Prioritizing Your Health

9 Tips For Staying Healthy and Feeling Your Best Every Day

Staying healthy doesn’t have to be complicated—follow these nine tips, and you’ll be feeling great in no time!

Tip 1: Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water is one of the easiest ways to stay healthy. This can help you fight infection, helps your body digest food, and regulates your mood. Plus, if you drink plenty of water it will help you have a better complexion by removing toxins from your skin. Here are some ways to make sure you're getting enough water Drink at least 64 ounces of water every day. Set reminders on your phone or computer for every hour. Drink a glass of water before every meal and snack to take the edge off hunger pangs. Carry around a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go, so that there's always an easy way to get your daily dose. You could also try drinking other fluids like fruit juice, milk, tea, coffee or sparkling water. Just be careful not to overdo it: too much caffeine or sugar in your diet can cause weight gain. Try substituting sweetened drinks with unsweetened versions, like lemonade instead of Sprite or almond milk instead of cow's milk . If you need more motivation to cut back on unhealthy drinks, think about how many empty calories they contain. A single cup of soda contains more than 150 calories and 20 grams of sugar! And even if you don't think you'll miss them, chances are your kids will! When they come home after school, they may feel cranky or tired because their blood-sugar levels have been disrupted after downing an energy drink during lunchtime break. As a result, they may overeat when dinner time rolls around since their bodies crave something sugary- which means more calories!

Tip 2: Don’t Take Your Health for Granted

If you do not regularly take care of your health, it is important to have realistic expectations about what good health will look like. What you think is a small health setback may actually be a sign that something more serious is happening inside of your body. A chronic cough may simply be due to allergies or an irritating hair that can be easily remedied with a trip to the doctor for antibiotics, but it could also be signs of lung cancer or asthma. When it comes to your health, it is important to see the signs so that they can get dealt with immediately and properly. The sooner the better. Remember that symptoms are often signs of larger issues going on in your body, such as arthritis which might signal heart disease. Tip 3: Take Care of Yourself: Do something nice for yourself every day to help improve your overall mood and happiness level - even if it's just taking a shower in the morning! Tip 4: Keep Track Of Your Health: Keep track of how well you are feeling throughout the day and share these updates with others who care about you. It helps to remind them how much you appreciate their support when you need it most, especially when dealing with illness or injury. Not only does it make them feel needed, but they’ll want to know how they can provide help too. Text: Tip 5: Have a Sense of Humor: Laughing is good for you! A sense of humor helps us deal with stress and anxiety- whether we're feeling that way ourselves or watching someone else go through it. Put down your phone and watch TV with friends instead.

Tip 3: Keep Moving

Many people are so used to working long hours at their desk that they don't even realize how sedentary they've become. At the very least, take an hour of your day for a brisk walk outside, or park your car further away from work so you have to walk a little bit more. This can be one of the best things you do all day - not only will it improve your physical health but it will also relieve stress and boost your energy levels! You'll feel refreshed and ready to tackle anything when you're done. Another tip is to incorporate daily stretches into your routine. Whether you go down on your hands and knees in front of the television while watching your favorite show, or set a timer on your phone so you know when to stop, these simple exercises will help keep you limber and lessen stiffness later in life. Try starting with five minutes each morning and see if that improves how well you move throughout the day. If that's too much, try doing three minutes before bed and three minutes as soon as you wake up. Doing this twice a day may seem like a lot of time at first, but after just two weeks it should start to feel natural and easy to make time for.

Tip 4: Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is often hailed as a wonder drug for its ability to boost energy levels, but unfortunately caffeine has some pretty negative side effects. 

While many people enjoy drinking coffee, tea or soda every now and then, excessive caffeine intake can have serious health consequences. Limit yourself to around 300 mg (or five cups) per day—and make sure you always drink plenty of water with any caffeinated beverage to avoid dehydration! You should also consider cutting back on caffeinated foods such as chocolate bars. The amount of caffeine in chocolate isn't nearly as much compared to other beverages like coffee or soda, but chocolate does contain fat, sugar and calories so keep it limited if you're trying to lose weight or stay healthy.

Tip 5: Get Enough Sleep

Sleeping allows your body to rest, so you'll have the energy for any work or play you choose to do on any given day. You'll also be in a better mood, which will inspire others around you to be happy too. One way that this can help is by building better relationships with family members, co-workers, and friends; who might all notice a change in how you act after getting more sleep.

Start by identifying what time you need to go to bed by getting your nine hours of sleep every night. Then set your alarm clock accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to wake up at the same time each morning, no matter if it's a weekday or weekend. The other thing that you should do is establish an afternoon quiet hour where you avoid any electronics (TV, phone, computer) because they are stimulating and prevent us from falling asleep quickly. Other things include drinking lots of water throughout the day because hydration helps maintain mental sharpness and physical performance; not smoking since it causes irritation in lungs which leads to reduced lung capacity; cutting back on sugar intake since sugar causes irritability and restless sleep; as well as eating healthy foods since they provide vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients), antioxidants, enzymes and fiber that are essential for health.

