Our body and our mind are connected. Being active makes us happier as well as being good for our physical health. It instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of a depression. We don’t all need to run marathons – there are simple things we can all do to be more active each day. And we can also boost our well-being by unplugging from technology, getting outside and – importantly – making sure we get enough sleep!
It’s common especially among women to put others first, but not taking care of your body will get in the way of you having the life you want. If you are not healthy, you cannot achieve the goals you set for yourself. You also cannot fully enjoy what life has to offer if you can’t participate. Imagine that one of your dreams is to travel to Mexico. Once you get there, you find that you cannot climb the stairs of the Mayan ruins or go snorkelling because you are too out of shape.
Even something as simple as playing outside with your kids or grandkids can be something impossible if your health doesn’t allow for it.
While there are many aspects of your health that are out of your control, what we’re advocating for here is taking care of the things that you can control so that even if you suffer from a chronic illness, you can get the best out of life that you can.
7 ways that you can take care of your body to the best of your ability
Sleep
Doctors recommend that an adult get an average of 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Although sleep needs are individual and some people do need more rest than others, the effects of chronic sleep deprivation are far-reaching.
Even adults can have trouble sleeping because of sensory issues. Sleep deprivation affects our mood, our concentration, our attention, our memory, our ability to fight off infection, our libido, and our judgment. Inadequate sleep can also lead to weight gain, depression, car accidents, potentially fatal errors, and cause serious health problems such as stroke, heart attack or diabetes.
Schedule time in your life for sleep. This week, try moving your bedtime back by half an hour.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a complicated thing nowadays with food allergies and food intolerances in abundance. What is healthy for your body may not be healthy for someone else’s but there are certain commonalities that I think most people could agree on.
- Cut down on sugar.
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Maintain good portion control standards for your body in terms of your height and energy level.
Nutrition is not about weight. It’s about health. It’s about fuelling your body with good energy sources so that it can work at its optimum capacity. Having healthy food on hand is half the battle. Making freezer meals ahead so that you don’t have to meal plan and can easily pull out a healthy dinner every day, can mean that you’ll eat less junk.
Cut out one thing that you know is not healthy for your body even if it is a small thing like adding one spoon of sugar into your tea instead of two.
Exercise
Many people think of exercise as just being for weight loss but it does far more than that. It helps combat disease such as high blood pressure, depression, certain types of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. It boost certain brain chemicals which leaves you feeling happier and more relaxed than before (this is a very good thing!). Exercise boosts your energy, improves your sex life and helps you get a better sleep.
We make all kinds of excuses as to why we can’t exercise (time, kids, health, etc.), but all of us can do this one simple thing: move more.
- Park further away.
- Take the stairs.
- Dance in your kitchen.
- Use soup cans to do bicep curls.
- Play tag with your kids at the park.
- Take the dog for a work several times a week (if not for you, then think of the fur-baby!)
When you start exercising you’ll find you have have more energy, your clothes fit better, you may lose weight, and your strength may be noticeably improved.
Just choose one small way to move more.
Dental Health
When was the last time you got your teeth cleaned or went for a dental check-up? Even though many people take their kids regularly for dental appointments, they neglect their own teeth. Did you know that poor dental health and gum disease have actually been linked to heart disease and lower life expectancy? That is a pretty good reason to take it seriously. You are probably (hopefully) already brushing your teeth a couple of times a day which is a start.
Start flossing if you don’t already and book a dental appointment for yourself.
Mental Health
Our mental health is just as important as our physical one. No matter how stressful your life is, there are steps that you can take to decrease your body’s stress response and to be doing good self-care.
- Take a walk
- Visit with a friend
- Take a candlelit bubble bath
- Read a good book
- Go for a massage
- Meditate
- Write in a journal
- Even see a counsellor.
Breathe: Take a few minutes three times a day to sit with your eyes closed and breathe in and out five times slowly.
Appointments
I touched on this point already in the dental care section, but I’d like you now to think about other appointments that you may have put off making for yourself. Do you need to see a doctor for a check-up or a specialist for something that is worrying you? Do you need to see a nutritionist, physiotherapist, naturopath, chiropractor, or massage therapist?
Make an appointment today that you have been procrastinating about.
Plan of action:
- go to bed half an hour earlier
- drink one extra glass of water each day
- cut one unhealthy thing out of you diet
- move more
- start flossing if you aren’t and book a dental appointment for yourself
- breathe slowly in and out five times with your eyes closed three times a day
- book an appointment with a medical professional
Part of getting the life you want is taking care of your body. It’s the only one you’ve got!
