Everywhere you look there’s a new health fad claiming to promise fast results with a money-back guarantee. The truth is, if there were a miracle health pill, everyone would be taking it. Unfortunately, being bombarded with all this information can make it seem as though living healthy is impossible. But fear not, as there are several easy health strategies you can incorporate into your daily life to improve your overall wellness from head to toe.
Don’t Neglect Health Screenings
The easiest way to take care of your head-to-toe health is with preventive health screenings. Not only can your doctor find and treat potential problems early, but she can also recommend lifestyle changes to prevent various health conditions. The preventive health screenings and tests you need varies with age, but Blue Cross Blue Shield put together a helpful list of guidelines divided by age.
Check with your insurance plan to see what preventive care is covered, but keep in mind that some routine services such as vision, hearing, and dental aren’t included unless you specifically add it to your plan. The same applies to seniors unless they have a Medicare Advantage plan like those offered by Aetna. These alternative plans offer coverage in areas that regular Medicare doesn’t, including vision, dental, and even fitness center access. Remember, scheduling health screenings requires following through with it, so don’t fall into the trap of continuously rescheduling your appointments.
Take Care of Your Largest Organ – Your Skin
A regular and consistent skincare routine is essential if you want to maintain a youthful appearance, prevent breakouts, stay moisturized, and prevent premature aging such as wrinkles. The right skincare routine will include three steps: cleanse, tone, and moisturize. By giving your skin the TLC it needs, it can perform its job by regulating your temperature, protecting organs and tissues from bacteria, absorbing oxygen, and enabling your body to grow and change with you. Be sure to always add sun protection to your routine as well, whether it’s warm and sunny or cold and cloudy. The sun’s UVA and UVB rays can cause fine lines, wrinkles, sunburn, and increases your chances of developing skin cancer. For these reasons, it’s important to wear sunscreen or moisturizer with an SPF 15 or 30. In addition to your daily routine, you might consider treating your skin to the spa experience with results-driven treatments like light therapy, dermalinfusion, or a facial.
Set Up a Spa Day at Home
If you can’t afford to go to a spa, you can set one up at home to get the same stress-melting benefits. Do whatever relaxes you, whether it’s applying a homemade skincare treatment or mask, or brewing a cup of lavender tea. Making a playlist of your favorite relaxing music and treating sore areas of your body with a hot stone massage are other great forms of therapy. It’s important to take some time for yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed by life’s demands.
Eat Right to See Head-to-Toe Benefits
The food you eat contains vitamins and minerals that keep your body functioning properly, and provides plenty of healthy benefits. For example, Vitamin C found in citrus fruits improves your immune system, holds body cells together, and strengthens blood vessels, while magnesium found in nuts, seeds, and dark green vegetables prevents tooth decay and helps convert blood sugar into energy. To ensure you are eating a well-balanced diet, divide your plate accordingly with half being vegetables and the remaining half being equal parts protein and whole grains.
You might also find it helpful to eat the recommended amount from the food groups on the pyramid you probably remember learning about in elementary school. Like most people, you’ve likely heard about having cheat meals too. While it’s okay to indulge every now and then, be mindful of the effects fast food can have on your body including increased blood pressure, inflammation, obesity, and an overall feeling of sluggishness. If you’re craving something sweet, opt for something healthier like dark chocolate, frozen yogurt, or a fruit smoothie.
Getting healthy from head to toe might sound like a lot of work, but it’s a lot easier than you think. Start things off on the right foot by making sure you are getting age-specific health screenings. When focusing on your outward health, exercise is a great way to reap both external and internal benefits, but take care of your body’s protective layer too – your skin. As for your insides, fuel your body with vitamins and nutrients to help your body continue to thrive normally. Lastly, treat your body and mind to an at-home spa day to relieve stress. Once you get started, you’ll enjoy finding other ways to get and stay healthy.
Photo By: Unsplash