Tired of the winter blues? Want to start living a healthier life? Here are some quick and easy lifestyle tips to get back into the groove of an energized healthy life:
Eating a well-balanced diet
Having a meal that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins helps keep inflammation at bay, keeps blood sugars steady and increases energy levels.
Staying hydrated
By drinking plenty of water throughout the day you are helping your joints stay lubricated, promoting good bowel health, and avoiding kidney damage.
Getting regular exercise
At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week will help improve your balance, decrease risk of falls, increase bone density, and decrease risk of injury.
Getting enough sleep
Aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep per night helps improve concentration and productivity, boosts the immune function, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Managing stress
Techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, and regular walks can help with relieving chronic stress, increasing calmness, sharpening concentration, and with mental clarity.
No party for you ;)
Benefits of avoiding smoking include, and increase in circulation, decrease in coronary heart disease and stroke, improved lung function, decrease in risk of lung cancer and shortness of breath, and decrease of coughing.
Benefits of avoiding excessive alcohol consumption include, improved mood, more energy, feeling of less tiredness, improved immune system and decreased risk of liver disease.
How about them apples?? Visiting your doctor regularly
Check-ups and screenings with your doctor can reduce the risk of getting sick, detect health conditions or diseases early, increases lifespan and improves your health.
It's important to remember that a healthy lifestyle is a journey, not a destination. No one is perfect and it's okay to slip up and make mistakes. The key is to make healthy choices most of the time and be kind to yourself when you fall short.
Discomfort and soreness are a part of life. What is not normal is living with pain. If you are still experiencing that pain, it's time to talk to your physical therapist or primary care physician.
Try to stay away from narcotics, injections and knife happy surgeons as a primary option for your treatment. There are no magic bullets, but majority of pain symptoms can be resolved with conservative measures like exercises, manual therapy and pain management.
Aimee Cervantes, Rehab Tech at Rehabon Physical Therapy. Aimee is a PTA graduate and has experience at different settings of Physical Therapy. She plans to take her licensure exam after her wedding! Aimee's hobbies are crafting and graphic design. She enjoys seeing her ideas come to life!
Irfan Ibrahim is an Owner/Physical Therapist at Rehabon Physical Therapy, Downers Grove IL 60515. He enjoys sunshine and rainbows with his three children. Loves hiking, biking and golfing but he has accepted to live with his mediocre skills. Questions??!! Email him: Irfan@rehabon.com follow him on Facebook