1. Drink more water. Most of us don’t actually drink enough water every day. Water is needed to carry out body functions, remove waste, and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body. We need to replenish our water intake since we lose water every day through urine, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing.
Furthermore, drinking more water aids in losing weight. A Health.com study carried out among overweight/obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. Drinking more water helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat. We need to drink about 2.0-3.0 litres of water, or about 8-10 glasses. One way to tell if you’re hydrated — your urine should be colourless or slightly yellow. If it’s not, you’re not getting enough water! Other signs include: Dry lips, dry mouth, and little urination. Go get some water first before you continue this article!
2. Get enough rest. When you don’t rest well, you compensate by eating more. Usually it’s junk food. Get enough rest and you don’t need to snack to stay awake. Also, lack of sleep causes premature aging, and you wouldn’t want that. Sleep has the ability to optimise mental and physical energy. Optimal levels of sleep (about eight hours a night) are linked with reduced risk of chronic disease and improved longevity. One simple strategy that can help ensure you get optimal amounts of sleep is to go to bed earlier. Shutting down the computer or turning off the TV early in the evening is often all it takes to create the time and space for earlier sleep.
3. Meditate. Meditation quietens your mind and calms your soul.
4. Exercise. Not just a few times a week, but every day. Movement is life. Research has shown that exercising daily brings tremendous benefits to our health, including increase of life span, lowering of risk of diseases, higher bone density, and weight loss. Increase activity in your life. Choose walking over transport for close distances. Climb the stairs instead of taking the lift. Join some aerobics classes.
5. Pick exercises you enjoy. When you enjoy the sports, you’ll naturally want to do them. Exercise isn’t about suffering and pushing yourself, it’s about being healthy and having fun at the same time. Adding variation in your exercises will keep them interesting.
6. Work out different parts of your body. Don’t just do cardio (like jogging). Give your full body a proper work out. The easiest way is to engage in sports, since they work out different muscle groups. Popular sports include basketball, football, swimming, tennis, squash, badminton, frisbee, and more.
7. Eat more fruits. Fruits contain a plethora of vitamins and minerals. Do you know that oranges offer more health benefits than Vitamin C pills? Taking in synthetic supplements is not the same as consuming the foods directly from nature. Satisfy your palate with these nutritious fruits: Watermelon, Apricots, Avocado (yes, avocado is technically a fruit!), Apple, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Guava, Papaya, Strawberries.
8. Eat more vegetables. Like fruits, vegetables are important for good health. Experts suggest 5-9 servings of fruits/vegetables a day, but unfortunately most people don’t even have 5 servings! Nutritional powerhouses filled with fiber and vitamins, fruits and veggies can lower your risk of heart disease by 76% and may even play a role in decreasing your risk of breast cancer. As an added bonus, the inflammation-fighting and circulation-boosting powers of the antioxidants in fruits and veggies can banish wrinkles.
9. Pick bright-coloured foods. Fruits and vegetables with bright colours are usually high in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are good for health because they remove free radicals in our body that damage our cells. So get your fill of fruits/vegetables of different colours: White (Bananas, Mushroom), Yellow (Pineapples, Mango), Orange (Orange, Papaya), Red (Apple, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Watermelon), Green (Guava, Avocados, Cucumber, Lettuce, Celery), Purple/Blue (Blackberries, Eggplant, Prunes). Here’s a full list under the colour wheel.
In fact, we have compiled a total of 99 health tips specially for you. Yes, 99 tips! However, it would be rather lengthy to post all of them in a single post here. We have put them altogether in a downloadable article. Simply join our mailing list now to receive it instantly.
Thank you for the valuable tips on achieving better health. I would also like to add that it is important to visit a medical clinic for regular health screenings, including cholesterol level testing, blood sugar checks, and even cancer screenings.