The health and fitness area of your life is about taking care of your body and mind. Aside from diseases, if you take care of yourself, you can have good or even excellent health. Your body has to be properly maintained by eating nutritious food and getting enough exercise and sleep. Get regular checkups to help catch any problems that may occur.
While taking care of your physical health can help you mentally, it’s also important to monitor your mental health. Check in with yourself often to see what areas you need to focus on and if you need to seek professional help.
Keys
- Participate in regular physical activity to maintain physical and mental health. Physical activity is anything that makes you move. It can be split up between different activities throughout the day and week. Use this guideline from cdc.gov: Children 3-5 years old need to be physically active throughout the day. Children 6-17 years old need 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Adults need 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
- Develop an exercise program for your individual needs that include a mix of cardiovascular activities, strength training, and stretching.
- Drink plenty of water every day.
- Get plenty of sleep every day. Adults need at least seven hours of sleep daily.
- Take preventative measures to stay healthy, such as getting regular health checkups, avoiding smoking and excessive drinking, and managing stress levels. See your general doctor for a checkup once per year. See your dentist every six months and your eye doctor once per year.
- See a doctor or dentist if anything causes you concern.
- Follow your doctor’s instructions when under their care. Keep them informed of any changes or problems.
- Be aware of any health problems in your immediate family. Be able to recognize any signs of symptoms. Seek medical attention as soon as possible if they appear.
- Get health insurance if available.
- Keep a personal health record.
- Wash hands frequently to prevent illness.
- Keep your brain active with activities such as reading and doing word and number puzzles that make you think. Also try to learn new skills on a regular basis.
- Practice healthy coping mechanisms such as journaling, yoga, or meditation to manage stress.
- Address mental health issues such as stress, depression, or anxiety with counseling or therapy if needed.
Websites
www.cdc.gov – Center for Disease Control and Prevention
www.butyoudontlooksick.com – Providing various information about chronic disease. Written by a Lupus patient.
www.ymca.net – Focusing on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Locate a YMCA near you.
www.healthywomen.org – This is a health information source for women.
www.fitness.gov – President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Engaging, educating, and empowering all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and good nutrition.
