The management of your health is key to a life lived well. It’s even more significant when you are dealing with a chronic health condition.
Studies indicate that those who do exactly that generally tend to have better health outcomes.
So, no matter what obstacles have got in your way in the past, small steps can still add up to big improvements in your health today. Here are five tips to help you take charge of your health, starting right now.
Sleep
Sleep should always be a priority. The average adult should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep every night. A lack of sleep raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and mental health illnesses. Without enough sleep, any efforts to take care of your health will be nowhere near as effective. Sleep is what helps you recover from exercise, think rationally, and deal with stress. Sleep deprivation will reverse all your hard work with diet and exercise because exhaustion can cause an overproduction of insulin and ghrelin (the “hunger” hormone). So set aside enough time or work on chilling out so that you can get a decent, restful sleep every night.
Schedule regular health checkups
Regular health tests are essential for the prevention of disease and early detection of problems. Going to the doctors for health check-ups and screenings is one of the simplest ways to stay on top of your health
Your healthcare provider will look at your personal and family history, check your vital signs, and collect additional information to provide an overall view of your health and wellbeing.
Your age, weight, family history, and lifestyle choices all help determine how often you should have physical exams, so be sure to discuss these variables with your doctor to determine how often you should be checked over.
Understand your health
Understanding your vital signs, such as your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature, and what they mean for your health will help you have a positive effect on your well-being.
You will make the most of your doctor’s visits by putting together a list of questions to ask. Your doctor gathers a lot of information about your health, but sometimes you may need to ask questions, as part of health literacy solutions. Asking the questions you need to understand what tests are looking for, when to anticipate results, and how to interpret the findings.
Improve your lifestyle
Take control of your health by following a healthy lifestyle. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise will help you maintain a healthy range of weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. It’s important to talk to your doctor about what diet and activity level is best for you.
Focus on eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and lean or low-fat protein sources while reducing added sugar, sodium and trans-fat.
The activity recommendation is 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week plus muscle-building exercises twice a week. The 30 minutes don’t have to be all at once— you can split them.
