With New Year’s resolutions still fresh in our minds, many of us have vowed that 2012 will be the year we focus on our health. Of course, this can be daunting if you aren’t sure exactly what that entails. If you need a little boost to get going, follow these six guidelines for getting healthy!
1. Vitamins
Many people have vitamin deficiencies in one way or another, since most people do not get enough nutrition from the food they eat. Vitamin deficiency can make you feel sluggish, tired, or depressed. One easy way to fix this is to start taking a daily vitamin or taking over the counter supplements for specific deficiencies.
2. Exercise
While many people say that they have no time to exercise, there are many simple ways to add activity to your day to day life. For small ways to get moving, try parking at the end of the lot, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking around during your lunch time. Even if you have a desk job, there are many exercises you can do while sitting that do will not interfere with your work. Exercise will give you more energy and while generating endorphins, which are chemicals associated with happiness.
3. Cut out sugary drinks
Most sodas have no nutritional value, and are empty calories. Cutting out sodas will not only help get rid of extra pounds, but it will also help keep your teeth white and prevent cavities. Replace soda with water and no sugar added juice drinks.
4. Start drinking green tea
When you look to replace sodas in your diet, you should consider replacing them with iced or hot green tea. Green tea is something that until recently was considered more of a homeopathic remedy, but medical testing is showing that many of the benefits ascribed to green tea are based in fact.
5. Eat small meals
People have a tendency to skip meals, or eat just one large meal a day. This leads to feeling starved, and can lead to acid reflux and weight gain. Eating several small meals during the day will keep you from feeling famished and will keep your metabolism running throughout the day.
6. Lower bad stress
There are two types of stress, eustress and distress. Eustress is actually a good stress; it sharpens your thinking and helps you focus. An example of this would be the nervous tension before a sports game or a speech. However, distress is stress that is bad for you and can have long term detrimental effects. While eliminating stress from our lives is nigh impossible, how you handle distress is a major part of how it ultimately affects you. Exercise, meditation, and other relaxation techniques are an important part of combating distress.
Emily is a health blogger and also frequently contributes to many sites. She also writes for an IBS treatment site which focuses on many different options for symptom relief including using Modulon for IBS treatment.
