Personal health encompasses a broad swath of your life, including both emotional and physical aspects. In order to support the healthiest you possible, it is important to give your body what it needs. These five things will help you get on the road to better overall health.
1. Proper Nutrition
One of the pillars of good health is proper nutrition. This allows your body to function at optimal levels and encourages overall wellness. Most experts recommend a diet filled with lots of fruits, vegetables and plant-based protein sources. Fatty fish, lean meats and heart-healthy oils should round out the rest of your most frequently eaten foods.
Of course, life happens, and a full balanced meal isn’t always on the table when you want it to be. Supplements can help make up for any shortfalls that occur when you don’t make the best food choices. In fact, there are lots of supplement programs designed to help you achieve better health by increasing energy levels and supporting weight goals. Many people have found that the Thrive Experience has helped propel them to better physical and emotional health.
2. A Good Night Sleep
If you are like the majority of American adults, you have probably been getting by on five or six hours of sleep each night followed by an extra cup of coffee or two in the morning. While routines like this may be normalized, they are far from ideal for your body. Medical professionals recommend that adults get somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. Certain things, such as a particularly active lifestyle, battling an illness or extra stress, can lead to an even greater need.
So, how exactly do you carve eight hours out of every day for unproductive sleeping? One of the first steps is to change how you think of sleep. While you might appear to be doing nothing, the systems in your body are busily working away behind the scenes. Hormone levels are getting balanced, muscles are repairing themselves and your brain is carefully building memories from the day’s experiences.
3. Plenty of Water
Are you drinking water throughout the day? If the answer is “no,” you might want to rethink your drinking choices. Water is involved in every process that goes on in your body. That shouldn’t be too surprising since more than half of your body is made up of water. What may be, however, is that it takes somewhere around 11.5-15.5 cups of fluid to make that all happen. That’s without high temperatures or activities that cause excessive perspiration. While about 20% of the fluid you need comes from food, you’ll need to drink the rest. In most cases, water is the best choice for maintaining hydration.
4. An Outlet
Everyone needs to find an outlet for excess energy and creative expression. It helps keep stress at bay and can improve your overall mood. Allowing yourself downtime to do things you enjoy can even boost productivity at the things you have to get done. So, find something that fits your personality and lifestyle, and use it to foster creativity, to relieve stress and anxiety, and to just blow off steam after a long day. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Run through a relaxing yoga routine before bed
- Wake up with a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle
- Learn how to paint, draw or play an instrument
- Take a weekly hike in the woods
5. Physical Activity
Exercise is one of the best ways you can improve overall health. It helps you maintain a healthy weight, strengthens cardiovascular systems, increases muscle mass, and improves your moods. Choose fun activities like gardening, riding a bike, or walking with your dog so it doesn’t feel like work. After all, you are more likely to stick with something if it is enjoyable.
Small changes to everyday activities can make a big impact on your health. Aim to eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep and boost your activity levels for the biggest benefits.
Tags: health, personal health
