How To Try and Lead a Healthy Lifestyle

 

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Your health and general wellbeing are important so that you can try and lead an active lifestyle. It is something that perhaps many of us have learned to appreciate even more this past year due to the pandemic. It can be difficult to stick to a particular routine and follow a strict diet, so finding small ways in which you can incorporate daily tasks into your day that will be beneficial for your overall health is certainly worth trying.

A Good Night’s Sleep
Getting good quality sleep each night is important for your body to rest and recover in preparation for another day. It is the quality of sleep that is important as opposed to how many hours you get. Feeling fully refreshed enables you to be able to concentrate on your daily tasks and remain productive. You are less likely to make mistakes when you are not sleep-deprived, which is certainly vital when driving or dealing with heavy machinery. 

Over time, if you struggle to sleep, it can start to affect your body’s hormone, which regulates your appetite. So you are more likely to opt for unhealthy foods and eat larger portions of foods if you continuously function on little sleep. A study that was carried out at the University of Warwick discovered that those that were not getting enough sleep were at greater risk of developing heart disease or stroke.

Drinking Enough Water
It might not be the most exciting drink, but drinking enough water daily contributes to good health. Sometimes we can confuse hunger with thirst, so it is always worthwhile to drink some water first to ensure that it is not just hunger your body is crying out for. Water is essential because it hydrates you, keeps joints working efficiently, flushes out waste from your body, regulates body temperature, and enables your brain to function properly. 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggest that the average amount of water that men require is around 15.5 cups of water (125 ounces) a day and 11.5 cups (91 ounces) for women. This will, of course, vary if you are physically active too. As long as you are not feeling excessively thirsty all the time, you will know whether you are consuming enough water each day. 

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A Balanced Diet
Eliminating one food group or following a very restrictive diet where you are not eating enough calories will not be a healthy way of eating. Instead, it would help if you were aiming to eat a balanced diet that encompasses all the food groups (unless, of course, for dietary reasons, you cannot eat certain foods). Ideally, you want to be including a variety of the main five food groups. 

Vegetables — Fruits — Protein — Dairy — Grains 

Each food group provides a different health benefit for the body. Vegetables are full of various vitamins and minerals and help your immune system to function properly. Fruits are also a great source of vitamins and antioxidants that can help your heart and the body fight off various diseases. Protein is important for your metabolism and blood system. It also enables your bones and muscles to work efficiently. Dairy is rich in Vitamin D and Calcium, which is essential for maintaining your teeth and bones. It can also help reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Grains are important in maintaining blood sugars and providing a source of iron, fiber, and minerals. Collectively these five groups provide an abundance of health benefits for your body to function and thrive efficiently, which is why ideally, we need all of these to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  

Eat Before You Go Food Shopping
It is a good idea to ensure you eat before food shopping as you are more likely to be tempted by unhealthy foods and not just purchase the groceries on your list, like stocking up on Asian pantry essentials. This will prevent you from being tempted to buy unhealthy foods and spend money unnecessarily on items you do not even need. A study published in the National Academy of Sciences discovered that hungry shoppers were much more inclined to spend money on food and non-food essentials, despite not even needing these items. So it is not just your waistline that can be affected but also your wallet.  


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Finding Time to Relax
Your mental and physical well-being is linked to feelings of happiness and the ability to relax. This is particularly important when you lead a hectic, stressful life. It would help if you found moments to do activities that encourage a sense of calm and enable you to feel content. Finding moments to wind down is part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Feelings of stress can lead to heart complications, such as increasing your blood pressure or a heart attack risk. So whether it is doing some gentle exercises, reading a book, being creative, cooking, baking, playing a musical instrument, or going for a walk, it is important to break up the day with an activity you enjoy.

Out In the Fresh Air
Finding the motivation to do an intense workout is not necessarily appealing, but it does not have to be a vigorous exercise session to be beneficial. The Journal of the American Heart Association published a study that demonstrated that short 10 minute sessions were adequate to experience the positive effects of exercise. So you do not need to be attempting marathons to consider yourself to be doing an adequate amount of exercise. Just being out in the fresh air in your local park can certainly make a positive difference. When you have a dog, you will probably find more motivation in venturing out so that both you and your pet can benefit from getting outdoors into the fresh air. 

A Different & Healthier Approach To Exercise

For most of us, regularly exercising is an essential part of staying healthy. However, the sad truth of the matter is that exercise itself can become unhealthy if we aren’t careful in the way we approach it. Indeed, with so much pressure from the media and society to look a particular way, and stay at a certain weight, many of us can fall into the trap of seeing exercise as a chore. Fortunately, there is a different way to approach exercise and it’s better for your mind and your body. Read on to discover what’s involved. 

Start small
When you begin to exercise or change to a new activity or routine, it can be tempting to challenge yourself and go all out right away. However, this is not usually the best way to approach things. Indeed, most people set their goals too high, end up failing and demoralized and so give up after a few sessions. 

Instead what you need to base a new exercise habit on are small successes. After all, there is nothing more motivating than that endorphins release that you get when you have completed a task. Also by starting small you greatly minimize your chance of failure, and so make it much more likely that you will maintain your new activity over the long term, where you can improve your performance gradually. 

