World Health Day, April 7th, is the day of the year we bring awareness of health and wellness for everyone! This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is bringing attention to health accessibility around the world. Healthcare is vitally important to be accessible for everyone, and is something that is more readily becoming available. However, access to health care isn’t the only way to promote health. The best way to ensure a long healthy life is to by taking steps towards long lasting habits to prevent problems later in life!
Maintain consistency!
Try to find consistency in what you eat and how often you exercise. Hopping from one fad diet to another only increases the risk of the dreaded yo-yo dieting. We know, losing weight isn’t easy, but it’s better to make slow, long-lasting changes, rather that moving up and down radically. Finding ways to make eating healthy a regular lifestyle change is the best way to prevent chronic, nutrition-related diseases and get to a healthy weight for yourself.
Add variety to your plate!
Fruits, veggies, grains! Make that plate colorful, vibrant, and full of variety! Regularly eating a diverse selection of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains aids in consuming a number of nutrients! One fruit may have more fiber and the other may have more antioxidants. All are useful to preventing chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease. Aim for your plate to look like a rainbow, and you know you’re getting all that you need for your body to run its best!
Stay active!
Staying active is equally important in maintaining a long, healthy life. However, when we say “active” that doesn’t mean you have to be a gym rat! Get outside and take regular, low intensity walks to get the blood flowing and the breath moving. Try taking a gentle yoga class or hit the trails for a brisk early morning hike. Staying active, much like eating habits, is better with consistency. Yes, we know you’d love a six pack, but that won’t happen if you go too hard at the gym. Start slow and find ways to easily fit in exercise and activity without leading to burn out!
Don’t forget to put yourself first!
Physical health is clearly very important in the prevention of disease or injury, but we can’t forget about ourselves and our other needs in this process of trying to maintain higher health standards. If you’re finding yourself tired or burnt out, take a break! Rest when your body tells you to. Take time for yourself regularly! Making time throughout the day to de-stress, rest, and relax is just as important to longevity as eating well and exercising regularly. Take the time to compliment yourself, or take a moment to sit down and just relax. Make sure you don’t forget to do something nice for yourself today!
World Health Day is a great reminder that we should be focusing on ways to maintain a long life of feeling our best! But don’t just take today to remember to treat yourself right, use every day as an opportunity to take care of yourself!