Top 26 Health Improvement Tips

Health Improvement Tips

2. Start your day with a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast.

 Eating breakfast every day is a must. Waking up and eating a filling breakfast helps you maintain concentration during the day, enhances strength and endurance during physical activity, and can lower cholesterol levels.

Eating a breakfast high in protein and fiber will keep you full throughout the morning and help you avoid snacking. Fiber is also digested slower and helps you feel full longer.

• Eat lean protein such as eggs or a slice of salmon.
• Whole grain, high-fiber cereals can also keep you full through the morning.
• A hearty breakfast can also keep you from snacking before lunch.
• While snacking is not necessarily a bad thing, you want to snack smart.
• Eat a handful of roasted nuts or a small piece of fruit.

Health Improvement Tips

3. Keep a food log of everything you eat each day.

 Just the act of writing down what you’ve eaten can keep you from eating that extra candy bar.

Keeping a log of everything you eat makes you aware of gaps in your diet or unhealthy foods you may be consuming too much of.

Assess the foods you eat on a regular basis (every one to two weeks) and alter your diet as necessary.

• Find a logger that works best for you. Some may want to use plain old pencil and paper while others might find a website or phone app works better.
• Keep your diary nearby so you don’t have to go out of your way to log the foods you eat.
• Some food log apps include nutritional information that can also assist you in your logging.
• Be honest with your tracker. This food log is for you, so cheating only hurts you.

Health Improvement Tips

4. Read the nutrition labels on the packaging.

Foods containing hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup are not going to be good for you.

Taking a second to read the ingredients list and nutrition facts will make you more aware of what you’re eating. Foods high in sugar and sodium should also be avoided.

• When reading the labels, note the serving size.
• At first glance, a food item might not seem that bad until you realize there are three servings in the package.

Health Improvement Tips

5. Cut up fruits and vegetables when you get home.

 A lot of fruits and vegetables get thrown out.

Because they are forgotten about or you don’t take the time to prepare them right away.

Cut up those fruits and veggies in the way you prefer to eat them.

Keep them in a clear container at eye level in the refrigerator.

• When you are craving a snack and open the fridge to see what’s inside.
• You’ll see the fresh fruits and vegetables and reach for those instead of something unhealthy.
• This will also help you cut down on food waste.

Health Improvement Tips

6. Order groceries online to avoid impulse buys.

 Grocery stores are specifically set up to encourage consumers to buy things they wouldn’t necessarily have on their list.

In addition, many of the items that appear to be a great deal have little to no nutritional value and are not good for a healthy balanced diet.

If you find that you have a tendency to succumb to impulse buys, try doing your shopping online.

• Check to see if your local grocery store has an online ordering system.
• There are plenty of other online sources that allow you to shop online and have the groceries delivered directly to your door.

Health Improvement Tips

7. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week.

It is recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity in a week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

 Getting your heart rate up for just 30 minutes a day increases your health as you age and can have positive impacts on brain function, improving focus and mood.

• Go for a brisk walk (15 minute mile) around the neighborhood before or after work.
• Exercise in water for a low impact workout.
• Try weight lifting. Cardio exercises are not the only way to get your heart rate up. Weight lifting can be a very rewarding exercise and helps you stay fit. Strength training also helps maintain bone density as you age, which helps prevent osteoporosis..

Health Improvement Tips

8.Start small by exercising one to two times a week.

 Don’t try to change your whole life routine in one day.

It won’t work very well.

Start by implementing small changes that can grow into something more.

Try adding exercise one to two times per week.

Gradually increase this until you’re doing something small at least once a day.

You can also add a small exercise to something you normally do every day:

• Try doing pushups, sit-ups, or jogging in place while the water warms up for the shower.
• Walk around while talking on the phone.
• Do a few calf raises while you’re waiting for water to boil.

Health Improvement Tips

9.Invest in a fitness tracker.

Keeping track of your walking and exercise.

Can help make you more aware of the amount you get up and move in a day.

Some trackers can be set to buzz.

If you have been inactive for too long.

Encouraging you to get up and stretch or walk around.

Many fitness trackers also have an encouraging social community incorporated into the phone app that you can choose to use.

