If you’re looking to improve your health, you may feel like you’re lost and unsure where to start. After all, thanks to all the conflicting advice you find online, creating a healthy lifestyle can feel impossible. Luckily, help is at hand and we’ve pulled together these 5 simple tips for amazing health.
#1 Make sure your body has the right supplements
In order for your body to perform at its very best, you need to ensure it’s regularly receiving all of the vitamins and minerals it requires. Often the best way of doing this is changing your diet, but you may find that even this is insufficient. As a result, many people choose to take supplements such as cod liver oil and omega-3. This way, by taking a couple of tablets each day, they can instantly and easily digest all the minerals and supplements they require.
However, if you choose to take supplements, you need to make sure that you’re purchasing them from a company who adhere to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. One good way of vetting your company of choice to see whether their products are reputable is to see what their customers are saying about them. If you see good reports from customers about your chosen company, such as these Healthspan reviews, you’ll know that you’re buying supplements from a firm you can trust.
#2 Rid your body of all toxins
When you get home from work in the evening, it’s incredibly easy to sit and relax with a glass of wine or a cigarette or two. However, these substances can do a lot of harm to your body and it’s very difficult to reach your physical peak if you’re regularly drinking or smoking.
In fact, research from the NHS suggests that for every 15 cigarettes you smoke, you’ll cause a mutilation in your body. Similarly, as a smoker, you’re 50% more likely to suffer from a stroke and you’re also significantly more likely to become impotent.
While alcohol is fine in moderation, it can still affect your sleep and cause you to alter your diet. As a result, if possible, it’s best avoided.
#3 Prioritise sleep
If you fail to get your recommended 6-9 hours of sleep per night, you open yourself up to a number of risks. This is because studies show that sleep deprivation can lead to many diseases, such as heart disease and obesity.
So, although it can be tempting to stay up late and binge-watch Netflix or fire up the games console, you really need to prioritise sleep. Plus, as well as all the health benefits you receive directly from sleeping, you’ll also find that it’s easier to control other aspects of your health, too. For example, you’ll have more energy to go for a run or cook a healthy meal.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, then there are several steps you can take:
- Ensure that you don’t drink any caffeinated drinks late in the day
- Limit the time you spend staring at a phone or television directly before bedtime
- Make sure you’re sleeping in complete darkness, with no artificial lighting present
- Move your phone away from your bed so you’re not tempted to scroll through social media
- Establish a routine so you go to sleep and wake up at a similar time each day
- Visit a doctor and discuss the specific problems you’re facing
If you take this BBC quiz, you can learn more about your body type and discover sleep recommendations that are appropriate for you.
#4 Monitor your diet
Changing your diet can revolutionise your life. If you currently eat a lot of junk food and highly processed meals, changing to a fresher, healthier diet is probably the most important change you can make.
However, this is easier said than done because many processed foods are designed to be very hard to resist because they’re high in fats and sugar.
If you’re looking to cut out one specific ingredient, try to avoid meals that contain sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup because these can seriously damage your metabolism and cause you to gain weight quickly. In addition, they can also make you feel very lethargic, so you’re less likely to exercise.
If possible, try and change your diet so it mainly contains whole foods that are unprocessed. Put simply, the best meals for you are likely to contain a combination of animals and plants, so consider meals that include meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. If you’re healthy and active, then you can also include unrefined carbohydrates like potatoes.
#5 Use your muscles regularly
If you want to be in optimal shape then you also need to exercise. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to the gym, but it does mean you need to get up, move around and use your muscles whenever you get the opportunity.
If you choose to lift weights, your body will experience a number of benefits you may not immediately see. For example, your blood sugar and insulin levels will both fall, and you’ll also improve your cholesterol levels.
If lifting weights isn’t for you, then you could instead try your hand at cardiovascular exercises like running and cycling. These are great for your heart and, if you can get out in the sunshine, they’re a great way of getting your necessary vitamin D, too.
When it comes to exercising, the trick is to find something you enjoy. So, if you don’t want to go to the gym, instead do a HIIT workout at home. Or, if you’re worried about your joints, don’t go running and instead stick to swimming. By choosing an activity you actually enjoy, you’re more likely to stick to your new routine.
If you follow these five tips, you’ll find that you feel happier, healthier and more positive. Being healthy is a marathon, not a sprint. So, as a result, once you’ve established a routine, you need to follow it and keep it up for the rest of your life.