Getting healthier doesn’t always mean that we need a new exercise bike or an involved diet plan. There are many ordinary items in life that we can use to protect our health and improve our lives. For best health, we need quality rest, good food, moderate exercise, and connections. The tips below can help.
Refillable Water Bottles
Invest in refillable water bottles and try to fill them up in the evenings. When you open your refrigerator, you want your water bottle to be the first thing you see. Try to hydrate each morning to give your brain a boost and protect your gut and kidneys.
If your refrigerator has a water dispenser, make sure you know the best place to buy fridge filters and keep a stock handy. For those who don’t have a dispenser, consider a countertop filter or a filter pitcher to keep freshwater close at hand.
Walking Shoes
You don’t need high-end gym equipment to enjoy moderate exercise most days, though weather extremes may make working out indoors a necessity. If possible, try to get outside and get in thirty minutes of walking each day. If your schedule is jam-packed, three ten-minute walking breaks can serve the same purpose.
Quality walking shoes will
- stabilize your tread, preventing stumbles
- support your feet, which will protect your knees, hips and spine
- allow you to relax and keep an eye on the world around you
As the weather warms, invest in a good pair of hiking sandals. Don’t forget your sunscreen and be sure to bring a hat on hot days. Of course, you’ll also need a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated on the trail.
Cutting Board
Meal planning is a wonderful way to make sure that you can easily make good choices. When you pull out the cutting board to prepare a meal, chop up produce for future meals as well. Once you have the board out, you can
- chop veggies for a salad
- fill your crockpot with the makings of a vegetable soup or stew
- fill plastic bags with grab and go snacks
Sometimes the healthiest step you can take is to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Fix a fruit salad on the weekend so you can boost your Vitamin C intake and enjoy some fresh strawberries. Load fresh grapes into plastic bags for a quick snack.
Candles
If you struggle to sleep at night, using candles to lower your light exposure. Stop using electronic screens of all sorts an hour before bedtime. Brush your teeth and get into your pajamas, then start turning off electric lights and lighting candles in the room you’re occupying. Let darkness talk your body into sleep. Finally, blow out the last candle and go to bed.
You can also light a candle to help you meditate at the end of a long day. Set the timer on your phone for ten minutes, stare at the flickering candle, and breathe. Send away any nattering thoughts and just look at the light. When the timer goes off, check your brain. Do you feel relaxed and rested? Many find that ten minutes of meditation is a nice replacement for a nap on the days when you don’t have time to lay down and catch some sleep.
Loved Ones
Admittedly, loved ones are not things. However, having friends and family that you can rely on when you need them, and help out when they need you, is one of the best ways to fight loneliness. If you’ve ever gotten angry or upset and felt your heartbeat harder, you know that your emotions have an impact on your cardiovascular system.
Over time, loneliness increases vascular resistance. Your heart has to work harder to get blood to move through your arteries. If you are isolated for too long, you start to see social situations as hostile or threatening. This sense of having low social support means that you may worry you’re not welcome or that you’re actually resented by those you connect with.
Simple human connections, candlelight, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, a bit of exercise, and plenty of water can protect your brain, spirit, heart, digestive tract, bones, and musculature. Start with small changes to cover the basics. And when you have integrated these things in your routine, you can start with bigger changes such as regular visits with this dentist in avon lake and hitting the gym more frequently. Doing so will give your body adequate time to adjust with the changes.
