Perhaps you’ve heard people say that there’s no formula for a life well-lived but, actually, there is – at least when it comes to your health. On a physiological level, the human body requires only a few essentials to stay in good shape, so here are a few simple steps to improve your health:
- Adequate sleep and rest – a solid amount of quality sleep per night allows your body to rest and repair itself. It’s also when the brain detoxes. Sadly, sleep deficiency is all to common. It can lead to a number of health issues such as poor weight management, brain fog and longer term, can trigger more serious illnesses.
- Natural plant based diet and nutrition – although we’re surrounded by inexpensive junk and processed foods, keeping a balanced and wholesome diet is essential for giving our bodies the fuel it needs (just your like your car needs the best quality fuel to run efficiently). Good food doesn’t have to be expensive or hard to prepare either so there’s no excuse for a poor diet.
- Sunshine – our lifestyles are increasingly indoor-focused. Consequently, we’re missing out on the many benefits of working / playout outside. Getting outdoors, even for 20 minutes on a cloudy day will still give your skin some of that all-important Vitamin D3.
- Peace of mind – stress is known to be one of the biggest contributors to bad health – both mental and physical. Rearrange your schedule to give yourself, every single day, some time to relax. You could go for a mindful walk; you could sit in a park and appreciate the views; better still, meditate in your own quiet space. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just do something to calm your mind. We all need to switch off from the constant stimulation, white noise and thinking that goes on 24/7.
- Plenty of water – water is essential to every cell and every function of our bodies, so make sure you’re drinking enough. So what is enough? Well if you think you’re hungry, you’ll probably find you’re actually thirsty, so drink water first, then if in 20 minutes you’re still hungry, go ahead and eat. Most people are chronically dehydrated, which comes a whole host of minor health complaints from headaches to bad skin to bad breath and so on.
- Adequate exercise – just 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise per day is all that’s needed to keep you trim and strong. Whether you walk, run, skip, or swim, it’s also great for your mental health! So, walk to work; take the stairs instead of the lift; find a physical activity you enjoy so it doesn’t feel like exercise and make it fun, that way you’re more likely to be consistent.