I’m sure we all make resolutions as we enter a new year. Some we get to fulfill, some others just stay on paper or in our mind. Including the health resolutions below and ensuring you stand by then will do you a lot of good. The journey to good health starts with giving these little things your attention.
- Eat Fruits and Vegetables Daily
Fruits and vegetables have lots of health benefits. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. It’s recommended that we eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. While this may seem like a Herculean task for most of us because of our busy schedule, with conscious and deliberate plan we can make it and I can tell you on good authority that it is definitely worth it. Make that resolution to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables the coming year and your body will be eternally grateful.
On a general note, make sure you eat healthy so you can stay super!
- Stay Hydrated, Drink lots of Water!
One of the secret to avoid falling sick is adequate water intake. Water is necessary for proper functioning of our body cells. The amount of water you consume every day plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body. Experts recommend drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. Water is an excellent agent to detoxify, as it helps flush out toxins from our body and get rid of waste primarily through sweat and urine. Water has no calories, no sugar, no starch, as such can greatly aid weight loss.
Make it a resolution not to starve your body with water in the new season, drink as much as you can especially when thirsty.
Adequate water intake refreshes the body and keep you in good shape.
- Be Physically Active
The need for a regular physical exercise cannot be over-emphasized for optimal health. The benefits of regular exercise extend beyond weight control. Research has discovered a reduction in risk of several diseases and an overall improvement of quality of life with regular physical activity. Our emphasis is on the word “regular” not on and off one. The full benefits of exercise are gotten when it’s done regularly. Your exercise may tailor to your body strength and needs, please talk to your doctor for guidance.
Register at the closest gym to you, visit your city’s stadium regularly, plan jogging with friends in the early morning, take a walk in the cool of the evening etc. Make it a resolution that you will be physically active in 2017.
- Be Happy!
Against all odds, choose to become happy always; a merry heart makes good medicine. Happiness can help to overcome any form of sickness which is the major reason family and friends can visit patients in the hospital.
Research has also confirmed that happiness and health are very connected; and that one’s level of happiness really can impact the level of one’s health. A sorrowful heart can make the smallest sickness to become a big issue. You can choose happiness irrespective of the situation and your body will be grateful to you.
Happiness researcher Robert Holden conducted a survey and found that 65 out of 100 people would choose happiness over health, but that both were highly valued. The good thing is: we don’t have to choose, happiness and health go together. As Holden stated, “There is no true health without happiness”. In the coming year, Choose to become happy always, no one can do it for you.
- Regular Medical Check-up
Check up is one thing most of us take granted.
It is essential that you have regular medical, eye and dental check ups if you want to live a long and healthy life. Doctors are able to spot issues early on as well as offer practical advice on healthy living.
If there is any way to practise “prevention is better than cure” is through regular check up. As you plan your budget, make sure to include bills for medical check up.
Health is wealth!!!
Badewo Olurogba John is a Public Health Enthusiast, MPSN
Reference:
- Holden, R. Be happy: release the power of happiness in you. Hay House Publications, 2009.
- Fruits and Vegetables; fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org