Ten Top Ways to Stay Fit and Healthy All Year

 

Do you know that person that says they will wait until after the New Year to start eating right and exercising?  Or that lady you spoke to at the Christmas Eve party who said she would eat whatever she wanted, cakes, cookies, and candy...since once January 1st rolled around she would finally start her diet?  Or, are you that person?  I have met many many people over the course of my life who made those exact comments.  What I realized was that staying fit and healthy should never be a future goal, but rather healthy lifestyle choices should be put in place in your life on a daily basis...that means on Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years', Easter, and Passover or whatever you are celebrating.  You should never set your health and fitness priorities aside just because it is a holiday.  All those people who stated they would start their healthy diet and exercise regime after the New Year usually failed to keep their goals and remained in the same state of health six months after the New Year.  The reason is that once you make a commitment to your health and wellness, it is a daily commitment, a lifestyle that doesn't get postponed to a future date.  And health and wellness are not just about diet and exercise and weight loss, but about mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.  It is whole-person wellness and not just one-sided.  I want to discuss my top ten ways to stay fit and healthy throughout the year, maintaining both physical, emotional and spiritual wellness each and every day.  

10.  Remain positive under all circumstances.

Staying positive increases your life expectancy as you have better cardiovascular health.  As a positive person, you have lower rates of depression and better psychological and physical well-being.  Positive people have greater resistance to the common cold and lower levels of distress. 

9.   Do not be lonely.

There was a study done that loneliness had the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.  Loneliness increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, immune system problems and can make it harder to recover from cancer.  Loneliness is closely linked to depression and early death.   If you find yourself very lonely, try joining a social group, hiking group, or exercise class.  

8.   Find a hobby you love.

Crafting, golfing, gardening, painting all have very positive impacts on our health and wellness as they reduce stress, help relieve depression and anxiety, help decrease cognitive impairment as you age, help with insomnia, and can help with building community and friendships!

7.   Take a yoga, pilates, or group exercise class.

When you sign up for a yoga, pilates, or group exercise class you are more likely to go since you are investing your money in these classes.  You also have a teacher who is motivating you to do your best and stay on track.  Since people are social creatures, having a group to meet up with every Wednesday will be more motivating than exercising alone.

6.   Incorporate essential oils.

Essential oils have numerous health benefits that are yet to be fully explored by the scientific community.  For thousands of years, the healing powers of essential oils have been used in the treatment of a wide range of illnesses and ailments.  Essential oils offer a safer and more affordable alternative to modern medical treatments and help you to take a proactive approach to your health.  Check out Aroma Outfitters for some amazing essential oil diffusers, organizers and jewelry you are sure to love! https://www.aromaoutfitters.com/?ref=l_aaronson

5.   Spirituality.

There is strong scientific evidence to suggest that those who strongly believe in the presence of a high being or higher power in their life as a source of strength and comfort possess more healing capabilities and are healthier than those who do not have this belief.   We can gain so much from faith in God and a higher power that it can help us enormously to believe.  We are not just physical beings but also spiritual beings with internal energy and life force that is not of this world.  As human beings, we need to nurture this side of ours through prayer and meditation.  Spirituality leads to less stress even during difficult times, improved emotional state, stronger immune system, reduced risk of disease, better health, and greater psychological well-being.  

4.   Get 8 hours of sleep each night.

Getting eight full hours of sleep each night is extremely important as it affects how we function throughout the day.  A full night's sleep increases mental clarity and helps you to feel refreshed during the day.  But if you lack a full eight hours of sleep each night, you increase your risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.  Make sure you get a full eight hours of sleep each night by sticking to a regular sleep schedule, get enough natural light during the day, and make sure you exercise.  Avoid drinking a few hours before you go to sleep to avoid those nighttime bathroom trips and avoid artificial light a few hours before bedtime (think computer screens).  Keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and dry also helps with sleep.  

3.   Exercise daily.

Daily exercise also helps you to get a full eight hours of sleep.  Do you see how everything is interconnected?  Exercise is one of my favorite ways to keep healthy and fit as I feel as I am giving my body a tune-up every time I go for a walk out my door.  Exercise is vital to our health and wellness as it helps to reduce our body weight and for women, important since it reduces how much estrogen we store.

2.   Maintain a healthy diet.

In addition to exercise, we need to make sure we are eating an anti-inflammatory diet filled with fruits and vegetables of all different colors.  I like to follow the rainbow diet and incorporate fruits and vegetables of various colors into the meals I prepare.  The rainbow diet works under the principle that different colored fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients our bodies need to function optimally.  

1.   Reduce your stress level.

And my number one way to stay fit and healthy all year is to reduce my level of stress.  If there is one thing that I try my hardest to do, sometimes successfully, other times unsuccessfully is to reduce my commitments so that I can try and not feel overwhelmed.  All of the above that I have just previously mentioned, help reduce levels of stress.  If you exercise, meditate, pray, craft, join a social group, etc., you help yourself manage and reduce your stress level which I truly believe is a primary source of ill health and disease.  Stress hormoes trigger "fight or flight" response which increases your heart and respiratory rate.  Being stressed consumes energy and nutrients in your body which could otherwise be used to protect the body from infectious disease, etc.  Stress reduction improves sleep and reduces irritability and depression.  If stress remains unchecked, overtime serious health issues may develop such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and anxiety.  INdividuals with a high level of resiliance and a strong suport system are often able to cope with nd manage greater levels of stress than those whose constitution is weak and who lack the support of others.  A person's individual stress is dependant on their genteics, coping mechanisms, personality and the presence of social and familial support.  

And those are my top 10 ways to stay fit and healthy throughout the year!  I hope you enjoyed learning about the ways that I stay fit and healthy and I would love for you to take the time to incorporate some of these activities into your life for better health and wellness!