most benefits. Vitamin pills can’t even come close to making up for what nature has to offer in terms of nutrition. Aside from that, don’t peel them because the peel contains a lot of nutrition. Unless the peel is inedible, of course (e.g. bananas).
Eat Some Legumes
Rice, lentils, and beans are staples in some countries’ diets. Many of the nutrients in these foods, including a significant amount of fibre, are especially beneficial to North Americans.
Avoid Junk Food
Even though we all know that junk food is bad for us, we still find a way to eat it. When it comes to our health, we may not be aware of the damage it is doing. In the long run, most of the damage will manifest in the form of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and legumes while avoiding junk food such as potato chips, ice cream, chocolate, and candy.
Add Omega-3 to Your Diet
There’s a lot of evidence that this type of oil can help prevent heart disease and stroke by keeping the blood vessels healthy. Omega-3 oils can be found in fish, walnuts, flax seeds, omega-3 eggs, and other foods. Supplements made from flax seed oil or fish oil can be a good option if you don’t eat these foods on a regular basis, as they are better than nothing. Supplements containing fish oil are typically more potent.
Get a Check Up!
Unfortunately, many people wait until something is seriously wrong before going to the doctor. Despite the fact that this may be fine for a long time, it can have serious consequences if continued. Consider it a maintenance checkup for your 6,000-mile car. Checking in with our family doctor once a year is a good idea because minor issues can indicate something more serious is going on. You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you catch a disease in its early stages.
Medication
Ask your doctor if there are any steps you can take to stop taking your medication. You may not be able to, but if that is the case, talk to your doctor about other options. First, if you have high cholesterol, try to lower it by changing your diet and exercising more frequently. You may be able to avoid medication for type 2 diabetes by losing weight and exercising every day. You should be aware that many medications have side effects that you may not be aware of right away. For instance, did you know that many medications can cause liver damage? You may have to take more medication because of the side effects that you get from taking pills.
Find a Way to Relax
Allow yourself some downtime throughout the day. You’ll get a mental and physical energy boost from this. Play soothing music, practice yoga, rest or meditate, to name a few suggestions. Regardless of what you do, just make sure it’s something that you enjoy. A few minutes each day, perhaps more than once, will allow you to better handle all of life’s responsibilities.
Manage Your Stress
Take the time to learn how to deal with stress. Stress is a major cause of illness, and I know it’s not always easy to avoid it. As a result of stress, your body produces a variety of hormones and chemicals that can cause a wide range of health problems. You can learn a variety of relaxation techniques, such as meditation, to help you unwind. Find an approach that works for you by experimenting and learning from your mistakes.
Enjoy Life
Do things that you enjoy. If you can, do this every day. Both reading and going out with friends are enjoyable activities. As long as it enhances your day in some way, what matters is not what you do but how you do it.
Get More Sleep
A typical night’s sleep for most people is between 7-8 hours. Remember that this 7- 8 hour of sound sleep — if it takes you 30 minutes to fall asleep and you wallow in bed for 30 minutes before getting up, that’s an hour that doesn’t count. This may seem insignificant. You won’t be able to rest comfortably if the product is of poor quality. Find out what’s wrong with your sleep and work on resolving it if you’re having trouble getting enough of it (watch out for gimmicks). In addition to exhaustion, sleep deprivation can lead to mental health issues. According to some studies, depression may be linked to a lack of sleep. Physical problems can also be caused by getting too little sleep.
Everyone knows you don’t have to implement all of these strategies at once. You can choose one that is simple to implement or one that will have the greatest effect. Pick another from the list once you’ve made it a habit. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel and wonder why you waited so long to get started!