Listen to your body
Another important part of having a healthier attitude towards exercise is to truly listen to your body, and respect what it is telling you. Indeed, there is a lot of controversy around this topic, as many people think you have to push beyond your physical boundaries to succeed. 

However, while this may be the case for professional athletes and dancers, it is vital to remember here is that they know their body so well, they are aware of precisely how far they can push it without doing any damage. Unfortunately, many of us mere mortals do not have such a well-developed connection to our bodies, and therefore risk injury when pushing too far. 

Of course, if we do find ourselves injured from exercise, there are people like these physio experts that can offer assessment, treatment, and management of our problems. Thus helping us recover in tune with our bodies so we can exercise once more. 

Set a new kind of goal
Some of the most common goals for exercising include losing weight and shaping our bodies in a certain way. However, often it is these things that undermined what we are doing because in some way we are giving ourselves the message that we are not good enough the way that we are. 

With that in mind, choosing some different goals such as getting better at an activity can be a refreshing change. That means aiming to do a yoga pose unsupported and getting there in small, gradual stages. Alternatively, why not try to shave some time off of your personal best for running or bike riding. Again focusing on performance and success at the activity, rather than changing our bodies. A far healthier approach for body and mind. 

4 Health Checks You Must Never Miss (If You Want To Stay Healthy, Long Term!)

Many of us do our best to stay healthy in life. We eat a balanced and nutritious diet, limit our intake of alcohol, and exercise regularly. However, in the hectic busy world, we live, it’s all too easy to forget or put off seemingly routine health checks. However, having access to regular health monitoring is one of the most important weapons on the front line of staying fit and healthy well into old age. With that in mind, finding out what types of health checks are vital you attend below and why.

Hearing
It is so important to regularly attend checks for our hearing because hearing loss is such a prevalent issue as we get older. Unfortunately, we don’t always notice it happening, as it occurs so gradually. Sadly, many people see hearing loss as an unavoidable part of getting older, but that isn’t the case as there is so much that can be done to help improve hearing—all of this starting with getting checked and assessed. 

Eye exams
You may be under the impression that you have a 20/20 vision, but our sight tends to change throughout our lives. As we age, most people tend to become more long-sighted, although several factors can impact vision, including broader health issues, overuse of screens, and high blood pressure. 

The good news is that even if you are found to have issues with your sight by attending an eye exam, there are many solutions on offer. There are glasses, but there are also contact lenses and laser surgery. The latter being ideal for people that want to permanently remove any sight difficulties without the need to wear glasses or the hassle of putting in and taking out contact lenses. 

Cancer screenings
Not many people like talking about the ‘C’ word. However, the thing about cancer is that it is much easier to treat and recover from when found early. Of course, that means if you feel a lump or notice something unusual, it’s always best to see your doctor. 

It also means that if you are given the opportunity to attend a screening program such as a smear test, prostate exam, or mammogram, it’s a very smart idea indeed to go. 

Dental cleanings
Dental cleanings are hugely important for several reasons. The first is that they are usually combined with a general mouth health check that can be used to spot any potential cavities or issues such as gum disease. 

Additionally, by having your teeth cleaned professionally at regular intervals, you will get two vital benefits. The first is that they will be healthier because the plaque that attacks them will be cleaned away, something that can help to minimize your risk of other oral health issues. 

Secondly, your smile will be brighter, and your breath better too, which I’m sure you can agree can make all the difference both cosmetically and to the confidence of the individual involved. Therefore it is crucial to attend dental cleanings along with the other checks mentioned above if you want to take care of your health, long term. 

Are You Doing Enough For Your Health During The Pandemic?


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We’re all struggling a little with the new norm caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s very easy to feel a little less positive than usual. However, there’s still a lot of reasons to remain positive. After all, you possess all the tools needed to come through this difficult time in full health and happiness. Only you can make it happen, though, which is why building a personalized and dedicated strategy is essential. Ask yourself the following questions for guidance. You will not regret it.

Am I Staying Active?
Exercise is a huge part of our daily health. Aside from keeping your body weight under control, it has a huge influence on energy levels and general wellbeing. Oh, and the benefits for your posture, skincare, and general appearance are pretty amazing too. If walks and cycling have become a little boring, there are plenty of alternatives. Team sports can inject a social element under safe circumstances. Meanwhile, tasks like gardening show that sport isn’t the only way to stay active. The wonders of raising the heart rate and getting a little fresh air are truly amazing. For the sake of your looks, physical wellbeing, and mental health alike, you must not ignore it any longer.

Am I Getting Enough Sleep & Water?
Simple lifestyle habits can hold a huge influence on your wellbeing, not least during this pandemic. Positive sleep habits and regular hydration are the fundamental features that cannot be ignored. Remote working and modified schedules have seen many people fall into the trap of late nights watching Netflix. Honestly, it’s better to turn off your electronics, relax with a cold drink, and prepare your mind and body for bed. You’ll wake up feeling miles better for it. When supported by regular hydration throughout the day, you will see an epic improvement in your health and wellness. Best of all, the rewards will start to show almost immediately.

