How healthy are you? Do you have a healthy diet? Do you exercise regularly? Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day? Do you get en...
How healthy are you? Do you have a healthy diet? Do you exercise regularly? Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day? Do you get enough sleep every day? Do you live a healthy lifestyle? Did you stay health this year 2017? This are among the few questions you should be asking yourself before 2018.
Life is beautiful and you don’t want to bog yourself down with unnecessary health problems. Good health isn’t just about healthy eating and exercise — it’s also about having a positive mental health, a positive self-image, and a healthy lifestyle. Today, your vital organs (kidney, heart, lungs, gall bladder, liver, stomach, intestines, etc.) may be working well, but they may not be tomorrow. Don’t take your good health for granted. Take proper care of your body.
HERE ARE TOP 15 TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFESTYLE IN 2018.
1.Drink more water.
Most of us don’t drink enough water every day. Water is essential for our bodies to function do you know over 60% of our body is made up of water? Water is needed to carry out body functions, remove waste, and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body. Since we lose water every day through urine, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing, we need to replenish our water intake.
Furthermore, drinking more water aids in losing weight. A Health.com study carried out among overweight or obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. The researchers believe that it’s because drinking more water helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.
2.Get enough sleep.
When you don’t rest well, you compensate by eating more. Usually, it’s junk food. Get enough rest and you don’t need to snack to stay awake. Also, lack of sleep causes premature aging, and you don’t want that.
3.Eat mindfully
In our fast-paced world, there can be a tendency to eat while distracted and shovel in more food than we need and, at the same time, miss out on culinary pleasure. Many of us will benefit from eating mindfully. Some things to think about here are avoiding eating when distracted, eating more slowly, and taking time to taste food properly. One particular thing to focus on is chewing your food thoroughly not only does this help us savoir food, it also assists the digestive process.
4.Get plenty of sunlight in the summer…
Sunlight, and the vitamin D this can make in the skin, is associated with a wide spectrum of benefits for the body including a reduced risk of several forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and osteoporosis, as well as improved immune function. As a rule of thumb, vitamin D is made when our shadow is shorter than our body length, ie when the sun is high in the sky. While burning is to be avoided, get as much sunlight exposure as possible for optimal health.
5.Walk regularly
Aerobic exercise, including something as uncomplicated and low-impact as walking, is associated with a variety of benefits for the body and the brain, including a reduced risk of chronic diseases, anti-anxiety and mood-enhancing effects. Aim for a total of about 30 minutes of brisk walking every day.
6.Practice random acts of kindness.
Random acts of kindness are good for givers and receivers alike. It could be a quick call or text to someone you care about or have lost touch with, or showing a fellow motorist some consideration, or giving up your seat on a train or bus, or buying someone lunch or giving a spontaneous bunch of flowers.
7.Make friends with the great outdoors.
Research also suggests that, if we want to get that joie de vivre into our lives in 2018, then we had better spend more time outside. Going to the local shopping mall won't cut it, however. In order to really feel happier, we should spend more time in nature.
One study shows that green spaces make us happy, and, conversely, when we don't have access to nature, we tend to become depressed.
"Higher levels of green space [in a neighborhood] were associated with lower symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress [in the members of the local community]."
8.Get your creativity on!
Walking has also been shown to encourage creativity, and one study found that people who engage in creative pursuits every day have a greater sense of well-being. Another way of boosting happiness in 2018, then, is to take a walk in your local park and plan a creative activity for that day.
This can be anything from cooking and baking, if you're that way inclined, to painting, writing, or starting a DIY project. The choice is up to you!
9.Try yoga and meditation!
Various recent studies have suggested that yoga is effective in tackling depression, and that it helps to lower anxiety and stress levels. These effects, the researchers found, can last for up to 4 months after participation in a yoga program.
10.Getting regular exercise.
Exercise is a great way to relax after being in lessons all day. You're recommended to take at least half an hour of exercise every day if you can. Exercise doesn't have to mean taking part in a team sport or spending lots of money on expensive equipment. Try doing something you enjoy. It could be, walking, swimming, jogging, ice skating, skipping, dancing, yoga.
11.Cut down on processed food.
Processed food is not good because (a) most nutritional value is lost in the creation of these foods and (b) the added preservatives are bad for our health. Many processed foods contain a high amount of salt, which leads to higher blood pressure and heart disease. In general, the more ingredients a food has on the label (ending with ‘ite’ or ‘ate’), the more processed it is. Eating 50 grams of processed meat a day has also been found to increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Go for less processed food, such as a baked potato over chips, a fresh fruit over canned fruit, steamed fish over canned fish, or organic produce over food with high preservatives.
12.Choose white meat. Cut out red meat.
Red meat has been repeatedly established to increase colon cancer risk. Cut out red meat (or at the very least, limit your consumption). Substitute red meat with white meat such as chicken and fish. Increase your fish intake which seems protective against cancer. Fish also has healthy fats, a large source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin D.
13.Stop eating when you feel full.
Many of us rely on external cues to tell when we’re full, such as whether everyone has finished eating or whether your plate is empty. These are irrelevant: you should look at internal cues, such as whether your stomach feels full or not. Don’t eat just because there’s food on the plate. I stop when I feel about 3/4 full if I eat till I’m totally full, I feel bloated. Use your gut as your indicator (literally).
14.Live a life of purpose.
Positive health starts from within! Are you living a life of meaning? Are you living in line with your purpose? Since I started living my purpose, I’ve never been happier. And you can experience that too. This is also a reason i blog.
15.Go for checkups.
Many diseases don’t show up in terms of symptoms until it is too late. Blood tests for blood sugar, vitamins and minerals, along with urine tests are standard tests you can take. More elaborate tests like mammograms (for women), PAP smear (for women), colonoscopy, etc. should be done at the recommended intervals. If the test results are not optimal, it means that you can quickly take corrective action. If they are great, that’s fantastic and you can have a peace of mind.
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