Tip 6: Eat Often, Stay Satisfied

Satisfying your hunger is an important step in staying healthy. This will help you stay energized throughout the day. Avoid eating too many empty calories, like candy or snacks, which can lead to weight gain and poor health. Instead, eat small but frequent meals of well-balanced foods that are high in fiber, protein, vitamin C and other nutrients. 

An easy way to implement this tip is by following these suggestions: Eat three nutritious meals every day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) along with two healthy snacks (preferably one before each meal). Drink at least eight glasses of water each day to avoid becoming dehydrated. Be sure to drink a glass of water with each meal and snack, especially if it's hot outside. You'll feel better and more alert if you're hydrated. Add fresh fruit juice or lemonade for flavor if desired. Aim for 10 different colors on your plate per day. Eat plenty of veggies! And don't forget about protein - try to get at least 8 ounces per day from beans, fish, chicken, eggs or soy products. Add whole grains such as oats and brown rice to your diet and drink plenty of milk to get enough calcium and Vitamin D. Choose low-fat dairy products and lean meats like turkey breast instead of beef steaks. Aim for six servings of vegetables per day including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots and peppers. Cook up some lentils for an excellent source of both iron and protein.

Tip 7: Have Fun!

Go out with friends, workout, go on adventures. Creating happy memories, experiences and friendships will keep you happy. Living a healthy lifestyle should also involve having fun! Try something new or do what you love to do (or both!) for a change in your routine! There are endless opportunities for adventure, so take advantage of them as often as possible! Get out of the house every day - even if it's just walking around the block. And don't forget about the happiness that comes from hanging out with friends, family and loved ones too. Socializing is important for all aspects of life - especially staying healthy! Studies have shown that social isolation can lead to chronic health problems such as depression, obesity, diabetes and even heart disease. In contrast, studies have also shown that people who make an effort to socialize are happier and less likely to develop health problems! 

If you're feeling anxious or depressed because of being alone for long periods of time, try reaching out to friends and/or family. If this doesn't help then consider speaking with a mental health professional about ways they can help. No one deserves to be alone and feel miserable! Make the most of each day by connecting with those around you and doing things that make you happy. The more you laugh, play and enjoy yourself, the better off your body will be too!

Tip 8: Say No to Stress

Worrying about all the things that could go wrong won't help you succeed. So be proactive to reduce your stress. One way is to set boundaries. Say no to requests that don't fit into your schedule, take on an aspect of a project you don't have expertise in, or working with clients who aren't a good fit for you. If a situation becomes too much for you, disengage from it as soon as possible so that you can gain perspective on how to handle it better next time. Take care of yourself first by doing things that make you feel happy and content. To do this, try these five simple tips: 

 Don't drink alcohol excessively. 

 Get enough sleep every night. Set a bedtime and stick to it. Create soothing bedtime rituals like taking baths or reading books before bedtime instead of watching TV or playing video games. 

 Eat healthy food throughout the day—breakfast should include protein; lunch should include whole grains; dinner should include vegetables and protein—and avoid skipping meals. Try not to eat out more than once per week because restaurants often serve unhealthy fare high in calories, fat, sugar, sodium, and preservatives. Save eating out for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries instead of going every week because restaurant meals are usually too large to eat every day!

Tip 9: Include Balance in your Life

One of the easiest ways to feel balanced is to have a healthy dose of exercise, movement, time outdoors, a good night's sleep (most importantly), and healthy food in your life. Find time for things that energize you! This could be going on a jog around the park before it gets dark at 5 pm or going for a nature walk after work. Be sure to take in enough calories each day to support your lifestyle - this might mean eating 5-6 small meals instead of 3 large ones - but not feeling hungry all the time. Above all else, eat whole foods as often as possible. Don't deprive yourself too much but don't overindulge either. Remember that the word diet means a way of living. You are making an effort to change some habits and make them healthier. Stick with these changes and they will soon become second nature. Tip 10: Keep Moving Forward: As we age, our physical activity can decrease dramatically because of decreasing muscle mass and lessening joint flexibility; however, even if we are unable to run or play soccer like we used to, there are still plenty of things we can do every day to keep our bodies moving. Get up from your desk periodically and walk around. Stretch out muscles by doing gentle yoga poses during commercial breaks or while waiting for dinner to cook. Put together a list of activities you enjoy doing, then find five minutes in your schedule each day where you can fit one into your routine. What about fitting in some gardening? A round of golf? Walking the dog? The more active we are, the better off we'll be!

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