It may not be January anymore, but there is never a bad time to improve your health. However, these days, on social media, there is just as much information, so many new fad diets and foods, and exercise advice that it can be hard to see the wood for the trees, as they say. But in reality, despite what many influencers will lead you to believe, improving your health isn’t actually that complicated.
Why Should You Improve Your Health?
Being in good health can help you to live a longer, happier life. The healthier you are, the less at risk you will be of developing chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, strokes, and even cancers. You can also reduce your risk of injuries, boost your immune system, and improve your mental health. The healthier you feel, the better you will feel physically and mentally, and the habits you put in place can allow you to support your body now and in the future.
With this in mind, protecting your health, improving it, and laying the foundations to allow you to grow, thrive, and live your life will always be a good idea. These tips can help you to make the right choices and give your body what it needs.
Eat More Nutritious Foods
The majority of your diet should consist of whole, nutrient-rich foods. However, you don’t need to eliminate any food groups; just be mindful of how much you eat. This is especially true for highly processed foods and those high in fats and sugars. Your body needs carbohydrates, sugar, fat, and protein to help you stay healthy and give it what it needs.
You should also aim to include as many nutrient-dense foods as possible, such as potatoes, blueberries, spinach, salmon liver, and beans, to name a few.
Your diet needs to include a wide range of foods to give your body all the nutrients it needs. Think variety or eat the colors of the rainbow to get your fruits and vegetables in your diet. Choose lean protein sources (chicken, lean red meat, salmon, greek yogurt, and eggs) and aim to get at least 40g of protein per day; more if you’re trying to lose weight or to help you stay satiated for longer.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
As a side note, when discussing your diet, maintaining a healthy weight can help you protect your body and avoid the risk of obesity-related health concerns. While not everyone who is carrying extra weight will end up with health problems, if you are able to maintain a healthy weight, you can give your body the best care. There are many diets you can follow to help you lose or maintain your weight. You can choose calorie counting to only eat the calories you burn in a day to maintain your weight or find your deficit to lose weight in a healthy way; 1-2lb per week is an excellent target to aim for; you can try intermittent fasting, keto, the Mediterranean diet and so on. But it’s important to find a healthy way of eating that allows you to fuel your body and reach a healthy weight for your body and lifestyle.
Exercise and Movement
Exercise and movement mean many things to different people, and it’s important to remember that any type of movement counts. In fact, one of the best ways to move your body is by simply walking. It’s easy to do, it’s free, and it’s super effective. Whether you get outside and take a walk, use a treadmill, or simply walk around your house or yard, walking can be an effective way to move your body, stay mobile, and get the blood pumping.
If you want to do more vigorous exercise, then you can find something you enjoy that gets your blood pumping. The World Health Organization recommends that you do at least 150 minutes of exercise per week to get the heart beating fast and boost heart health. This can be in a few intense sessions per week. It can be multiple 10-minute sessions split up throughout the day every day. You can do only cardio, strength training, and take up a sport; it’s entirely up to you, but finding something you enjoy doing and can commit to is vital for you to build habits and make more movement and exercise part of your lifestyle.
Quit Bad Habits
If you’re really serious about getting healthy, then you need to address any bad habits you have and work on stopping them. It might be that you smoke, maybe you drink too much alcohol, or take illicit or prescription drugs, and don’t know how to quit.
There are many habits people indulge in that aren’t good for their bodies, and admitting this and knowing you need to stop is sometimes one of the most challenging steps to take. Once you have identified what you need to remove from your life, you can implement measures to facilitate positive changes.
Take It slow, day by day, identify your triggers, and look at ways you can avoid them to improve your chances of being successful. It might be that you need to stay away from certain people or places or that you need to find something to fill your time or occupy you to improve your chances of quitting. You might also find that you need to look for professional help to facilitate moving forward with improving your health and stopping. Whether you visit your primary care physician or look for rehab centers near you, look at the resources available and use them to increase your chances of success and put the right measures in place to help you.
Get Some Sleep
Be honest with yourself: How much sleep do you get each night? Are you getting the recommended amount? Not everyone gets the right amount of sleep, and studies suggest that around 1 in 3 people don’t get the minimum amount of undisturbed sleep each night. Poor sleep can impact your life in many ways. It can cause poor moods and irritability, contribute to weight gain, lead to poor concentration, and so much more.
Improving your sleep is one of the best things you can do when looking to improve your health. Look at what is impacting your sleep and what you can change. It might be that you need to go to bed an hour earlier, so you can you wind down and get a longer night’s sleep each night. You might need to put a regular sleep schedule into practice, stop eating or exercising close to bedtime, increase your temperature in the bedroom or decrease it, or use sleep aids that can help you drift off more easily. Experiment with different options and see what works for you. You will benefit from more sleep and less disturbed sleep, and watching it improves your health.
Stay Hydrated
We all know water is the best thing to drink because your body needs around 8 glasses per day. There is no hard and fast rule over how much you should drink per day; it’s all dependent on you and your lifestyle. However, you should know that first is a sign you’re already dehydrated, and if you’re constantly thirsty, then you need to concentrate on drinking more.
Now, not everyone is a fan of drinking plain water, so adding sugar-free flavorings, fruit, or plain water can make it more palatable. You can also add other drinks that are low in calories, such as diet sodas or nonfat coffee, as these contain water. But the important thing is to stay hydrated. Being hydrated ensures that you are able to maintain normal bodily function and regulate your blood volume.
Take Vitamin D
There is a lot of confusion over whether or not taking vitamins is actually beneficial for our health. And if you’re deficient in any vitamins or minerals, then taking good quality specific supplements, i.e., not general multivitamins, can be helpful (in the case of allergies).
However, one thing that is usually agreed upon is that increasing vitamin D is highly beneficial for everyone. Our bodies don’t make this naturally, and we get most of the vitamin D we need from exposure to sunlight. However, not everyone is able to get this every day, and with more and more people wearing sunscreen, the levels of vitamin D our bodies can get from the sun have massively decreased over the years. Vitamin D improves bone strength, reduces signs of depression, and strengthens your immune system, so it’s important that if you are deficient, then you add this supplement to your diet to boost your levels.
When it comes to improving your health, it’s best not to bite off more than you can chew and start slowly. Pick one thing to focus on at a time and get this habit in place before you make even more changes. Take it slow and steady, and you will be able to make sustainable changes that will benefit your body and mind and help you improve your health in the long term.