There is an inordinate amount of information on the subject of health. It is no wonder that we get confused and overwhelmed when trying to make healthier life choices. After a lot of research, I have narrowed it down to five things you can do to really make a difference in your overall health!

What defines a healthy person?

• doesn’t smoke (anything)
• works to maintain a healthy weight
• eats healthy whole foods
• drinks alcohol in moderation (or not at all)
• knows how to manage stress in a healthy way
• gets quality sleep
• emotionally fit

Making a change in your life is difficult. It is more manageable if you try to make a small change each day. Below are five things that will improve your overall health. Take it slow and work towards a healthier you, one day at a time.

1. Diet

Your diet is undeniably the biggest determinant of how healthy you will be.

“A healthy approach to eating is centered on savoring flavor, eating to satisfaction and increasing energy rather than focusing on weight.”

Gaiam.com

Ways to improve your diet:

• Eat a diet consisting of whole grains, lean protein, vegetable and legumes.

Whole grain examples: Brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, whole wheat pasta, bread or crackers

Lean protein examples: white fish (cod, haddock, tilapia flounder), plain greek yogurt, beans, peas and lentils, skinless chicken, low fat cottage cheese, lean beef, powdered peanut butter (it has less calories than regular peanut butter and is great for dipping)

The best bang for your buck legumes and veggies: chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans and soybeans. Spinach, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale

• Be sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D in the food you eat.

Examples of food with calcium: cheese, yogurt, milk, sardines, dark leafy greens, fortified cereal (raisin bran and corn flakes have a lot), fortified orange juice

Examples of food with vitamin D: salmon, herring and sardines, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks, mushrooms, cow’s milk

• Cut out unhealthy saturated fats and replace with healthier fats.

Unhealthy fats: commercially baked pastries and sweets, packaged snack foods, stick margarine, fried foods

Healthy fats: avocados, cheese, dark chocolate, whole eggs, fatty fish, nuts, chia seeds, extra virgin oil

• Other easy things you can do to improve your diet:

-Eat one extra fruit or vegetable a day

– Stop drinking calories and cut out soda

-Choose fresh over processed foods

-Drink water (a half an ounce to an ounce for each pound you weigh, ex. if you weigh 150 lbs. you should drink 75 to 150 ounces of water per day)

-Limit alcohol consumption

2. Exercise

“If you want to live well and live longer, you must exercise.”

gaiam.com

One of the easiest things you can do to improve your health is to sit less and move more. You can do this through a planned workout or you can do it by changing little things you do throughout your day. Exercise helps alleviate depression, reduces stress and makes your body healthier.

Ways to move more:

• planned workout: running, walking, weight training, sports, etc..
• Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.
• Park in a space that is faraway from the entrance.
• Walk the perimeter of a big box store before you shop.
• Walk and talk while on the phone.
• Take your lunch outside, preferably somewhere you have to walk to.
• Buy a stand up desk
• Workout while watching tv
• While sitting at your desk, set a reminder so you remember to get up, walk around and stretch.

3. Learn to Manage Stress

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

William James

Stress Relievers:

• Connect with nature
• Listen to music
• Meditate
• Talk to a friend
• Take a bath or a shower
• Do deep breathing exercises (Check out my blog on sleep for some relaxation exercises: https://www.introvertview.com/how-to-get-a-good-nights-rest)
• Reduce caffeine intake

4. Get Enough Sleep

“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep”

E. Joseph Cossman

Getting a good night’s sleep is another important aspect of overall health.

Benefits of a good night’s sleep:

1. lowers blood pressure
2. improves memory
3. reduces stress
4. Healthy immune system
5. Heart health
6. Reduces chance of getting diabetes
7. Helps with maintaining a healthy weight

I recently wrote a blog called “How To Get A Good Night’s Rest” https://www.introvertview.com/how-to-get-a-good-nights-rest/ please check it out to see some great tips on how to get a good nights sleep.

5. Improve Your Emotional Fitness

“Emotional fitness is the state wherein the mind is capable of staying away from negative thoughts and can focus on creative and constructive tasks. Being emotionally fit is the key to success in all aspects of life.”

Dr. Brooke R. Envick and Rick Martinez

Are your emotions all over the place? Do you struggle with constant negative self talk that makes you feel anxious, depressed and guilty all the time. Feeling like this is definitely not good for your emotional or physical health and there are many ways in which to improve your emotional fitness, so you can become a resilient, emotionally mature and mentally strong human being.

How to Build Emotional Fitness:

• Stop the rumination spirals. (endlessly criticizing yourself for past mistakes and what you think are your shortcomings as a person) Remember how we think, is how we feel. A positive thought is empowering and a negative thought is disempowering. So how do we stop the negativity and bring the positivity into our lives?

Mindful Meditation: Take 5 minutes each day to strengthen your attention muscle. Focus your attention on your breathing. Thoughts, feelings, sounds will float across your brain, that is normal, all you have to do is bring your attention back to your breathing. It is difficult at first, just like working out your muscles by exercising is hard when you first begin. The more you do it though the more you will have control over where you concentrate your attention.

• Talk to yourself. The more a negative thought is allowed to ruminate unnoticed the more negative emotion it will generate. That is where talking to yourself comes in, if you are thinking about something negative and you catch yourself, say out loud – “No, I’m not going to think like that.” What this does is put distance between your thoughts and yourself. It makes you more self aware and more in control of what goes on in your own head.
• Seek Counseling. This is an amazing way to help build your emotional fitness. It not only gives you a place to share your feelings, but also gives you access to positive input and priceless advice on how to live a better life.
• Try the practice of expressive writing. What this involves is writing continuously for 20 minutes about an issue, exploring your deepest thoughts and feelings about it. While writing do not worry if the writing is good, it is only important that you are getting the thoughts down on paper. What this does is allow us to confront ideas, which lead to new perspectives. A 1988 study showed that people who did expressive writing for four days were healthier six weeks later and happier up to three months later.

I hope that you were able to take away some information that will help you to improve your overall health. Remember, change just one small thing a day and before you know it you’ll be a healthier you!

You may also like:

• 7 Quotes Curated by an introvert
• Introverts and Cats: Two Peas In A Pod
• why you should teach your child mindfulness
• Insightful Quotes By Introverted Musicians
• How the age old philosophy of ikigai can help you find happiness

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