10 Tips for Excellent Health

Health comes from an equal focus on all aspects of wellness, including body, mind and spirit. Here are some great ways to ensure that you always feel your best.

1. Drink more water 

Most of us don’t drink enough water for optimum health. Drinking water will boost your health in many ways: improving digestion, avoiding constipation, and controlling  metabolism, blood pressure and weight. By drinking more water you can also replace beverages that are not good for your health, such as soft drinks and alcohol. High-sugar, high-kilojoule drinks make it harder to lose weight and contribute very little in the way of nutrition. Carbonated drinks are also thought to trigger bloating and gas. 

Your body loses water every day through any visit to the bathroom, as water vapour through your breath and through perspiration. To replace this lost fluid, a helpful daily guide is to consume 30 millilitres of water for every kilogram of body weight. For example, a 70-kilogram person would need to drink 2100 millilitres of water a day, which is a little more than two litres. 

2. Have a laugh

Laughter provides a wide range of health benefits that are the complete opposite of stress. Physically, it increases the level of oxygen in your blood, boosts your immune system, releases catecholamines, which have anti-inflammatory properties, and promotes a rush of endorphins that act as natural pain killers. Mentally, laughter elevates mood, builds resilience, boosts your ability to cope with stress and improves your interpersonal relationships when you share a laugh with others.

Here are some tips that can add humour and laughter to your life:

3. Eat more plant foods

Switching to a plant-based diet can add a number of benefits to your health. Plant foods provide a rich source of fibre, vitamins and minerals that help with weight management, digestive function and cardiovascular health. Fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs are especially rich in antioxidants—nutrients that fight cell damage in the body and may even help to prevent the development of lifestyle cancers.

Try the following suggestions to increase your consumption of plant-based foods:

4. Sit less

A structured exercise program on its own cannot compensate for all the damage that prolonged sitting causes.

While regular exercise is still important, look for additional ways to spend less time in a seat, such as:

5. Get enough sleep 

Getting enough sleep is vital for your wellbeing. Sleep gives your body time for physical and spiritual rejuvenation. It’s often underestimated for its role in good health and longevity. It can prevent a variety of ailments, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and mental health problems. 

Adopting good sleep habits gives you the best possible chance of having sleep that refreshes and energises you.

Some suggestions include:

6. Have faith 

People of faith often score better on measures of wellness and overall health, including longevity and cardiovascular benefits. Spirituality also has a positive effect on mental health. Because of its focus on love, hope, generosity and trust, spirituality helps to prevent stressrelated illness. Religion gives you a value system to live by. It also provides a social network that allows you to spend time with people who live by your values and beliefs. The sense of gratitude associated with religion and the ability to live in harmony with what you believe also leads to greater happiness in life. 

So be active in your religion and make time for your faith. Reflect on what you have, not what you don’t have, and give generously to those who have less. Read your Bible often, pray daily and meet regularly with other fellow travellers.

7. Make time for relaxation

Relaxation gives you a break from life’s stresses. You have a choice: rest quietly or engage in some pleasant recreation. Relaxation isn’t sleep. Genuine relaxation allows your body to release tension and leads to physical and emotional changes that are the opposite of the stress response. Relaxation can strengthen your physical and emotional reserves, helping you to cope with future stress. 

By pushing the pause button and relaxing for even a few moments, you can reboot your energy levels and rejuvenate your body.

Following is a list of suggestions that can help you to relax:

8. Listen to music 

You can influence the state of your mood through music, which can help you to relax, motivate or uplift you, depending on the setting and your choice of tunes. Studies have shown that listening to and playing music can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that music is a helpful treatment for depression.

Here’s how to use music to help set the tone for your life:

9. Spend time outdoors 

Spend time outdoors Spending leisure time outdoors and connecting with nature provides a range of health benefits that are both physical and mental. The exposure to natural daylight, fresh air and pleasant surroundings has a calming effect, helping to relieve stress. It will add variety and motivation to your exercise routine. 

Here are some suggestions for maximising the fun and safety of the time you spend outdoors:

10. Move more

It has been said that if the benefits of exercise could be bottled into a tablet, it would be the most heavily prescribed medication in the world. We need to be active on a regular basis to prevent weight gain, promote heart health, maintain bone density and keep diabetes at bay. What’s more, exercise delivers benefits that are immediate, such as elevated energy levels and improved self-esteem. 

Different types of exercises help you achieve different variables of fitness. Incorporate the following tips to ensure your fitness regime is effective and well balanced:

For stamina: Get your heart and breathing rate up three to four times a week with activities such as paddling, cycling, aerobics classes or running.

So there you have it. Ten great habits for ultimate health. If you find it difficult to implement all 10 habits at the same time, keep at it and soon you’ll be incorporating all of them to boost your wellbeing.