• Ask friends and family to join a fitness challenge through the app to keep everyone motivated.
• Set fitness goals for yourself and see how many days in a row you can meet them.

Health Improvement Tips

10. Stretch your body.

Stretching may seem like a very passive exercise.

But it will get your heart racing if you do it right.

Stretching helps you maintain flexibility and strengthens muscles to help with balance and prevent injury.

 Start a daily routine to stretch in the mornings after you get up to add some energy to the start of your day.

Health Improvement Tips

11. Develop an exercise routine that works for you.

Not everybody can be a marathon runner or go to the gym every day.

Exercise is all about getting your body moving and your heart rate up.

Gardening, dancing, hiking, biking, swimming, and chasing after your kids and pets can all be great exercise.

• Join a gym and try the fitness classes there.
• Sign up for a sports team to exercise and be social at the same time.
• Look under the “Fitness” section of a discount site and see if there are any classes that look interesting.

Health Improvement Tips

12.Wash your hands.

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it is still important.

Washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick and spreading disease.

Wash your hands regularly, particularly after you use the restroom and before you eat food.

 Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds. Dry them well with a clean towel.

• If soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer can work in a pinch; however, it is less effective when hands are visibly dirty.

Health Improvement Tips

13.Avoid over-sanitizing your home.

Although keeping your hands clean is important, it is also okay to get dirty every now and then.

Your immune system functions to prevent disease.

But has to first be exposed to that disease or something similar before it can fight off future infection.

Keeping your environment too clean and limiting your exposure to microbes can be detrimental your immune system’s ability to fight disease.

• Do be careful to sanitize after handling animal products such as raw meats and eggs.

Health Improvement Tips

14. Take probiotics.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that help your body function and stay regular.

These “good” bacteria are important in maintaining intestinal health.

As opposed to the bad bacteria that can lead to infection.

They may also help in the prevention of yeast infections and urinary tract infections.

• Probiotics can be found in yogurt or taken as a daily supplement.
• In addition, don’t ask for antibiotics every time you get sick.
• Your body needs to develop its defenses by fighting the infection on its own.
• In addition, antibiotics only work when you have a bacterial illness.
• They will have no effect when you are sick with a virus, such as when you have the flu.

Health Improvement Tips

15. Quit smoking.

It’s no secret that smoking is bad for your health.

It’s also not easy to quit smoking, but there are ways to help you succeed.

Benefits of quitting include decreased risk for heart attack and stroke, decreased coughing/shortness of breath, reduced risk for mouth, throat, esophageal, and bladder cancer, and better overall quality of life.

• Nicotine gum and patches are available to help ease the cravings during the process of quitting.
• Talk to your doctor about prescription medication that can also assist in quitting.
• Join a support group to help you quit and keep you motivated.
• Write down all of the reasons you want to quit and refer back to that when you have a strong craving.

Health Improvement Tips

16.Moderate alcohol intake.

A glass of wine or a beer every now and again is okay.

But drinking every night or excessive drinking (like binge drinking) can be hard on your body.

Your liver in particular has to work overtime to process alcohol.

Drinking too much over a lifetime can lead to liver failure and other bodily harm.

Alcohol is also very calorie-dense and can lead to weight issues.

• Women should limit alcohol to less than one drink a day, men less than two.
• Do not drink alcohol if you are pregnant or have other complicating conditions.

Health Improvement Tips

17. Challenge your brain.

Many studies have shown that keeping your brain active by doing puzzles can be beneficial to your health and lower your risk for dementia and memory loss.

• Keep a puzzle book handy by your bed or in the bathroom.
• Try an online subscription to a brain games website.

Health Improvement Tips

18.Get an annual check-up with your doctor.

A great way to keep yourself healthy is through prevention.

Going to your annual check-ups allows your doctor to know how you are doing.

And catch any potential illnesses before they begin.

Many illnesses are manageable in their beginning stages.

But become much more difficult to treat if they have been left unchecked.

• Schedule your appointment for the following year before you leave the doctor’s office.

Health Improvement Tips

19. Identify common stressors in your life with a stress journal.

If you feel overwhelmed all of the time and don’t know how to manage.

