Health Tips That Will Change Your Life in 2024

7 Health Tips That Will Change Your Life in 2024

Do you feel as though your health has taken a bit of a dive recently? Has that giddyup for living your best ‘healthy lifestyle’ been kicked back to the stable? Or are you still side-eyeing those ‘New Years Resolutions’ with a red-faced guilt?

If so then now is the time for you to make a positive change, because making and keeping to resolutions can start any time of the year, on any day! So no, you don’t have to wait until Monday – that’s more procrastination.

Further Reading: Yoga and Mindfulness – Improving Physical & Mental Fitness

If you grab the bull by the horns and make health changes now, then there’s no doubt you that you’ll begin to feel better physically and mentally, about yourself and your life in general – and soon you’ll have the focus to make changes to all the.other aspects of your life that need a tweek or two.

This ‘Health Tips That Will Change Your Life‘ guide isn’t here to introduce you to new and faddy ways to improve your health. What it is here for, is to remind you of the things you need to stay on top of – factors you already know, things you’ve already read about or been advised on but have pushed to the back of your mind.

Further Reading: Health Fix – Why You Should Prioritise a Better Night’s Sleep

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #1

Eat a Diet Rich in Fruit and Vegetables

One of the first things you have to do is eat a good diet.

Eat a combination of different foods, including legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruit. If you can, try and eat a lot of fruit and whole grain. Adults should eat around five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.

It’ll be easier for you to improve your intake of fruit and vegetables by including a variety of veggies, as well as fresh fruit and snacks.
You should also try to eat fruit and vegetables as soon as they come into season.

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables has many benefits including reducing your chance of developing malnutrition and even noncommunicable diseases, such as stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #2

Consume Less Salt and Sugar

If you consume a lot of salt then you double your risk of developing high blood pressure. This can increase your chance of getting a stroke or other related issues. Reduce your salt intake to around 5g per day if you can, which is around one teaspoon.

Help yourself:

By not adding salt to your meals and by also making sure that you limit condiments on the table.
Avoid salty snacks and opt for low-sodium products where possible.

On the other hand, if you consume a lot of sugar then this will increase your chance of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain.

Help yourself:

By cutting down or out on sugary drinks, or adding sugar to your tea and coffee.
Cut down on high sugar foods and snacks like; sweets/candy, chocolate and cakes.

Did you know? Crisps said to be even worse than chocolate for your teeth due to the fact it takes the acid in your mouth much longer to break down the crisps starchy carbohydrates stuck in between your teeth.

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #3

Reduce Harmful Fats

Fats consumed should equal around 30% of your energy intake. If you can make sure that you do not exceed this amount then you can prevent both unhealthy weight gain as well as NCD’s (Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes).

Of course, one thing to remember is that there are different types of fats – unsaturated fats ‘good fats’, tend to be better than saturated fats, and trans fats ‘bad fats’, so try and make sure that you keep this in mind.

The FAT RULE:

Eat More: Good Healthy Fats including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
Eat Less: Saturated fats
Avoid: Bad Fats including industrial-made trans fats.

The preferred fats that you should be consuming include those from fish and nuts. Avocado is also very preferable, along with olive oil and soybean. Saturated fats can be found in fatty meat and cream, cheese, and lard. Trans fats are in things like baked or fried foods, and they are also in several pre-packaged snacks. You’ll also find them in biscuits, cooking oils and spreads.

Further Reading: Cardiovascular Health: 4 Lifestyle Tips for a Healthy Heart

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #4

Cut Down or Avoid Alcohol

Consuming too much alcohol, whether on a daily or weekly basis can lead to several health problems and behavioral disorders. From alcohol dependence to liver cirrhosis. Some cancers can also be caused by alcohol.

If you feel as though your alcohol consumption is getting out of hand then make sure that you get in touch with the likes of AddictionsUK in the UK or contact your Local Health Office in Ireland for advice.

Along with getting your alcohol consumption under control, cutting down and quitting smoking should also be a goal. Smoking tobacco can cause lung disease and numerous other related health issues. Tobacco doesn’t just kill direct smokers either. It also infringes on the health of those around you who don’t smoke as they become passive cigarette smokers. Remember that it’s never too late to quit, no matter how long you’ve been smoking – and that you should be able to support your health better if you do.

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #5

Become More Active

Physical activity is so important. It’s defined as being a bodily movement that is produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure. This happens to include exercise and activities that you carry out while working, or doing household chores. Engaging in recreational pursuits is also very important.

The amount of physical activity you can do will vary depending on your age group but ideally, you do need to make sure that you do moderate activity where possible. If you can do this then you’ll be able to take advantage of additional health benefits.

This article: ‘Getting Fit – How to Break Through the Roadblocks Stopping You‘ will help you get back on track.

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #6

Check Blood Pressure

As you age, certain health checks need to carried out more regularly – checking your blood pressure is one of them. Hypertension, or high blood pressure is often referred to as being a silent killer. This is because many people who struggle with it and its symptoms, are not aware that they have an issue in the first place. Hypertension undealt with can lead to heart, lung and kidney failure.

High blood pressure can be controlled and managed. If you suspect you have high blood pressure (symptoms can include: shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and headaches0 – ask your local pharmacy to test you, then get advice from your local GP.

Further Reading: Health Fix: The Importance of Monitoring Your Blood

Health Tips That Will Change Your Life #7

Protect Yourself from Bugs and Disease

Depending on where you live, you may find that mosquitos are a major issue. Thankfully in Ireland, mosquitos don’t carry malaria. However ‘mosquitoes are being monitored by the HSE at ports and airports for the arrival of the Asian Tiger and Egyptian mosquito, now an emerging invasive species across the EU. These carry serious diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever.’ Diseases such as dengue fever and even malaria will harm your health.

Other bugs that bite and cause disease are ticks and fleas. Vectorborne diseases such as Lyme neuroborreliosis exists in Ireland and the UK. According to the HPSC (Health Protection Surveillance Centre) ‘between 8 and 21 (on average about 14 cases) of Lyme neuroborreliosis are reported each year.’

How to protect yourself from unwanted bug bites:

Get some insect repellent.
Wear long-sleeve shirts and take the time to use window screens.
If sleeping in a woodland area, camping or in an area known for mosquitos and/or midges, bed nets are a great addition to your sleeping quarters as they can keep you safe even when you are sleeping.
If you want to help yourself even more then have a chat with your doctor to see if they can recommend anything that might be able to help you to repel the bugs – especially if you have had health issues in the past or if you believe that you are travelling to a country with a higher risk of disease carrying insects.

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