Everyone wants to be living their best life, which usually entails living their healthiest life. The key to having consistently good health is by practicing “lifestyle medicine.”
Lifestyle medicine can encompass everything from regular exercise, stress management, and simple changes to your diet. By making simple adjustments to your day-to-day life, you can make significant improvements to your overall health. Here are 5 tips to help you get started.
1. Focus on the Positive
Sometimes life can get you down. A series of unfortunate events can pile relentlessly on top of each other. When this happens, a good habit to get yourself into is to force yourself to focus on things you’re grateful about.
Research has shown that having a healthy, positive attitude will boost your overall health by building up your immune system. Placebo effects are a legitimate thing that our bodies can experience. If you focus on the positives in your life, your body will believe what you think.
2. Get Help if You Need it
Life can get crazy, which can cause you to form unhealthy coping habits for yourself. This can include relying on forms of self-medicating that you think are harmless. However, you might actually be experiencing substance abuse. If you find yourself stuck in a rut and forming an unhealthy routine with drugs, alcohol, eating, or spending, it is important to recognize your dependency and seek help.
There are many resources out there available to you, from therapy to rehabilitation options. Sober living for young men in southern California is within reach. All you have to do is take the first step for yourself and call.
3. Eat Your Veggies
“Eat your veggies” is something that everyone hears all the time starting from a young age. However, while it is easy to mention in passing, it isn’t often said how much vegetables should be eaten.
Strive for consuming five servings of vegetables each day. Whether they are steamed, stir-fried, or raw, a diet rich in vegetables has been linked to lower risk for developing certain types of cancers. When in doubt, go for the veggies with the boldest colors such as tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and other leafy greens.
4. Exercise Regularly
Daily exercise comes with a plethora of anti-aging benefits. Working out your physical health can improve your eyesight, blood pressure, bone density, and even lower your cholesterol levels.
Even just embarking on ten minutes of physical activity a day can make a difference, so get up and do something! Have a short dance party in your living room. Sign up for ballroom dancing lessons. Take your kids on a walk through the park. Family and friend outings present so many opportunities for active time, such as going for a hike or playing outdoor sports at a park or beach.
5. Don’t Underestimate a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting enough sleep is crucial for maintaining your healthy physical and mental wellbeing. However, if your stress levels are keeping you up at night, there are things you can try. Practicing yoga and meditation are good ways to relax your mind and body to prep it for a night of rest.
Another good way to get your body into sleeping mode is by eating the proper bedtime snacks. Foods like oatmeal, cherries, milk and whole grain cereal, and chamomile tea are all good items that help shift your mind and body into sleep mode. Turning your bright alarm clock away from your eyesight can help darken your room.
If something in particular is stressing you out, get it out of your head by writing it down on a page. Writing down your worries can help you get them into perspective. See if you feel a sense of clarity and peace afterwards.