By Camille Johnson
When it comes to health, we often think about the time and effort that goes into a
workout or a clean diet. But there are other ways to improve your health without
much work at all. These strategies are simple and can be easily incorporated into
your daily life.
It’s important to make your children part of any health strategies you incorporate
into your daily routine. What they learn to do now will stay with them for the rest
of their lives.
Eat breakfast: Breakfast is an important meal of the day, as it provides fuel for
your body and brain as well as keeps you energized throughout the day. Eating
breakfast will also help you avoid overeating during lunch or dinner time. For the
most nutritious breakfast, try to choose whole, unprocessed foods from each of the
five food groups and avoid processed cereals or pastries which contain a lot of
added sugars, as well as breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon.
Snack Smarter
- Hummus is a high-protein snack that contains fiber, iron, folate, and B
vitamins and contains fiber and antioxidants. - Homemade trail mix is an easy, healthy snack that allows you to control
the portion size and ingredients added to control sugar, salt, and overall
calories. - Pistachios are easy, healthy snacks in the cashew family and are a great
source of healthy fats, fiber, and protein. - Fresh fruits provide antioxidants and are low in fat, sodium, and calories,
and have no cholesterol.
Stay hydrated
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined
that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups of fluids a day for men and
11.5 cups of fluids a day for women.
To prevent dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, try to
make water your beverage of choice. It’s a good idea to drink a glass of water with
each meal and between meals, before, during, and after exercise, and whenever
you feel thirsty.
Get enough sleep
The National Sleep Foundation advises that healthy adults need between 7 and 9
hours of sleep per night. Tips for getting enough sleep include:
● Go to bed at the same time every night, even on weekends.
● Avoid caffeine six hours before bedtime.
● Avoid alcohol before bedtime because it can have a negative effect on your
sleep cycle.
● Exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety, which can prevent sleepiness at
night.
● Avoid watching TV or reading right before bed as these activities stimulate
brain activity and are likely to keep you awake for hours.
Walk more
Walking is one of the most accessible and inexpensive forms of exercise. It’s free,
you can do it anywhere, and it doesn’t require any equipment. Besides taking time
to go for walks:
● Take the stairs instead of the elevator
● Park farther away from your destination
● Take a walk break during your workday
● Park at the far end of a parking lot and walk to your destination.
Mind Body Wellness
The best example of mind-body wellness, and one you and your family should
incorporate into your daily or weekly routine, is yoga. Yoga improves flexibility,
helps with muscle relaxation, boosts energy levels, helps with weight loss, and
reduces anxiety.
Omtastic Yoga tells us how yoga is good for children and writes, “In this day of
high stress, trauma and fast pace, now more than ever it is important to give
children the tools to help them manage their emotions, to self regulate the stress in
their lives and to come through childhood with tools that will serve them
throughout their lives.”
Career enhancement. If you’re in a job that’s no longer challenging or if you’re
ready for a career change, switching careers can be a boon for your mental health.
For example, if you’re knowledgeable about medical coding, you can grow your
medical coding career by taking an online professional development course which
will teach you how to assign the correct codes and correctly identify medical
procedures and services claims. Choose from available medical coding online
courses, then, at the end of the course, you can take an assessment to validate your
skills.
It’s not hard to start living a more healthy life with a routine that will quickly
become a way of life. Eating smarter, walking more, and getting enough sleep will
impact how you feel almost immediately. Incorporating yoga into your life and
into the lives of your children is something fun you can all do together. And
improving your career status can only add to your overall sense of well-being.
Try to choose whole, unprocessed foods from each of the five food groups and avoid processed cereals or pastries which contain a lot of added sugars, as well as breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon.
Hummus is a high-protein snack that contains fiber, iron, folate, and B vitamins and contains fiber and antioxidants.
Fresh fruits provide antioxidants and are low in fat, sodium, and calories, and have no cholesterol.
To prevent dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, try to make water your beverage of choice.
Avoid watching TV or reading right before bed as these activities stimulate brain activity and are likely to keep you awake for hours.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Omtastic Yoga tells us how yoga is good for children and writes, “In this day of high stress, trauma and fast pace,
Choose from available medical coding online courses, then, at the end of the course, you can take an assessment to validate your skills.