5 Steps to improve your overall health and well being

122620740 - healthy breakfast sandwich with boiled egg and avacado macro viewAre you living a healthy lifestyle? And no, we don’t just mean going to the gym twice a week.

A healthy lifestyle is made up of a lot of other factors. A stress-free life, healthy habits, healthy food, a happy living environment – all these factors contribute to your overall well-being in more ways than you know. The absence of fulfillment in even one of these areas can have a negative impact on your life, which can then lead to dissatisfaction, stress, and ultimately a poor quality of overall health.

Are you looking for ways to improve your overall health and well-being? Below are five simple ways in which you can begin immediate integration.

1. Eat Good Food

You are what you eat. It’s true. Our body creates new cells every day using the nutrients it extracts from what we eat. Therefore, everything in your body, from your skin to your internal organs and blood, quite literally, comprises from what you eat. Including whole foods and fresh produce in your diet has the ability to transform your body from the inside out.

Changing your food habits is the first step towards a healthy lifestyle.

2. Perform More Physical Activities

Before technology and automation took over our lives, a lot of our work consisted of standing and moving around. This has drastically changed in the 21st century when jobs have led to sedentary lifestyles with limited movement. Nevertheless, it is important that we make a conscious effort to move our bodies around more often.

Simple everyday tasks such as playing with a toddler, taking a walk to the nearest bus stop, riding a bicycle to work, or going for an hour-long walk around the garden can add up to significant active hours in your lifestyle. And remember, if you eat good foods, you will receive all the energy required to lead an active lifestyle.

3. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a stress-relieving technique that has come to light in recent times as we allow minutes, hours, days, and weeks to pass right by us in our fast-paced every day lives. Practicing meditation can connects you to your inner self, thereby letting you pause, observe, and keep a calm and stable mind in every situation.

You don’t need any expensive equipment or setting to observe mindfulness; here is a simple mindfulness session you can try:

In a still hour, sit silently in a place where you can observe the world around you. Take in the nuances of your surroundings. While you’re doing this, concentrate on your breathing. Look around. Observe the delicacies of nature around you. Smile. Do this for at least 10-15 minutes every day.

4. Talk to People That Make You Happy

In our hurried daily lives, people have been reduced to acquaintances. We no longer feel like connecting with them. It is time to change this.

Good human interactions have been proven to relieve stress and, in some cases, have also contributed to increased longevity of life. Is there a friend you’ve lost touch with over the years? Why not give them a call this weekend. An old lady in the neighborhood? Why not catch up with her over a cup of hot tea. Maybe even bring her some fresh flowers. How long has it been since your entire family had dinner together? Why not switch-off your phones for a few hours this Sunday and have a hearty laugh reminiscing over stories from the past. And if you’ve got some time to spare, why not visit the nearest care-giving center and be the reason for a smile on a few unknown faces.

All these interactions will not only reduce your stress levels, but they will also spread happiness to someone around you.

5. Cut Off From the Online World

We’ve all heard the clever antidote – “Disconnect to Connect.”

Social media might seem harmless at first. However, too much social media can negatively impact your overall well-being without you even realizing it:

  • An Austrian research conducted in 2014 demonstrated that participants who used Facebook for 20 minutes experienced lower mood levels compared to those who just browsed the internet for the same duration. (1)
  • A study from “Computers and Human Behavior” found that people who used multiple social media platforms – seven or more experienced greater levels of anxiety compared to people who used none or just two social media platforms. (1)
  • A research conducted at the Penn State University in 2016 revealed that looking at other people’s photos lowered one’s self-esteem. (1)

It is imperative that you fully disconnect or at least limit your social media interactions to a few hours per week.

If you remain mindful about the above five tips, you will begin to see a major difference in your overall health and well-being in just a few days. And once you experience a healthy, productive, and proactive lifestyle, you’ll be sure to continue moving forward.

Click here today if you are ready for a lifestyle change for the better!

Statistics Source

  1. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns