5 easy ways to improve your health

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

This can be done without daily exercise and special diets.

1. Train self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one's own moods, emotions, and aspirations. By developing it, you increase your chances of mental and physical well-being.

By deeply understanding our feelings, motivation, and behavior, we act more consciously and ultimately make better decisions.

Dr. Nadine Sammy Lecturer in Sports and Physical Education at the University of Exeter

For example, try to understand your motivation to exercise. When do you stick to your workout schedule and when not? Why?

There are many ways to develop self-awareness: keeping a journal, meditation, practicing mindfulness, and simply introspection after a specific activity or in the evening at the end of the day.

Once we understand ourselves, we can make the most of our strengths and start working on our weaknesses. And it inspires you to become the best version of yourself.

Nadine Sammy

2. Get a dog

Gym workouts, Pilates or morning jogging are the things that come to mind most often when you decide to get more physically active.

However, instead of sports training, there are many other ways to make regular exercise a part of your daily routine. For example, you can park further away from the entrance to the supermarket where you are shopping, or stop using the elevator in your office.

But the best thing is to get a dog. If you walk with her for at least 30 minutes twice a day, you can increase your activity, while also receiving emotional satisfaction from communicating with your pet.

You will be able to spend time outdoors, exercise, acquire a faithful companion, and also improve the life of another living creature. All this has a beneficial effect on both physical and mental health.

Rhys Thatcher Lecturer in Sports Physiology at the University of Aberystwyth

3. Eat more different types of plant foods

It is believed that we should normally consume five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. This is about 400 grams. But you need to strive not only for quantity, but also for variety.

Megan Rossi, Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition at King's College London, says we should eat 30 different fruits, vegetables and other plant foods in a week. It is its diversity that is responsible for intestinal health.

The gut bacteria, or microbiome, is critical to the health of the body. Allergies, obesity, inflammatory diseases, Parkinson's disease and even depression are associated with them.

There is one simple way to achieve a wider variety of plant foods in your diet: shopping a little trick.

Instead of just buying chickpeas, use a four-bean mix. And instead of one type of cereal, also buy a mixture of four.

Megan Rossi

If the number 30 scares you, set a goal to introduce one new food into your diet every week.

4. Smile more often

Everyone once set out to lose a couple of pounds after the holidays. Or he was trying to decide how many times a week he would go to the gym.

But we often set such goals spontaneously, and because of this, they can be difficult to achieve. And the inability to do this can discourage all the desire to try altogether. So try focusing on being happier first.

There are many specific things you can start doing to become healthier. But if you are unhappy with your life, then most likely you will not be able to maintain some serious or difficult changes for a long time.

Dr. James Gill Researcher, University of Warwick School of Medicine

To be happier, make one change that makes you smile more often. Along with this, identify what is making you unhappy now - and get rid of it. And then you will be ready to seriously take care of your health.

5. Get enough sleep

It's corny, but we really need to get enough sleep. As a rule, a healthy adult needs 7-9 hours to do this. And even a small amount of sleep deprivation (for example, reducing sleep duration to 5 hours) can affect a range of cognitive functions, including decision-making ability.

Do whatever it takes to get better sleep. For example, don't drink coffee before bed and go to bed at the same time every day.

But most importantly, put your electronic devices, smartphone and laptop aside, a few hours before bed. Or at least use a special filter or blue light blocking glasses.