The term healthy living is used so often these days, it’s hard to know exactly what that means. Here are 7 simple steps to keep you on track for living a full and healthy life.
1. Get Proper Rest– 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night gives your body the necessary daily amount of time to rest and rejuvenate. The proper amount of rest will vary from one person to another, but you’ll know when you’re getting enough sleep. You’ll feel more positive in general, have more patience with life’s big and little snags, and feel more energized.
2. Reduce Stress– Pinpoint those areas of your life that cause you the greatest stress, and get rid of them. At first this may seem like an impossible task, but your health is at risk if you don’t. Constant stress is a destructive force on your body and should not be taken lightly. Reducing stress could mean something as simple as setting limits on how much you try to do in one day, or it could mean something huge like a career change. This is not usually something that can be accomplished in one day, but if you make up your mind to make small changes each day, you will be rewarded with a calmer more fulfilling life.
3. Do What You Love– Somewhere between childhood and adults, many of us forget to take time to do the things we love. Life comes at us with all the things we ought to do, and the things we love to do take a back seat or get left out all together. Sit down with pencil and paper, and make a list of things you love to do. Then make time to do them. Don’t say there isn’t time, because there is time for everything else. Look at what you can eliminate, that will let you make time in your life to spend really enjoying what you love.
4. Eat a Nutritious Diet– Maintain a diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, foods high in fiber and low in fat, lean meat, fish, beans and whole grain bread and pasta. Eat fresh organic foods to avoid ingesting pesticides and additives used in the growing and manufacturing process. Frozen vegetables tend to have less salt than their canned counterparts. But when choosing canned vegetables or soups, most have a low sodium version.
5. Maintain Proper Weight– As more and more of the population becomes overweight; this step towards healthy living cannot be over emphasized. Obesity can result for a number of reasons including consistently consuming over sized portions that have become the standard in many restaurants. Eating until you are full rather than eating everything on your plate can help you maintain the weight that is best for your body.
6. Exercise Regularly– When we were children it was called playing, and now that we are adults it’s called exercising. Setting up unrealistic goals at a gym can often set you up to fail. But staying physical doesn’t have to be done at the gym, or as an isolated event such as a treadmill. Instead, think of an activity that you enjoy such as gardening, walking your dog, sailing, hiking, or cycling, and do it. Looking forward to something you love means you are more likely to do it regularly, and being consistent is the most important part of exercise.
7. Filter Your air– Even though it’s discussed last in this article, the air you breathe is probably the single most important component for healthy living. If the air you’re breathing has the potential to or is making you sick, it’s really hard to move beyond it in your life.
Using a high efficiency particle arresting (abbreviated as HEPA) air purifier to filter your indoor air is one of the best things you can do to preserve your health. Its .3 micron filter by definition will remove airborne pollutants such as dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, bacteria and viruses, as well as all kinds of pollen, and dander from pets.
These airborne triggers can make a healthy person sick, and greatly aggravate those with existing respiratory conditions such as allergies and asthma.
Debbie Davis – Debbie Davis, President of PurerAir.com is mom to a beautiful 7 year old daughter and shares her home with a wonderful golden retriever–Carson. Formerly a …