Everyone would like to live a long, healthy life, but not everyone is willing to take the steps to get and stay healthy. You can find lots of advice from a variety of sources on how to achieve health and wellness but sorting out what is the best method and which route to take can feel overwhelming. The following 15 steps are simple ways for you to begin or stay strong a path to improved health, starting today!
1. Wash your hands!
Washing your hands often and correctly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to stay healthy. Scrubbing your hands with soap and warm water can rid your body of many contagious germs and bugs you’ve come in contact with. The key is to bring the soap to a lather, scrub from your palms to your wrist, the front of your hands, the back of your hands, interlock your fingers to scrub between fingers, wash your thumbs, and then under your nails. Properly disinfecting your hands should take you about 20 seconds, or how long it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” (or another favorite tune) twice.
2. Maintain a diet of healthy foods.
Surely you’ve heard the saying “You are what you eat”. But it is more than just a catch phrase. What you pile on your plate is very closely linked to your health. Dietary guidelines are in place with recommendations that the items on your plate include a diet of essential nutrients, fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, protein, and more. A good way to receive a range of nutritional benefits is to eat a rainbow of colors throughout the day. Eating less meat has been shown to lower high blood pressure, bowel issues, diabetes, etc.
3. Drink water more often.
Adults need 8 cups of water or more a day in order to stay properly hydrated. This may seem like a lot to pack into one day, but it can be easier than it looks. Avoiding sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks and sports drinks, and replacing those with naturally flavored seltzer water, lemon or lime or fruit-infused water can help you avoid empty calories and get those 8 cups in. Steering clear of sugar can also lessen your chances of diabetes, heart attacks and obesity. Tally your daily intake of water in a food journal to help track how much you drink.
4. Get regular exercise.
Regular exercise, or 150 minutes a week of moderate, heart-pumping physical activity can help prevent stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and more health issues. If you live a more sedentary lifestyle, set a timer to get up more often; any movement is better than none. Try to get your body in motion 4-5 days a week, whether you walk, run, ride a bike, do yoga, or join a workout class.
5. Weight loss for obesity.
Obesity is a growing problem in America. Obesity rates have sky-rocketed in both children and adults. This is likely due to a more sedentary lifestyle, longer work hours for adults, a decrease in recess time across schools nationwide, and an increase in technology that has people on their phones/computers longer and outdoors less. Extra pounds can become dangerous over time, increasing the likelihood of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleeping problems, and cancers.
6. Protect your skin.
Practicing good skin care routines can help prevent skin problems and delay natural aging. Protecting your skin from exposure to the sun with a daily SPF sunscreen lotion can prevent sunspots, wrinkles, and of course skin cancer. Avoid the sun when its rays are strongest (10am-4pm) and wear protective clothing. Use gentle soaps and detergents to avoid stripping oil from your skin, and always moisturize.
7. Practice safe sex.
Practicing safe sex is the only way to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Taking control of your sexual health and safety, including using birth control, communicating with partners about sexual health status, limiting partners or being monogamous, and abstaining from sex are some of the ways to protect your personal health.
8. Don’t smoke or use tobacco products.
Smoking increases your chances of lung and skin cancers, heart disease, harms almost all organs in your body, decreases blood flow, depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients, and causes wrinkles. If you are a smoker, you should strongly consider quitting for your health, and if you are someone who regularly receives second-hand smoke, you should change your circumstances or encourage the smoker to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.
9. Limit how much alcohol you consume.
While moderate amounts of alcohol have been tied to some health benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease, you should not start drinking for your health. Excessive drinking leads to an increased risk of cancer, liver disease, and battles with addiction. If you choose to drink, the recommended maximum limit is one drink per day for a woman and two for a man.
10. Getting enough sleep every night.
Sleep is usually low on the list when we think of ways to stay healthy, but sleep is an absolute must for good health. A good night’s sleep can keep you alert, aware, high functioning and safe. Anywhere from 7-9 hours is considered a proper amount of sleep. Anything less than that can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, which increases your chances of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and can lead to automobile crashes, on-the-job accidents, major trauma or death. Rests throughout the day are another great way to recharge and refresh.
11. Handling stress.
How you react to every day stressors has an effect on your personal health. Feeling overwhelmed or down, having trouble sleeping, stomach aches, anxiety and anger are all ways in which our body shows signs of stress. If you do not have an outlet when you are feeling overwhelmed, if you cannot calm yourself or blow off steam, your mental health will suffer, as well as your physical health. There are many useful methods to handling stress, such as exercise, meditation, spending time with friends, and of course seeking counseling.
12. Know your family’s health history.
Having a handle on your family’s health history can offer a clue to your own health issues. If you are screened early enough for some of these conditions that “run in the family” you could save yourself from being diagnosed with a serious ailment by catching it in time. Inform your doctor of any conditions that members of your family have been diagnosed with.
13. Check in with your doctor regularly.
Visit your doctor whenever you have a health concern. An annual physical with your primary care doctor can help you catch problems early while they are easy to treat. Your doctor will check your cholesterol, perform mammograms and cancer screenings, which can be lifesaving. You may be referred to see specialists for longer-term issues. And it is very important to regularly see a doctor to stay up to date on flu shots and vaccine boosters.
14. Don’t abuse medication.
Prescription medication abuse – whether skipping doses, taking medication at the wrong time, or taking more than is prescribed – can have serious consequences, including addiction and death. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble adhering to your prescription.
15. Find support and a partner.
One of the easiest ways to reach your health goals are to work towards them with a partner. Whether a friend, spouse, family member, office mate or gym buddy, having someone with similar health goals, or who can offer encouragement for you to stay the course, is paramount to your success in reaching your health goals.
While it may be tempting tackle multiple health goals at once, change can be difficult, and your odds at success are better if you make small changes. Conquer one goal before you add the next. For example, to reach a goal of “eating healthier”, focus on making one meal a day the healthiest you possibly can. To reach a goal of “no more sugar”, begin by adding less and less to your morning coffee, until you don’t need to add any at all. A series of small changes can equal big successes in your health long-term.
