At Contemporary Health Center, our mission is to help you look and feel your best. While achieving proper health and wellness may sound like a huge task, it can actually be much simpler than we think. By making small changes to your day-to-day routine, you can take easy, healthy steps toward looking and feeling your best. This week, we’re focusing on four basic ideas that will provide you a platform on which to build a healthful lifestyle! Read these four concepts and make the effort to implement them in your daily routine.
1. BREAKFAST
You’ve probably heard breakfast referred to as “the most important meal of the day.” Though the adage is old, there is a lot of truth to that notion. Beginning each day with a healthy breakfast with plenty of protein and fiber will help keep you healthy in a few different ways. Most noticeably, you’ll experience an increase in energy and concentration. Also, most studies show that eating breakfast is a key factor in maintaining a healthy weight.
2. WATER
Water is easily the most precious nutrient for the human body. Beyond the benefits of proper hydration, water is also the key to flushing out toxins and impurities from your body. The cells that make up your body need to stay hydrated in order to function properly. Drinking about eight glasses of water per day is a great starting point for maintaining good hydration. As your physical activity level increases, your water consumption should increase, as well.
3. LESS STRESS
Most doctors agree that stress is one of the absolute worst things for your body. Stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders and even some types of cancer. While it’s impossible to ignore the day-to-day worries of life (bills, work, parenting, etc.), it is important to reduce the physical impact of stress on your body. Regular exercise routines, yoga, meditation or even something as simple as intentional relaxation are all great ways to lower the impact of stress on your body.
4. SLEEP
Getting a good night’s sleep is actually much more important than we used to think. Sleep not only hits the “reset” button on your body’s energy levels, it also helps to keep you healthy. Keeping your memory sharp, maintaining your immune system, and keeping the effects of aging from creeping in too early are all benefits of sleeping well. On the other hand, a lack of sleep can actually cause some health problems. In addition to leaving you more susceptible to disease, not sleeping enough can also lead to increased blood sugar levels. While sleep needs can vary from age to age, most healthy adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep to be able to function at their best.
