*This is a collaborative post*
Health is indeed wealth. And while living a healthy lifestyle may not guarantee a place on Forbes’s richest list, it can extend your life. In addition, it can rejuvenate your skin, keep illnesses at bay, and improve your overall well-being.
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It doesn’t have to involve frequent trips to the hospital. With some simple additions to your daily routine, combined with consistency and focus, you can achieve optimum health and wellness.
Here are 7 ways to boost your health and wellness.
- Stay hydrated always
Sometimes we become so engrossed in work that we forget to drink enough water. Water is the elixir of life. It aids digestion, keeps your body hydrated, prevents constipation, regulates your body temperature, normalizes your blood pressure… and the list goes on.
Skimping on water can result in dehydration and other adverse symptoms like headache, fatigue, weakened immunity, etc. So aim to drink 60 oz of water each day. And don’t wait till you are tasty to drink water as you are already slightly dehydrated by then.
- Get enough sleep
After a hectic day at work or home, it’s essential you get enough sleep to recharge your body, improve your immune system, strengthen your heart, and boost your mood and memory. Each night aims to get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. If you are finding it hard to sleep, do these things:
- Drink chamomile tea
- Turn off all electronic devices
- Do night stretch or yoga
- Take a cool bubble bath
Skimping on sleep, especially for a long time, will increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. All these are life-threatening conditions that can be prevented if you get more sleep.
- Undergo regular tests
When was the last time you did a health checkup or test? A decade ago? Five years ago? Can’t recall? As a rule of thumb, you are expected to undergo a health test once a year (if you are above 50) and once every 3 years (if you are younger than 50).
Tests to prioritize are blood pressure tests, cholesterol, blood sugar level, bone density, dental checkup, and testosterone tests. Your testosterone level should neither be high nor low. If it is low, visit a trusted testosterone therapy clinic for testosterone replacement therapy. The therapy can help boost your testosterone levels, which is crucial to your health and wellness.
- Walk it out
A sedentary lifestyle poses many risks to your health, including stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. So whether you are a freelancer, a stay-at-home mom, etc., always try to engage in an activity that requires walking.
As a rule of thumb, you should aim for 10,000 steps throughout the day. If your job involves sitting at a desk, get up every 30 minutes and stroll around the office to improve blood circulation. You can also use your lunch hour for exercise.
- Stretch
In addition to walking, it’s essential you stretch about 2-3 times weekly. Doing so can boost your health, well-being, and quality of life.
Here are some body stretching exercises to consider:
- Quad stretch
- Standing hamstring stretch
- Chest and shoulder stretch
- Upper back stretch
- Biceps stretch
- Shoulder stretch
- Seated side stretch
Stretching helps improve your flexibility. Failure to stretch can result in high blood sugar, sore muscles, and stiff arteries.
- Eat Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, many people skip this meal and prioritize dinner instead. What they fail to realize is that skipping breakfast regularly can affect your mood and energy levels, cognitive functioning, metabolism, etc.
Don’t just aim to eat breakfast regularly. You should ensure that your breakfast is healthy. It should be filled with fibre and protein to boost metabolism and provide energy throughout the day.
- Meditate
Meditation is a therapeutic exercise that can improve your emotional well-being and overall health. Contrary to what many believe, you don’t need to sit in a quiet room for 2 hours to enjoy the full benefits of meditation. 5-10 minutes of meditation each day is enough to experience its benefits, which include:
- Decrease anxiety
- Increase creativity
- Improve immune system
- Lower blood pressure
- Decrease muscle tension
- Improve headaches
- Improves overall mood and behaviour
Conclusion
You’ll need to be consistent with these tips to be effective. Don’t lose focus. Integrate them into your daily routine. Make them habits, and you’ll be surprised at the results. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. So you’ll also need to exercise patience to see significant results.
