Keeping on top of your health can be tricky, especially in today’s fast-paced world. Long working hours, convenient, fast food, and stress can lead to a variety of health conditions. Often people can feel stuck in a rut when it comes to health and become stuck in habits and routines that are hard to change. However, the good news is that there is plenty you can do to stay healthy, and just by making sure of a few healthy rules, you will find that maintaining health becomes the best habit you have! Here are our top tips to maintain health.
Diet
Diet is one of the essential factors in keeping healthy. Foods that are good for health include food from the different food groups, protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, and dairy. By consuming the right quantities of food from the different groups ensure you get all the vitamins, minerals and micronutrients you need to stay healthy.
A healthy diet consists of eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean proteins such as is found in chicken and fish, and dairy products to provide your body with calcium. Oily fish such as mackerel and sardines give you a boost of omega oils that help cells in your body stay healthy.
You should also try to get plenty of fiber in your diet, as this help with digestion. Fiber-rich foods include whole-grain breakfast cereals, wholegrain bread, jacket potato skins, nuts, and pulses. A diet that has plenty of fiber keep things moving in your intestines, helping to prevent issues such as constipation.
If you consume a diet that has too many saturated fats, or processed food, it can lead to weight gain and obesity. Conditions such as obesity can cause a host of health issues including gout, treated by drugs such as colchicine. Colchicine for sale is by prescription only, so if you suspect gout, you should visit your doctor. Other obesity health conditions include heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. It can also cause a person to have breathing problems, such as sleep apnea, and to become out of breath during light activity.
Exercise
Exercise is essential to health. The human body was designed to move, and if there is little physical activity, it can lead to health problems.
The recommended amount of exercise to stay healthy is at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to join a gym; there are many other activities that you can do.
It can often be difficult for those who have office jobs to fit in regular exercise, but there are a variety of ways you can get motivated to exercise during the day. Try walking or cycling to work, or if you work at a distance where you must drive, park your car half an hour’s walk away. Go for a jog or brisk walk during your lunch break, take the stairs instead of the elevator. With a little bit of creativity, you will find surprising ways to get active during the day.
For less mobile people, gardening can be an effective form of exercise, as can swimming. Swimming has the benefit of not stressing the joints, making it an excellent form of exercise for those who are overweight.
You are more likely to stick with an exercise regime if it is to do with activities you’re interested in. This might mean you taking up a sport like sailing, hiking or geocaching, or other sports that are also hobbies.
Another tip to stick with exercising is to make yourself accountable. Tell your friends that you plan to walk a mile every day this week, and you are more likely to do it. Join an online team and contribute to a team goal, for example, you might add your daily step count to a team total. Your other team members are there to share their stories and pep talks to keep you motivated.
Get Enough Sleep
We all need sleep, and when we get a good night’s sleep, we feel the benefit of it the next day. Research has shown that when we have enough sleep, we are able to concentrate better, our short-term memory improves and we feel happier. When we sleep, it gives our brains the chance to process all the information it has gained throughout the day. It is also when our bodies can go into repair mode. It is when muscle tissue grows and repairs, our hormone levels are reset. If you are not getting adequate sleep, there are a number of things you can try. Old mattresses can hinder sleep as they can become worn and uncomfortable. Make sure you have plenty of fresh air circulating in your bedroom, even if you just open the window for a short amount of time each day.
If you get poor quality sleep because of a partner snoring, ask them to seek advice about it. There are also stop snoring products you can buy that could help both you and your partner get a good night’s sleep.
Lack of sleep over time can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, and this can cause other health conditions such as high blood pressure, the risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. Sleep deprivation also leads to a build-up of cortisone, a stress hormone, in the body.
For optimum health benefits, you should aim to get around seven to eight hours sleep per night.
Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health is essential to your health and well-being. Mental health has an effect on our physical health and those suffering from a serious mental health condition may have a lower life expectancy.
Depression is a mental illness that affects many people at some point during their lives, and left untreated may get worse over time. Research has discovered a link between depression and an increased risk of developing some cancers or conditions such as diabetes.
To keep good mental health, exercise plays an important role. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that elevate mood. Plus you feel like you have achieved something positive towards your health. Other ways to keep mentally healthy is to have a good support network of friends and family, people who you can talk through any feelings or problems you have.
Managing stress well has a beneficial effect on health. Seeing problems for what they really are, rather than beating yourself up mentally over mistakes, or over exaggerating a problem in your mind, allows you to be in a better position to tackle and overcome challenges we face every day. Keeping a positive attitude can help see you through the hard times, and help you to stay healthy physically.
Being focused on the now is one way to keep stress levels to a minimum. Meditation is a technique that incorporates breathing and mindfulness and helps you to find an inner peace that benefits health. Meditation can be done alone or in groups, and there are usually local centers you can go to join in with a class or get advice on how to start.
Interests outside of work may also help to keep you thinking positively. If you find yourself feeling low, taking up a new hobby may provide you with a fresh outlook, and you might also meet new friends.
Helping others is also a good way to feel good about yourself. Maybe you know someone who need help with a task, or you could try volunteering with a local group or activity you are interested in.
Sexual Health
Taking care of your sexual health is another way to ensure you stay physically healthy. If you have a new sexual partner, always use a condom to prevent sexual diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea.
If you have any concerns about your sexual health, visit your doctor for a diagnosis. Some STI’s, if left untreated, can cause health issues such as infertility.
Lifestyle choices
A healthy lifestyle also means you have the right balance of eating healthily, getting enough exercise and adequate sleep, as describes above. These are the basics maintaining health, and once you have that right, you are on the right track. Yet there are more ways to have a healthy lifestyle.
It is recommended to avoid excessive alcohol, not to smoke or take recreational drugs. There is plenty of advice online about getting help with addictions of any kind, and a simple internet search should bring up some places where you can go to locally to get help. Your doctor may also be able to recommend programs to help you become free of addiction.
Protect yourself from the sun. We all enjoy it when the sun shines, but going for that golden tan is not such a good idea. The sun’s UV rays can permanently damage the skin causing premature aging and skin cancer. Always wear sunscreen during sunny weather, and the more sensitive or pale your natural color tone is, the higher factor sun cream you should apply.
To maintain health, you need to be willing to put the necessary effort into doing so. If it feels daunting, begin with small changes that you can apply to your life. One example of a small change might be to decide not to drink soda anymore and opt for chilled water instead. Once the small changes become a way of life, you can begin with the next change. Over time, those small changes add up to make a real difference, and it won’t feel as if you’ve had to climb a mountain to do so.