Start by keeping a journal of what makes you stressed.

Write down exactly what made you feel stressed.

How you felt, how you responded to that stress, and what, if anything, you did to feel better.

• Identifying the common areas that cause you stress can help you better manage them long-term.
• When you know what’s causing the stress, you can take steps to counteract it before it gets out of control.
• The stress journal can also help you identify if you have any unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as overeating, binge drinking, or procrastination.

Health Improvement Tips

20.Try meditation.

Meditation is a great way to de-stress and relax for a few minutes each day. Daily meditation may even make you more resilient to the stressors of everyday life.

• Sit up straight with both feet on the floor, close your eyes, and recite a positive mantra such as, “Be at peace.”
• Take deep breaths and try to sync them with your mantra.
• Don’t get mad at yourself or become frustrated if your thoughts wander — this is normal. Just gently return to your mantra. Let the distracting thoughts drift away.

Health Improvement Tips

21. Take a deep breath.

Deep breathing can lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

Allowing you to take a moment away from a stressful task.

• If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop what you are doing and take a quick breathing break. Turn everything off for five minutes and focus on inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. You should feel your belly rise with each inhalation and lower when you exhale.

Health Improvement Tips

22.Think positively.

When you’re feeling stressed, it’s easy to get into a “doom and gloom” mode.

Every little thing seems to be working against you, but in reality it’s just the way you’re currently seeing the world.

Thinking positively will help you get out of this mode and reframe your view of the situation.

• Try thinking positive phrases, such as “This will pass,” “I’ll get through this,” and “I can manage this with a few deep breaths.”

Health Improvement Tips

23. Write a manageable to-do list.

A lot of stress in our lives comes from knowing that we have a thousand things to do and no time to do them.

Write a master list of all the things you can remember that need to get done and then break that down into manageable tasks.

It can also be helpful to set certain tasks for certain days.

• Don’t worry about the huge to-do list, just focus on a few items that you want to tackle that day. Before you know it, you’ll have everything crossed of your list.
• Breaking tasks down into smaller, manageable chunks makes it easier to actually get started crossing them off instead of being paralyzed by the work load.

Read also:Top 22 Ways to Start Patent Business in Nigeria

Health Improvement Tips

24. Take care of small tasks right away.

If there is a task that has been nagging you, but it will only take two minutes to complete.

Just do it right when you think about it. If you’re not able to do it in the moment, add it to your small, but manageable to-do list.

• Tackling the small things will keep them from bringing you down and give you a feeling of accomplishment.
• Write down all the tasks you’ve taken care of each day to keep track of how much you really can do in a day.

Health Improvement Tips

25. Get better sleep.

Many individuals don’t get enough sleep at night. Lack of sleep can lead to premature aging, high blood pressure, and increased stress.

 Try to get at least eight hours of sleep a night. If you find you have trouble sleeping at night, there are a few ways to improve your sleeping habits.

• Keep your bedroom at a comfortable, cool temperature.
• Only use your bedroom for sleeping. If you have a desk in your bedroom and do work in there, your brain will not associate that space with sleeping. Try to keep the bedroom just for sleeping to train your brain that it is a place just for resting and recharging.
• Establish a nightly routine. Do the same few things before you go to bed every night to let your body know that it’s time to sleep. Keeping this routine will help you fall asleep faster.
• Set a sleep schedule and stick to it. Oftentimes, it is hard to stick to a consistent sleep schedule, but it is one of the easiest ways to improve sleep quality. Set the same time for going to bed and waking up every day, including weekends!
• Don’t have caffeine at least six hours before bed.

Health Improvement Tips

26. Make time to relax and have fun.

If you’re happy about things and feeling good about your life.

You’ll be able to handle stress better than if you’re in a bad mood all the time.

Make a list of activities that make you happy and help you relax and use them when you are feeling overwhelmed. Take a little time out of every day to indulge in an activity you enjoy.

• Schedule relaxation time. If you’re a planner, you might need to specifically schedule time in your day to relax; that’s okay, as long as you actually take that time for yourself.
• Small activities such as cuddling with your pet or significant other, making a quick art project, taking a walk, listening to music, or writing in a journal can be great stress relievers.