Positive Steps to Take for Your Overall Wellbeing
Your wellbeing is paramount to leading the longest and best quality life you possibly can. When it comes down to it, your wellbeing is largely in your own hands, as your individual decisions can impact whether you are well or not. Whether these are short term and highly impactful decisions, or smaller decisions that lead to negative health consequences or good health over time. Now, it can be hard to know where exactly to start when it comes to managing your wellbeing and getting started in the right direction. This is where we can come in useful! Here are just a few areas you might want to focus on to get the ball rolling and start your journey towards improving your overall wellbeing!
Practice Covid Safety
A good place to start when we’re in the midst of a pandemic is to practice Covid safety on a day to day basis. As stores and other facilities are beginning to open back up, we’re beginning to spend more time in public and in the presence of others. As for the rest of the pandemic, some simple steps can help to significantly reduce your chances of catching and spreading the virus. These include:
- Getting the vaccine if you are eligible
- Wearing a mask or other face covering in public
- Washing and sanitising your hands regularly
- Keeping a two meter distance from others
Cutting Out Bad Habits
The majority of us have bad habits of some sort. But some can impact our wellbeing more than others and need to be tackled in order to lead the best lifestyle we possibly can. Here are a few, as well as some of the best ways to combat them.
Smoking
Smoking is one of the most common bad habits. Cigarettes are widely available to adults and, while an expensive habit, are still affordable to many. While we are fully aware that cigarettes cause all sorts of terrible health conditions, such as cancer, heart conditions and more, many people continue to smoke. The good news is that it is possible to stop if you want. There are all sorts of quitting aids out there, many revolving around nicotine replacement, such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine vape cartridges and more. If you’re struggling to quit smoking, consult your doctor, who will be able to help further.
Drinking
Some of us are able to drink responsibly and irregularly. However, alcohol is an addictive substance and it is something that some of us begin to use in an abusive or irresponsible manner. If you find that you’re drinking excessively, drinking on too regular a basis or binge drinking, you may need to find some support in quitting this habit. This, of course, can be difficult, given the wide availability of alcohol and its association with social activities. But it is possible. Consider rehabilitation facilities like Enterhealth, support groups such as Alcolohics Anonymous or help from your doctor.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet
Once you’ve cut negative factors out of your lifestyle, you can start to focus on implementing other positive factors. One area you can focus on is your diet. Now, you shouldn’t over analyse your diet or obsess over it. But fitting a healthy and balanced diet into your daily routine can provide your body with the fuel it needs to work to the best of its capacity. There are a number of elements of your diet that you can focus on to get started.
Calorie Consumption
Calories are simply a unit of measurement that we use to measure how much fuel we’re putting into our bodies. Every person is likely to require a different calorie count dependent on personal factors, age, sex, activity levels and more. However, the guidelines below should help to get you off to the best start when it comes to choosing the right amount to incorporate into your diet.
- Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
- Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
- Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
- Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
- Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
- Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
- Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
- Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
- Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories
Of course, if you are underweight or overweight, you may have to alter these amounts to put weight on or lose weight. It’s recommended that you consult your doctor to find out the best way to achieve this for yourself.
Fruit and Vegetables
All too many people aren’t eating sufficient fruit and vegetables. Why? Often because it can feel expensive or there may be other sweet or savoury treats that you’d prefer. But when it comes down to it, fruit and vegetables are packed with the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your body needs to work at its best. Where possible, try to incorporate five portions of different fruit and vegetables into your daily diet.
Stay Hydrated
Were you aware that the average adult body is composed of 60% water? This may sound like a lot, but it’s true! Water plays countless important functions in the body and it’s up to you to make sure that you top up these moisture levels by drinking sufficient water each day. For the average adult, eight glasses of water, or two liters of water, is generally recommended each day. You can help your body to stay hydrated further by adding more hydrating foods into your diet. These could include things like tomatoes, melon, berries, celery and cucumber.
Of course, there’s a seemingly endless list of other things you can do to maximize your wellbeing. But hopefully, the options outlined above can help you to get started! Some steps are simple and easy to implement, some are a little more difficult, but each can have a profoundly positive impact on your physical, mental or emotional wellbeing.
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