We only get one life, so it’s important to live well and make the absolute most of it. And taking care of your body and mind are some of the best ways to go about this, healthy and happiness go hand in hand so if you feel good on the outside, it will reflect on the way you feel too. Here are some proactive ways you can look after yourself now, and live a healthy and happy life in the future.
Attend your medical screening appointments
One great way to prevent lots of types of medical issues is to attend all of your screening and medical appointments. This includes an annual GP visit so they can check your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and run any tests based on symptoms you might have. Chances are you’ll also be invited for certain cancer screenings, for example if you’re a woman you’ll usually need to have a cervical screening test done every few years. It includes visiting the dentist every six months to have a scale and polish and remove plaque, and look for any early signs of gum disease or tooth decay. It involves a bi-annual visit to the optician so they can test your vision- and also check for any changes in your health which can often show up when examining the eyes. By attending these kinds of appointments, any changes in your health can be detected at the earliest (and most treatable) stage. Things aren’t being left to the point that you’re in pain, or the problem has gotten worse. As many signs of illnesses and issues are very mild in the early stages you might not have any symptoms or indication that anything is wrong, so these tests and examinations are a good way to pick them up.
Another test that you should pay attention to is a hearing test. As you age, you may suffer from some form of hearing impairment that you’ve probably been ignoring because it doesn’t seem so bad until it becomes an issue. Hearing loss is a condition in which one cannot hear clearly. Various factors, such as aging, noise exposure, and certain medical conditions, contribute to the condition. Therefore, it is best to get a hearing test as soon as possible to prevent major issues and avoid permanent hearing loss.
Look after your sexual health
Taking care of your sexual health is an important part of adulthood. When it comes to things like contraception, unfortunately women do tend to get the short end of the stick, and so if you want a long lasting and effective form of contraception then you’ll need to find a method that works for you. As these often involve hormones, there’s no real saying how your body will respond and so it could be a case of trying different things. Thankfully, while hormonal contraception can have short term effects like acne, weight and mood changes, they do tend to settle down after a few months. Taking care of your sexual health also involves being responsible, with new or casual partners always take precautions and use a barrier method. If you plan on staying together and entering a monogamous relationship, it’s a good idea for both people to be fully tested ahead of time. There are lots of clinics and other places you can go for a quick and confidential test, this one for example has eight locations so you’re bound to find something nearby to you. Lots of STDs can be symptomless but cause significant changes to your health, some can render you infertile whereas others can be life threatening, so they’re really not something to take chances on.
Avoid dangerous vices and habits
Smoking, drinking too much alcohol, taking recreational drugs and other bad and dangerous habits can all take a massive toll on the body. Even if you did these things in your youth and seemingly ‘got away with’ negative affects, it’s important to quit as soon as possible. These are some of the most damaging things you can do when it comes to your present and future health.
Eat a healthy diet and exercise
It’s no surprise that diet and exercise would feature on a list like this, we all know that we need to eat better and move more but sometimes this can fall by the wayside and ‘real life’ happens. The trick is to make being healthy part of your lifestyle, instead of trying to be perfect, just do more of what you know you’re supposed to. Snack on fruit throughout the day to up your intake, start an active hobby like a sport or a dance class. Enjoy that glass of wine and pizza on a Saturday night, but follow up on Sunday with a green smoothie and a long walk with your dog. Find the right balance and you’ll enjoy your healthy lifestyle instead of feeling like it’s something that restricts you. Eating well and getting enough physical activity helps to keep you in shape, it wards off illnesses, it even protects you from things like cancers and brittle bone disease later in life. The earlier you can start building a healthy body, immune system and bones the better, but even if you’ve not lived a healthy life previously just start now. Make healthy swaps, find fun ways to get moving, just do what you can to make progress.
Consider a multivitamin or supplements
Multivitamins are a bit of a strange subject, many health professionals state how they’re not needed and how we can all get what we need from a healthy diet. Which is very true and fair enough, but as we’ve established- life isn’t perfect. While we can (and should) be eating lots of fruit and veg and healthy ingredients every day, it doesn’t always work out like that. A multivitamin isn’t a substitute for a healthy diet, but it definitely can be useful alongside it. They’re cheap, can be purchased in any grocery store and take a matter of seconds to swallow, so why not? They’re definitely not going to do you any harm, and could help to ensure that you’re getting everything you need, every day. Other supplements can be taken to help with specific issues, for example, taking ginseng tablets have been said to boost energy, help lower cholesterol and promote relaxation. You could always give them a go, just be careful when it comes to herbal remedies as these can be quite powerful and can interfere with prescribed medication. Anything you can buy from a reputable health food shop will be fine, just be wary of Chinese medicine and other herbal types of remedies.
Protect your mental health
Health isn’t just about physical health, it’s about your overall well being which includes the way that you feel mentally. We live in a world that’s very fast paced and can be stressful at times, many jobs have low rates of pay and the cost of living is high. We’re bombarded with images on social media of seemingly perfect people which can make us feel as though we’re failing in all areas of our lives, and even things like buying a house or learning to drive which were so normal in our parents and grandparents generations can feel out of reach to us. This understandably can lead to a lot of stress, then there are the normal things we all worry about in life from relationships to friends to lots of smaller things. The thing to bear in mind is that nothing will ever be exactly right in life, there’s always something to deal with or some obstacle to overcome. It’s the way you can cope and deal with these things which are important. Some time to relax and unwind can prevent you from getting tunnel vision towards your issues, relaxation practices from hot baths to massage to meditation can all be useful. Sometimes just talking things through with a friend is all you need to vent and to get another perspective on things.
Avoid accidents and injury
It sounds silly to say ‘avoid accidents’, as by their very nature these are totally unplanned and often random events. However, many accidents can be avoided by being careful and taking precautions. Always wear your seatbelt, and avoid driving in adverse weather conditions such as snow and ice if you can. If you’re planning on using power tools or other equipment, make sure you know how and know what the safety procedures are. Even things like making sure your home is safe is important, make sure there are no loose carpets which can trip you, or piles of things near stairs or on floors. Many injuries are minor and damage your ego more than anything else. But others can be life changing or even life threatening, so just keep your wits about you in life. Don’t put yourself in any danger and keep an eye on things that could happen in potentially dangerous situations.
What kinds of things do you do to ensure you’re living a healthy life today while future proofing your body?
