‘Health is wealth’ is an adage that you have grown up hearing, but do you live by this mantra? Not so much, right? After all, life is getting busier by the day. Each day brings with it a new challenge or a new set of responsibilities. And, as you make the to-do list every day, perhaps the most crucial thing left off is your health.
Health always takes the backseat in the busy schedule of modern life. But, at the end of the day, this makes the rising stress, pollution, and wrong lifestyle choices end up deteriorating our health progressively. Let’s decide to put a stop to all that and make good health your top priority. On that note, here’s bringing you five simple ways to protect and secure your health.
Start by Making Healthy Food Choices
Processed foods can lead to chronic inflammation, which in turn contributes to diabetes, heart diseases, and even cancer. Moreover, people frequently fall for packaged food by reading labels such as ‘sugar-free’ or ‘fat-free’.The fat-free versions of food simply use sugar instead of fat, which is not a great option either.
For disease prevention and good health, you need to avoid ultra-processed food and rely more on homemade meals prepared with lots of fruits and veggies. Studies have suggested that consuming more than four servings of processed food leads to a 62% increase in the hazards for all-cause mortality. So, the risk of all-cause mortality increases by 18% for every serving. It might make you use your mutual of Omaha final expense sooner than expected.
It is time to embrace a healthy eating pattern by making the right food choices. Go for beans, lentils, brown rice, quinoa, oats, and nuts, along with ample fruits and vegetables. Never miss your breakfast even if you are too busy. Start your day with healthy foods and end your day with a very light meal like soup, salads, grilled chicken or fish. It is better to wrap up your dinner within 8 pm so that you get ample time to digest before retiring to bed.
Keep An Eye Out On Your Blood Pressure
You might not think that you have blood pressure that needs to get checked, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that 45% of Americans in the USA suffer from either systolic or diastolic high pressure and take medications for controlling hypertension.
It is worth mentioning that normal blood pressure should stand at <120/80 mmHg. According to the same report, hypertension increases your risk for stroke and heart disease, which also happens to be the leading cause of death in the USA.
Keep your weight in check to maintain blood pressure. Men with more than 40 inches waist and female with more than 35 inches waist are prone to have high blood pressure. By losing 2.2 pounds of weight, you can reduce 1 mm HG of blood pressure. By doing half an hour exercise every day, you can reduce 5-8 mm of HG blood pressure.
To keep your blood pressure in control, consume foods with low sodium. An adult should not have more than 1500 mg of sodium in a day. Cutting down on consumption of caffeine can also help you control blood pressure. Besides these, do not forget to get your blood pressure checked from time to time to ensure there is nothing to worry about.
Do Not Forget To Get Your Daily Dose of Exercise
One of the most common misconceptions about exercising is that it needs to be in a structured environment or a gym. It is essential to keep in mind how often, how long, and how hard you exercise. It’s also crucial to mention that an utterly sedentary lifestyle with zero physical activity is the cause of most of your health problems.
It has been medically proven that people who are engaged in regular physical activity have a 50% lower risk of type-2 diabetes, 35% lower risk of stroke and heart diseases, and 30% lesser chance of early death.
Now, just because physical activity is important, and you need to make it a part of your life does not mean you start running a marathon from day one. Keep in mind that you need to start slow and enhance the level and time of physical activity gradually. You also need to choose a form of exercise that suits you so that you stick to it for the long term.
Why not start with yoga? Or a walk in the morning? Why not jog in the nearby park? Just keep half an hour aside from your busy schedule every day. Love swimming? Then go for it. Why not shed some sweat by playing tennis with your friends? You will burn a lot of calories which in turn will reduce your weight and keep you healthy. Dancing is also considered a fabulous exercise.
You can indulge in exercise at any time of the day, though beginning the day with it is better. However, don’t do any exercise within 2 hours of having food and right before going to bed.
Snub out That Cigarette and Don’t Go Back
If you are a smoker, then the most crucial choice you need to make for a healthier life is to quit smoking. Do not be under the impression that smoking one or two cigarettes a day is any better than smoking a whole packet because you are increasing your risk of lung cancer. Smokers are also more likely to develop heart diseases, different types of cancer, and respiratory illnesses compared to non-smokers.
So, if you have this nasty habit of smoking, it is time to put an end to it once and for all. Understandably, you can quit in a day, but you will have to make a promise to yourself to try bringing down your frequency of smoking gradually till you can leave the habit completely.
Put the Gadgets Away and Get a Restful Sleep
Sleep is your body’s way of restoring its energy and preparing you for the next day. For securing your health and wellbeing, you should sleep for at least seven hours every night. Try to set a sleep routine for yourself, if you have trouble drifting off to sleep daily. A good sleep schedule is one where you sleep and wake up regularly at the same time. Limit your screen time before bed to make sure you have a sound sleep.
Your sleeping cycle is regulated by the hormone called melatonin. The light from your gadget affects melatonin production and makes the brain think that the body is not ready for sleep yet. So, stop looking at your devices at least two hours before going to bed. You can try listening to calming music, read a good book, or practice ten minutes of yoga before bed to sleep better.
Summing Up
Healthy choices and lifestyle changes are not something that happen overnight. You will have to take conscious steps in that direction and make small changes every day. Never lose sight of your goal to stay on top of your fitness game, and gradually, you will be able to adopt a healthy lifestyle for sure. Start taking the necessary steps from today and be the owner of good health.
