Taking care of your health doesn’t have to be a challenging task – it may be as simple as making a few key decisions on how you should be living your lifestyle, which could, in turn, dramatically improve your general health and wellbeing. There are small steps you can integrate into your normal routines which aren’t too difficult to sustain for the long-term future. However, you must have the inner drive to do so in the best interests of your general health and wellbeing. Take a look at a few of the ideas below on how you can improve your health:
- Keep your hands clean
There has never been a more prevalent time to remember handwashing than during the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent the spread of the virus, you should be washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water and especially after you sneeze or cough and before you eat food. This should hopefully be the best preventive measure of contracting the virus as well as passing it onto others. Frequently washing your hands also protects you from standard illnesses, such as the common cold, flu, and norovirus. If you know you will not have access to washing facilities, carry a bottle of hand gel around with you.
- De-stress
Our lives can become extremely busy until we eventually reach breaking point, but did you know that stress and anxiety can have a severe impact on your health? Persistent stress has shown to lead to conditions such as the likes of IBS, heart attacks, and obesity, to name just a few. With this in mind, you need to find time throughout your day to concentrate on your own needs and help you unwind. You could decide to take a hot bath, spend time exploring the outdoors, or even take part in a meditation session.
- Give up smoking
Quitting smoking is often easier said than done, and you may have already tried and failed numerous times in the past. Yet, with research now showing the real damage that smoking has on the body, you should seriously consider giving up once and for all to maintain your health as you age. Smoking has been shown to damage the arteries and the kidneys, which can lead to illnesses such as diabetes, COPD, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease.
While you may find it impossible to go ‘cold turkey’, there is the option of e-cigarettes or ‘vaping’ to help you overcome withdrawal symptoms by inhaling the nicotine you crave without the harmful smoke. There are common vaping problems to be aware of, which can be fixed with a few simple tips.
- Exercise
Did you know that exercise is crucial to our health and wellbeing? Although it’s important to maintain a good diet, physical activity is an additional aspect that you need to keep on top of to keep yourself physically and mentally fit. On average, adults should be getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, as this helps keep your heart pumping, lowers your cholesterol, keeps your muscles lean, and also improves bone density. You don’t have to go to the gym to keep up a fitness regime; you could simply take a walk around the neighborhood, playing fun activities with your kids, or following simple workout tutorials on YouTube.
- Get a good night’s sleep
Do you get enough sleep each night? If not, it would be wise to find ways to maintain a regular sleeping regime so you don’t suffer from ill health later on in life. Sufficient sleep helps keep your mental health in check, as well as helping you lose weight, and has even been proven to improve focus the following day. On average, you should be getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
- Turn down the noise
Hearing loss may be a common health complaint that is typically linked with getting older; however, being exposed to loud noise in your youth can quicken the process and cause you to suffer hearing loss prematurely. If you need to shout to someone who is just a few steps away from you, your ears are being damaged. Noise of 85 decibels and beyond can cause hearing loss, and after this exposure, you may experience a ringing sensation in the ears. If possible, remove yourself from the situation, but if this is not possible, always ensure to use earplugs to muffle the sound to a comfortable level.