Three Ways to Prepare for Lifelong Health
Everyone wants to be healthy and lifelong health is a goal for many. Although being perfectly healthy all the time is an unattainable goal, there are things you can do to help decrease your risk of developing chronic or more serious illnesses. Compiled below is a list of three ways you can prepare yourself for lifelong health.
Making Smart Lifestyle Choices
A large part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is carefully considering the various lifestyle choices you face on a daily basis and knowing how to make choices that will benefit your health. A few healthy lifestyle choices are to keep a medical journal, get all recommended immunizations, and get annual physicals.
A medical journal is a great lifestyle choice because it keeps your health history in one place, allowing you to monitor your health as needed. Yes, doctors have medical records, but these records are less personal. By keeping track of your own medical needs, you can help your doctor to find the best course of action. In addition, a medical journal containing hereditary illnesses can help you establish what ailments you have the highest risk for and you can make adjustments accordingly.
You will also want to be sure to get all recommended vaccinations to ward off extra infections. Most of these vaccinations you have probably received when you were younger, but others, such as the pneumonia vaccine or yearly flu shot can be optional as you age.
Another healthy lifestyle choice is to get annual physicals. Seeing your doctor regularly can help make sure that any possible illness is caught early on and treated appropriately. Annual physicals should measure blood pressure, perform urinalysis, and take a complete blood work panel. This is to ensure that you are not developing hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, anemia, or liver/kidney problems.
Optimizing Your Physical Health
You will also want to optimize your physical health by doing things like eating right and exercising. Now, eating right does not mean constantly dieting and exercising does not necessarily mean running five miles a day. The key here is to find what works for you and go with it.
Ideally, you will want to eat a balanced diet with lean meats and plenty of vegetables. It is also important to eat breakfast everyday, since this is the most important meal and helps to set the pace for the rest of the day’s eating habits. You will want to avoid consistently eating foods that are high in fats, salts, or sugars as these can cause heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and other problems.
Optimizing Your Mental Health
In addition to optimizing your physical health, you will also want to optimize your mental health. Several studies have shown that happier people, or people who smile more, generally live longer, more fulfilling lives. A big part of achieving happiness is constantly assessing your mental well-being and making changes as needed.
To promote positive health, you will want to maximize your personal relationships. Individuals with strong social bonds and who laugh more, generally have better mental health. Having a strong, support system is an essential part of establishing happiness and positive mental health. You will also want to take care to learn how to deal with stress and get plenty of sleep.
