By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
“A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot and realize how blessed you are for what you have.” — Unknown
Healthy living is about being in charge of your health. It means being proactive and empowered to take action. Healthy living is about doing simple things—which bring you calmness and serenity, and it can have a big impact on your overall health and well-being.
Here are six simple healthy living tips to help you live happier and healthier:
1. Be Empowered. When it comes to health information and advice, don’t believe everything you hear or read. Information may be incomplete and flawed. Whether it’ online, in print or on-air:
- Be cautious
- Be skeptical
- Be smart
- Dig deep
- Ask questions
- Talk to your doctor, nurse or other health care professional (registered dietician, pharmacist, physical therapist, etc.) before making any drastic changes or to get more information.
2. Restore calm and inner peace. Just breathe. Everyone feels stress; no one is immune to it, however, not all stress is bad. We have a stress response that can be life saving in certain situations. In the short term, stress can boost the immune system, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, but chronic stress can be harmful. One way to learn to help cope with stress is to take 15 minutes each day to focus on you. For example, focus on your breathing. Inhale deeply and exhale. Harvard Health Publications offers information on proper breathing to reduce stress: “As you inhale, try saying this phrase to yourself: “Breathing in peace and calm.” And as you exhale, say: “Breathing out tension and anxiety.” When you first start, aim for 10 minutes of deep breathing. Gradually add time until your sessions are 15- to 20-minutes long.”
3. Listen to your favorite joyful soothing music. Research shows that listening to joyful music is good for your health. Listening to soothing music can decrease blood pressure and anxiety levels in patients with certain heart conditions. Research from the University of Maryland Medical Center found that listening to joyful music can have a healthy effect on blood vessel function, and most of the participants in the study stated that country music is their favorite type of music that evokes joy. (I love country music!)
4. Enjoy the Outdoors. Surround yourself with beauty of the outdoors. Have calming positive thoughts as you let nature in as you take a peaceful gentle walk. Walking 30 minutes per day can boost your mood and help decrease stress.
5. Write in a bliss journal™. Every day, write down things you are grateful for. Write down things that bring you pleasure. Write down things you love. Focus on the positive things in your life, and write them in your bliss journal.
6. Give yourself a compliment. Boost your self-esteem. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. Be kind to yourself and leave the negative self-talk behind. Create positive thoughts and share them with yourself. Focus on you. Acknowledge your accomplishments and tell yourself, “Well done.” Think about everything you do each day, and acknowledge the positive things. You deserve to shine.
Your turn
What healthy living health tips would you like to share with our readers? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below or on Facebook. As always, thank you for your time.
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