7 Tips for Promoting Personal Health
It’s no secret that working out and breaking a sweat is a vital ingredient in achieving optimal health. But to truly be a proponent of good health in our lives, we must broaden our approach, which all begins outside the gym. Here are 7 ways to improve and maintain your health in addition to your fitness routine:
1. Maintain a healthy diet
Food is like medicine for the soul, mind and body. What we put on the end of our fork is staggeringly more powerful than traditional medicine. When we eat real, whole, fresh food, we set ourselves up for success by keeping our body and mind in pristine condition. Ultimately, food connects us to one another and our bodies.
2. Hydrate accordingly
Water is one of the most powerful life-giving sources of wellbeing out there. Hydrating appropriately ensures that the cells, tissues and organs in our body function at maximum potential. Additionally, adequate hydration transports important nutrients, regulates body temperature and lubricates the joints. The daily recommendation is to drink half your body weight in ounces per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water per day. If you are exercising, it is crucial to drink 6-12 ounces of water for every 20 minutes of activity.
3. Get enough quality sleep
It’s one thing to sleep at night. It’s another thing entirely to settle into 7-9 hours of deep sleep each night, which provides a host of benefits for our health. While sleep needs vary from person to person, research finds that sleep is crucial to a number of brain, heart and lung processes, in addition to bodily functions such as metabolism, immune function, mood and disease resistance. Moreover, it betters concentration and productivity, fights depression, reduces inflammation, improves social interactions and regulates emotional health.
4. Spend time alone and/or disconnect
For most people, life moves pretty fast. Busyness can create even the mildest amount of chaos in our lives, making it more difficult to unwind and clearly hear the voice in our own head. Not only does spending time alone help us reboot, it provides a space for deeper thinking, more effective problem solving, and enhances the quality of relationships with others. These physical and psychological benefits work to improve our overall health in many beneficial ways.
5. Have a personal self-care routine
Similar to the benefits of spending time alone, a strong self-care routine improves our psychological state and mental and emotional wellbeing. It can look different for each person, depending on what they desire and what personally feeds them. Common self-care routine activities include reading, meditation, taking a nap, yoga, drawing a warm bubble bath, lighting a candle, journaling, etc. The idea is for you to take care of yourself and fully relax, which helps your body recover and primes it for any additional strain.
6. Stress reduction and management
Of all efforts to be healthy in our life, few are as crucial as stress reduction. That’s because chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death and is responsible for more than 75% of physician office visits. Additionally, high levels of stress narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively and enjoy life. But when stress is managed effectively, we can lead happier, healthier and more productive lives.
7. Prioritize rest
When your body says rest, it’s important to do just that. If you struggle with overexertion, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by disregarding your body’s warning signals that it’s had enough. Often times, our mental and emotional health can take a toll on us physically, so being in tune with how our body becomes tired and resting accordingly is crucial to our wellbeing.
The full picture of peak health is as broad as it is complex. But achieving a balanced life and carefully factoring in each aspect of healthy living is one of the most important endeavors of our lives. It is then that we can truly thrive.
This article was written by our very own Megan Carter.