Am I Protecting Myself From Viruses?
While the COVID-19 virus is naturally your biggest concern, it’s not the only illness. It’s important that you look for all-purpose antibacterial hand sanitiser solutions. Meanwhile, following the guidelines on avoiding handshakes is vital. While keeping clean and wearing a mask is for your best interests, you also need to think about your defenses. Building your immunity levels through nutrition can be supported by medications to keep you in good health. Prevention is the best form of protection from minor illnesses, as well as serious ones. The next best option is to treat them quickly and efficiently. Whether it’s through home treatments or medical care, you deserve the right answers.

Am I Mentally Happy?
If you are feeling a little down right now, you’re not alone. It’s hard not to be able to see people as often as you’d like. However, video calls and social media are a good way to stay in touch. Meanwhile, there are online communities for people to discuss their problems. Try to remember that this phase isn’t forever. Normality will return. Let’s just hope it happens sooner rather than later.

How Can you Keep Up Your Workout Motivation?

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We’ve all had the experience of starting a new workout routine, feeling incredibly positive about it, and then losing motivation and giving up before you ever actually see any kind of meaningful results. It’s an incredibly common thing for a lot of people to go through and it really comes down to one simple thing: exercise is hard. It’s hard and a lot of the time it isn’t all that fun either. Staying motivated in the face of that difficulty is rarely very easy. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things you can do. Here are just a few ways to keep up your workout motivation.

Set a goal
One of the things that causes a lot of people to get discouraged about their workout routine is that they can often feel like they’re running in place, and not just on the treadmill. Putting in a lot of effort without seeing any clear results can be discouraging. One of the best things that you can do to avoid this is to set a clearly defined goal. That way you have something concrete to work towards that you can hold onto. Nebulous goals like “get fitter” and “lose weight” are never going to allow you to keep a goal in mind when things start to get tough.

Keep a routine
Finding the time to actually work out isn’t always easy. After all, modern life can be seriously busy and it can often feel like you just don’t have room in your schedule. The best way around this is to keep a strict routine that you can fit around the rest of your life. Find a space in the week where you always have time free and use that. Not only does this make it easy to fit exercise into your life, but it helps you turn working out into a habit, which can be incredibly useful.

Join a group
A lot of people try to get fit on their own but that actually makes things a whole lot harder than they need to be. There’s nothing like the support of other people to really help you keep your motivation levels up. Working out with a friend or joining a class at a Fitness 19 gym can give you motivation far beyond what you can manage on your own. Not only that but doing something with people that you like almost always makes it a whole lot more fun than doing it alone.

The thing that you have to remember is that there simply is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to your workout. Nothing is going to take the hard work and difficulty out of exercise and trying to find ways to do that is just going to leave you frustrated. But at least with this advice, you can start to find ways to get past that wall that causes so many people to give up and reach a point where you’re really starting to see the benefits of your workout routine.

How Much Attention Are You Paying To Your Health?

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If you were to ask just about anyone, they would agree that taking care of their health is one of the most important things that they could do. And yet, in spite of this many of us end up ignoring our health. This isn’t normally something that happens on purpose. Rather, it tends to be a result of both focusing on other things and not wanting to think about the risk of something being wrong with them. However, ignoring any aspect of your health is almost always just going to result in things being a whole lot worse in the long run. With that in mind, here are just some of the aspects of your health you need to stop ignoring.

Your Eyes
The need for something like glasses is hardly unusual. It’s something that many of us simply accept as a day-to-day reality of our lives. The issue is that a lot of people tend to forget that it’s entirely possible for your eyesight to deteriorate. It’s not just a matter of wearing your glasses. You also need to be sure that you’re getting your eyes checked regularly so that your prescription is always up to date. You might also want to try some more permanent solutions like laser eye surgery. Sure, this isn’t going to be for everyone but it’s always worth considering if you want a more long-term solution to any issues with your eyesight.

Your Ears
Not taking good enough care of your hearing is one of the most common issues that a lot of people face. Far too few of us make the effort to protect our ears. Whether you’re working with loud tools, going to concerts, or just putting your headphones at full volume all the time, it’s all too easy to damage your ears without really thinking about it. Sure, it’s far easier to find effective tinnitus treatment than ever before and there are plenty of things that can make tinnitus living far more manageable, but prevention is often a far more effective strategy. After all, it’s always better to avoid a problem than it is to try to deal with it after the fact.

Your Teeth
Taking care of our teeth is one of those things that’s drilled into us every day from a young age and yet a lot of adults still don’t bother to take the right level of care of their teeth. Sure, going to the dentist for a clean and a check-up is great, but most of the care of your teeth has to happen on a day-to-day level. Brushing and flossing thoroughly are incredibly simple and easy things that really do make all the difference in the world.

Of course, none of this is to say that you should spend all of your time constantly worrying about your health. If you do that then you’re never going to be able to take care of any other aspect of your health. The key, as with just about everything in your life, is to find a sense of balance. You need to find that middle ground between ignoring your health and spending all of your time panicking about it.

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