Improve Your Health

You can dramatically improve your health now with these five simple steps. A building begins with its foundation. A weak foundation is a recipe for disaster. Problems with the foundation can result in buildings tumbling down. Your health is no different. There are basic health guidelines that serve as your body’s foundation. A weak foundation, and you crash, but a strong foundation will improve your health. You can immediately start feeling better and improve your health. You can set a course for a longer, happier, healthier life.

1. Nutrition  

Nutrition is the process of giving the body what it needs. Your body is fantastic. It knows what to do. For example, your body will tirelessly maintain and repair itself. But it requires the necessary nutrients, just like a master chef. Your body will prepare a fabulous meal if it has the right ingredients. You can improve your health now with proper nutrition.

To improve your health, make sure you get the right ingredients

The food pyramid is a bit confusing. A better way to remember proper nutrition is to imagine a plate of food. Then divide the plate into two halves. The first half is vegetables and fruit. You need more vegetables than fruit. So, this half of the plate should consist of mostly vegetables with some fruit. Don’t forget berries. Additionally, various types and colors are better for vegetables, fruits, and berries. Vegetables that are dark green, red, and orange are particularly good. A quarter of the plate should be whole grains. Whole is the keyword. Refined grains such as flour, regardless of type, are not healthy.  The last quarter is protein. Healthy proteins consist of fish, poultry, lean beef, beans, nuts, seeds, and eggs. Quality beef is free-range, grass-fed, and free of hormones and antibiotics.

Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese should be non-fat or low-fat. Switch to healthier oils such as olive and canola for cooking and in salad dressings. Eating a small meal every three to four hours will stabilize your metabolism. This also regulates blood sugar levels, which are required for good health and weight management. A portion fits in the palm of your hand. Try to include protein with each meal. You can improve your health now with proper nutrition.

Avoiding detrimental ingredients

A great way to look at food and beverage consumption is to ask a simple question. Is this good for me? Is this quality nutrition? If not, then it should be considered toxic. It can be lumped into one of two categories. Food or poison.

Salt, sugar, and fat are poison to the body. They also happen to be addictive. They stimulate the same pleasure center in the brain as heroin. Food manufacturers are well aware of this. Raw, whole, natural foods are food. Processed foods are poison. First of all, processed foods are stripped of natural fiber and nutrients. Furthermore, they are filled with ingredients to stimulate food addictions. Craving certain foods, especially foods containing sugar, salt, and fat, is more like a junkie craving their drug than legitimate hunger. You probably don’t even like the foods you desire as much as you think you do. You crave these foods because you are addicted to them. Fast food, fried foods, candy, chips, and other highly processed foods harm your health. A little here and there may be ok provided you eat healthy nearly all the time.

Once you get into healthy eating habits, your sensitivity will develop to the point of self-regulation. A treat is a treat only if it is not an addiction. Sugary drinks like soda are unsuitable for you, but some tricksters exist. Fruit juice seems like a healthy choice. But it is mostly sugar water unless it is 100% juice. Even 100% juice, if it has the pulp strained out, is just a healthier sugar water. Booze or alcohol breaks down into sugar. And mixed drinks have a lot of added sugar. Sorry, French fries do not count as vegetables. Limit butter. Avoid unhealthy oils such as trans fats.

2. Hydration

Your body is made up of over 50% water. You can survive longer without food than without water. Every function of the body requires water. The minimum requirement for water intake is 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. Increase this amount with increased activity level, pregnancy, illness, toxicity, and when consuming dehydrating drinks such as alcohol or caffeine. Caffeine naturally occurs in coffee and tea and is found in many sodas. Today’s energy drinks contain sugar, caffeine, and other unhealthy substances. Any noticeable water loss can cause health problems. But 25% of body water loss causes coma and death. You can improve your health now by drinking plenty of water.

3. Exercise

So, you don’t want to live at the gym. You don’t have to. But you do need to move around. Your body requires exercise for good health. It’s not just a matter of burning calories. The point is you need exercise for proper health maintenance and body function. Either use it or lose it. In addition, there are lots of choices for exercise. Find something you enjoy. Anything that gets you up and moving is good. Some resistance training should also be included. This builds and maintains bones, muscles, and lean body mass. If pumping iron isn’t your thing, anything that works against gravity will do. You can use a set of dumbbells or body weight. There are endless resistance exercises that will get the job done—for example, planks, burpees, pull-ups, and push-ups. Stretching needs to be included to balance muscle tension.

A biggie is cardio. Ideally, you need to get your heart pumping and break a sweat for 30 minutes five times per week. Any activity that gets your cardio up and holds it up will do. Start slow in the beginning. Overdoing it will set you back and can cause injury. The idea is to improve your health, not wreck it. Just get started. You can always add to your routine. You can improve your health now with exercise.

4. Sleep

We often overlook sleep. However, getting enough sleep is critical for mental and physical health. Some functions that are necessary for good health are only performed while you sleep. Most adults over 18 years of age require 6-9 hours of sleep per night, mostly uninterrupted. It varies from person to person and on activity level. You can improve your health now by getting enough sleep.

5. Stress Management

Items 1-4 are stressors. So, if taken seriously, they will eliminate a lot of stress. Additionally, stress management consists of managing the day-to-day stress of life. Anything that has a calming effect will do. I prefer meditation and Tai Chi. Most people will find these to be exceptional methods of stress management. Last but not least is attitude. A good attitude perceives life positively. Conversely, a lousy attitude perceives life negatively. The actual events in life are nothing compared to how we perceive them. While perception controls our experience, we control our perception. An attitude of gratitude is the proper perspective for good health. You can improve your health now with stress management.

The Bottom Line to Improve Your Health Now

First, almost all your 50-100 trillion cells are replaced yearly.  Furthermore, this can be for better or for worse. Especially relevant is your lifestyle. If you give your body what it needs, if you take care of your body, it will take care of you. By following these five simple steps, you can be biologically younger next year while feeling better physically and mentally. You can add 20 years or more to your life, but more importantly, you can be healthy and active, doing what you enjoy. Finally, health is the art of balance. You determine that balance.