In today’s world, it is more important than ever to commit to overall wellness in order to help prevent chronic conditions. Unfortunately, chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and congestive heart failure can sneak up on us if we are not actively taking steps to keep ourselves healthy. Luckily, there are many simple tips one can take to promote long-term wellness and help prevent the onset of chronic conditions. From making dietary changes to focusing on physical activity, this article will provide you with the information you need to stay healthy for the long-term.
1. Taking Control of Long-Term Wellness
Everyone wants to live their best life, but achieving true wellness is a journey that requires dedication and commitment. By taking control of your long-term wellness goals, you can ensure that you stay mindful of your physical, emotional, and mental health for years to come. Here are five practical steps to help you get started.
- Develop a plan. This should be tailored to your individual needs and lifestyle, but should include things like regular exercise, healthy eating, a stress management plan, and self-care practices. When writing out your plan, focus on the positive—the goal isn’t to completely overhaul your life at once, but rather to gradually adopt better habits.
- Set goals. Specific, attainable goals will help provide structure for your plan. Whether they’re related to your diet, exercise, work, or self-care, aim to include measurable objectives that you can track along the way.
- Stay accountable. Staying on track without external motivation can be difficult. Find an accountability partner—this can be a friend, a mentor, or even a professional—who will help you stay motivated and reach your goals.
- Prioritize self-care. Self-care practices are a crucial part of long-term wellness. Find activities that bring you joy and relaxation, and make them a regular part of your routine.
- Be kind to yourself. Above all else, don’t forget to extend grace to yourself. It’s impossible to be perfect every single day, so try to be gentle when challenging yourself and don’t forget to celebrate your successes.
Taking control of your long-term wellness is a process and requires a lot of dedication. With the right plan and some external motivation, however, achieving true wellness can become second nature.
2. Tactics for Preventing Chronic Conditions
1. Outline Your Diet
Start by having a plan in place for how you are going to balance your diet. Focus on whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. Make sure that you are getting enough vitamins and minerals. Avoid processed foods and sugar-laden beverages. Develop a meal plan and stick to it, to ensure that you are providing your body with the nutrients it needs.
2. Be Active
Getting enough physical activity is another key factor in preventing chronic conditions. Aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. Also, make sure to include strength training into your regime to combat muscle loss. You can do this in the form of squats, planks, and lunges. Find activities that motivate you and make it a part of your routine.
3. Manage Stress
When you are overwhelmed, it can be difficult to focus on your physical and mental health. To manage stress levels, practice mindfulness activities such as deep breathing or yoga. Make sure to get enough sleep and find time in your day to relax.
4. Check-Ups
Having consistent check-ups is essential when it comes to preventing chronic conditions. Vitamins and minerals tests may be recommended by your doctor. Take advantage of any screenings recommended by your healthcare professional. Don’t ignore the warning signs and make sure to take any necessary measures to stay healthy.
5. Maintain Good Relationships
Social and emotional wellness is equally important. Maintain good relationships with your family and friends. Make sure to check in with them and have a support system when coping with stress or other challenges. Having an encouraging social network can also make you feel supported and motivated to stay healthy.
3. Eating Right to Combat Illness
Eating right can be a powerful tool in managing and combatting illness. Here’s an outline of what you can do to make sure you’re getting the right nutrients and doing the best for your body.
Complex Carbohydrates are a great source of energy, and should be included as part of your diet for any condition. Whole grains, legumes and starchy vegetables such as squash and potatoes are a great way to get the carbohydrates you need without the sugars, fats, and other problems associated with regular carbohydrate sources. Brown rice, quinoa and oats also provide essential vitamins and minerals.
Protein makes up the building blocks of cells throughout your body, so having plenty of this in your diet is essential. To promote healing, try to include some high-quality lean proteins such as organic chicken, seafood, nuts, and potatoes. If you are a vegetarian, legumes and organically-sourced tempeh can provide you with an excellent source of protein.
Vitamins and Minerals are required to maintain good health and help with healing. Dark green vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, as well as providing numerous micronutrients. Cruciferous vegetables like kale and broccoli are also packed with vitamins and minerals. Other good sources of essential vitamins and minerals include:
- Fruit: Apples, pears, and oranges are all great sources of vitamin C.
- Grains: Oats and brown rice are excellent sources of B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and iron.
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseed provide important omega-3 fatty acids.
Fats can be an important part of a healthy diet. With some conditions, like heart disease or high cholesterol, the type of fat you consume is important. Instead of saturated and trans fats, opt for healthier monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats like those found in olive oil, avocados and nuts. Healthy fats will also help with the absorption of essential nutrients.
Water is important for any health regimen, and can help in exercising, detoxifying, and relieving inflammation. Make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to ensure you are getting the necessary hydration to fight illness.
4. Achieving Balance in the Long-Term
The key to long-term balance is consistency. We all make commitments and goals for ourselves, but it’s just as important that we work hard to see them through. Making sure we take regular breaks, set milestones and check our progress are some of the ways we can achieve greater balance.
- Set realistic goals: You can’t become an Olympic athlete overnight, so make sure you set goals that are achievable within a certain timeframe.
- Stay organized: Writing down lists, setting reminders and having a physical or digital calendar with tasks and commitments helps keep you on track.
- Make time for yourself: Every day carve out some time for yourself. Whether it’s a yoga class, reading a book or just getting outside and walking that matters.
For those who need a little more help creating balance, there are also some apps and tools available to help you stay organized and prioritize your commitments. A few of the more popular ones include:
Trello : helps organize projects and tasks in lists, boards and cards.Google Calendar : perfect for setting alarms and reminders, and creating events.Headspace : the perfect app for anyone who needs a few moments of mindfulness or relaxation.
After creating a system of organizational tools and setting realistic goals, keeping a sense of balance comes down to attitude. Acceptance and self-compassion are important for all of us. That means acknowledging your successes, allowing for mistakes, and forgiving yourself when needed. For some, therapy or counseling can be a helpful tool in these areas.
Creating balance takes time and effort, but with the right tools and a positive attitude, you can achieve and maintain it for the long-term.
As our journey towards better lifetime health continues, let us remember that preventive health care is key. Taking a proactive approach to staying fit and healthy starts with small steps, but it can lead to a lifetime of good health and wellbeing. So, why not let today be the day we take ownership of our health and take some steps to secure our future wellbeing?
