Your mental, emotional, and physical health are dependent on one another. You need to tend to all of these different areas to see lasting improvements in your overall health. We often think that by exercising or changing our diet, we are doing enough to achieve good health. But we must also address our mental and emotional needs to see significant changes.
Diet and exercise are great starting points, but the truth is that sustaining good health takes more than these things. Here, we provide you with four key ways to achieve good health, with this holistic approach in mind.
1. Focus on Nutrition
Choose healthy foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and protein to get the best results out of your overall health. Eating a balanced diet full of color and variety is the easiest way to ensure that you are getting all of your nutritional needs met.
For any deficiencies, ask your healthcare provider if supplementing with things like vitamin powder is a good choice for you. Supplemental care is often a vital part of maintaining good, nutritional health.
Dieting to lose weight or improve one’s appearance in some way is not necessarily indicative of good health. It is certainly possible to lose weight and achieve ideal appearance goals without following a nutritious diet. Unfortunately, in doing so, your health suffers. To combat these issues, focus on filling up on nutritious foods that help your body and mind function at their best.
2. Don’t Forget Your Teeth
When many people think about maintaining their health, they’ll focus on specific areas. These can be the most obvious health areas, such as your physical and mental health.
You shouldn’t forget about your teeth, however. They’re not there simply to help you look good. If you don’t look after them, they can affect your appearance while increasing the risk of certain conditions.
It’s worth seeing a local orthodontist regularly to ensure that your teeth and mouth are taken care of. They can also help you improve your oral health, if needed.
Nobody wants to end up losing their teeth, especially when they’re young. Putting the time into preventing this is recommended.
3. Stick to a Schedule
Our bodies follow a natural rhythm that, ideally, should coincide with the rise and setting of the sun. With the amount of artificial light in our lives, these natural rhythms fall to the wayside as we learn to adapt to artificial light.
Staying up too late or sleeping in can adversely affect our wellbeing, so it is essential to do our best to stick to schedules our bodies can learn to recognize.
If you’re a night owl, that’s okay. Just make sure you stay consistent with the time you go to sleep and wake up, so your body can learn to understand what to expect. Our bodies need consistency to function well and to avoid the physical toll of added stress.
4. Drink Enough Water
Many of us walk around relatively dehydrated without even knowing it. We fuel up on energy drinks, caffeine, and other stimulants that make it difficult to notice when we need a glass of water.
Even if you don’t feel thirsty, aim to get at least eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. Hydration is essential for mental clarity, focus, and recovery. Keep a water bottle with you at all times to get a sip of water whenever you need it.
5. Address Emotional Healing
If you do not have the resources to address your emotional needs, finding supportive outlets should be a major goal for you. Everyone needs emotional support.
Whether you join a book club, speak with a therapist, or make an effort to call your mother more often, be consistent with your intention to create more emotional support in your life.
When our emotional needs go unmet, the rest of our health suffers as a result. Take care of your emotional wellbeing so that all aspects of your health can thrive!
The Bottom Line
Maintaining good health takes consistent effort. You need to prioritize all aspects of your health in order to achieve balance in all areas of your life. Pay attention to what your body, mind, and emotions tell you, and follow through on making healthy changes like those listed above. You’re worth it!
