25 excellent ways to improve your health today

Each day is an opportunity to do at least one thing to improve upon your health.  It doesn’t have to be anything major – unless you want it to be.  But just little things you can work into your everyday life that sooner or later, will become a habit, sort of like automatically brushing your teeth at night before you go to bed without even thinking about it. 

Below are just a few ideas that incorporate different aspects of achieving overall health – physical, mental, and dietary habits.  Try a new one out each day and eventually they can become your new healthy habits and a permanent part your daily life.

1.     Pay attention to your posture.  Pull your shoulder blades back holding the position for a few seconds.  Do this several times a day to become more aware of how you are standing or sitting.

2.     Add healthy fats to your diet.  Have a handful of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts or cashews. Add sliced avocado to a salad.  Drizzle olive oil over veggies such as Brussel sprouts, broccoli or asparagus and roast them in the oven.

3.     Take breaks from sitting at the computer.  Every 30 to 45 minutes, get up, walk around, stretch, or go outside for fresh air. 

4.     Make your love life a priority.  Being intimate has both physical and emotional benefits.

5.     If possible, use generic medications which are cheaper than brand-name drugs and are just as effective.

6.     Do Kegel exercises every day.  Kegels help strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles along with reducing urinary incontinence.

7.     Don’t ignore signs of sudden cardiac arrest – chest pain, breathlessness, or palpitations.  Seek medical help immediately if any of these occur.

8.     Add spice to your meals – doing so may help fight inflammation, heart disease, and high blood pressure.  Try out turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon or ginger.

9.     Practice yoga or Pilates to help improve range of motion, joint mobility, and for relaxation.

10.  If you want to buy organic, focus on fruits and veggies.  Produce such as peaches or tomatoes with thin skin may have more pesticide residue than produce with thicker skin.

11.  Maintain a healthy back by keeping it feeling young.  Do exercises to strengthen, lengthen, and stretch the muscles that support your spine.

12.  Get a yearly flu shot along with checking on updating other important vaccinations such as the Tdap vaccine (Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis).

13.  Invest in a good pair of walking shoes for proper support for your feet and knees.

14.  Use those walking shoes several times a week – preferably daily – to get in a brisk walk.

15.  Have a fruit and or vegetable at each meal every day.

16.  Practice mindful eating by having few distractions at a meal.  Allow no computer, iPad, or cell phones when eating.  Pace yourself paying attention to the first sign of fullness you feel and stop eating soon after that to prevent overeating.

17.  Make water your main beverage of choice.

18.  Always wear a seatbelt when driving or as a passenger.

19.  Wear sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30 every day year round to prevent skin cancer.

20.  Maintain muscle mass by lifting free weights 2-3 times a week.

21.  Get out in nature.  Most of us underestimate how important this is.  Being in nature reduces  stress, makes you more creative, improves your memory, and makes you a better person. 

22.  Spend time with family and friends.  Relationships are one of our biggest sources of happiness and health.  The longest live people on earth place a strong emphasis on social engagement with others.

23.  Laugh every day.  Humor helps us cope better with stress, pain and may reduce risk of heart attack or strokes.

24.  Challenge yourself by learning something new each day.  Whether it’s learning a new language, taking music lessons, or reading a book, anytime we absorb new knowledge, we sharpen our mind and increase our intelligence.

25.  Meditate – it increases our happiness and attention span while reducing anger, anxiety, depression and fatigue.