Health Maintenance Tips To Improve Your Wellbeing

Friday, 11 August 2023 09:00

We know the main triggers for an unhealthy lifestyle, whether it’s drinking too much, smoking cigarettes or eating too many takeaways. But there are other ways we could be harming our health, through poor lifestyle habits that have a negative impact on our mental and physical health. If you’re someone who puts their busy schedule ahead of taking care of themselves, you could be harming your mental and physical health in several ways. Self-care is important for more than just a mood boost, so here’s how to carry out health maintenance successfully.

Drink More Water

Hydrating the body is very important. It’s essential for preventing headaches, improving cognitive function and aiding digestion, to name just a few functions. But so many of us rely heavily on fizzy drinks, tea and coffee throughout the day. While these may be a tasty alternative to plain water, they can be damaging to our health because they’re often packed with sugar and have minimal water content.

Sugar-laden beverages can increase your risk of weight gain, diabetes and heart disease, as well as damaging your teeth. Upping your intake of water, flavoured with fresh fruit or cucumber if you can’t handle the taste of it plain, helps to hydrate the skin and organs, and prevents you from consuming too much sugar.

Book in Regular Dental Checks

A Hollywood smile is the dream for everyone, but dental checkups are about more than just keeping our teeth straight and gleaming to boost our self-esteem. A major issue facing dentists is that most people don’t schedule in regular dental checks, and the irregularity of these check-ups means that around one third of adults suffer with tooth decay or other issues such as tooth loss or gum infections.

Make the time to book a check-up with your dentist at least a couple of times a year. This can really help to keep your teeth healthy and prevent any issues from developing that can be costly and painful to resolve later on.

Incorporate Resistance Training

Keeping active and doing some form of movement every day is critical to our health, but too often, we look to cardio and little else. Resistance training isn't just for body builders — in fact, it’s important for keeping bones strong and helping to prevent premature ageing.

When we neglect to incorporate weight and resistance training into our exercise routine, we run the risk of our bodies becoming weak and unstable. Try to include some form of weight training into your exercise routine at least twice a week to keep your muscles and joints strong, and your heart healthy as you get older.

Get Your Daily Dose of Sunshine

Sunshine is vital for our health, from a physical and mental health perspective. A lack of exposure to sunlight can result in vitamin D deficiency. This can result in Seasonal Affective Disorder and bone deformities including rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Vitamin D deficiency is even more of a risk in those eating a plant-based diet, as it’s only present in animal products. But the good news is it can be produced in the body through exposure to sunlight, and via supplements in the autumn and winter when sunlight might be in shorter supply.

Getting outside for a walk and breathing in some fresh air, even if it’s just for 15 minutes a day, can do wonders for your health and your mental wellbeing too. A daily stroll in the sunshine can also promote overall fitness and provide a great opportunity for relaxation and reflection.

Minimise Screen Time

Spending too much time looking down at your phone is not only bad for your mental health, but it can actually lead to a health problem known as ‘tech neck’. This is the soreness and stiffness that can occur in the neck caused by craning your head downwards to look at a screen for long periods of time.

Tech neck puts your spine in an unnatural position which causes serious damage to your posture, as well as resulting in headaches and shoulder pain. If left untreated, it can result in damage to the curvature of the spine. So, it’s wise to limit your screen time each day and ensure that if you work at a desk throughout the day, your desk is set up ergonomically to prevent back pain.

Prioritise Sleep Hygiene

Few of us log enough hours of sleep every night and even fewer manage to get good quality sleep. The body needs sleep to rest, recuperate and heal, and to build up enough energy to function properly and think clearly the following day.

Without proper sleep, we run the risk of becoming fatigued, burned out and struggling emotionally. And anyone who has woken up after a terrible night’s sleep will know how easy it is to feel irritated, on edge and physically exhausted. Proper sleep hygiene includes keeping the room cool, blocking out light from the windows and turning off screens at least an hour before you turn in for the night.

Connect and Socialise

We’re built to connect with others and our mental health can suffer if we spend too much time isolated from others. Whether it’s friends and colleagues, family or even spending time with strangers in your community, communicating and connecting with others boosts positive emotions and can ward off depression and anxiety.

It’s not about the quantity of relationships you have in your life, but the quality, so spend time fostering genuine connections with the people in your life. If you don’t have people nearby you can chat to, joining a local club or signing up for a new hobby can be an effective way to widen your social circle. The effect it can have on your mental health to feel supported and seen might surprise you.

Self-care means truly taking care of yourself and in neglecting to take the time to exercise properly, sleep well and get outdoors regularly, you risk damaging your health. It’s easy for our health to fall down the list of priorities but these maintenance tips are quick and easy to fit into your routine and can have a big impact on your physical and mental health.