5 Simple Ways to Get Healthier in 2024
1. Get a Bone Density Test
If you are 65 or older or have symptoms to weak bones (severe back pain, loss of height, spine malformations), start the year by knowing what your bone density is like. Osteoporosis is called a “silent disease” because most people don’t learn they have it until they break a bone. If you get diagnosed with Osteopenia (reduced bone mass, the precursor to Osteoporosis) or Osteoporosis, get on a plan to stop or even reverse the condition. This is often a combination of diet, medication, and weight-bearing exercise.
2. Record a Food Diary
According to author James Clear of the book Atomic Habits, one super easy way to improve your diet is to simply write down what you eat. This should ideally be done with a regular pen and paper (as opposed to an app). The habit of writing what you eat regularly puts you face to face with what your body is consuming. Just seeing the things you eat in written form can be powerful enough to spark a change.
3. Increase Your Hydration + Electrolytes
Simply carrying around a water bottle can be enough to encourage higher than usual hydration. Another way to increase hydration is to take out 8 empty glasses of water. Set them on your kitchen counter (or your work desk) and fill one. After you finish drinking it, set it in the sink. Then begin glass 2. The idea is to finish all 8 glasses by the end of your day. However, it’s not just plain water that is important but electrolytes as well. . Rather than consuming drinks with electrolytes (such as Gatorade or Vitamin Water), it’s better to consume foods high in electrolytes such as bananas, oranges, avocados, or pistachios, for example).
4. Reduce Your Media Consumption
Not only can screen time can lead to overloads of the sensory system, fractured attention, and metal reserve depletion but it can also induce stress reactions, disrupt sleep cycles, reduce activity levels, and reduce outdoor time (ultimately leading to less vitamin D and exposure to greenery which reduces stress). There are also the factors of eye and neck strain as well as writs and shoulder pain. Drastically reduce your use to improve your overall happiness.
5. Add Strength Training to Your Weekly Routine
The inclusion of strength training in an exercise program is becoming more and more prevela the as the benefits of strength training outweigh benefits from any other exercise program. This is primarily due to the fact that muscle tissue is the greatest reservoir of mitochondria in the body, the body’s energy storehouses. By increasing your muscle, you not only increase your energy, you also boost metabolism, build bone density, and protect your joints. No matter how you decide to go about your strength training, it’s imperative to make strength training a regular habit.
If you are 65 or older or have symptoms to weak bones (severe back pain, loss of height, spine malformations), start the year by knowing what your bone density is like. Osteoporosis is called a “silent disease” because most people don’t learn they have it until they break a bone. If you get diagnosed with Osteopenia (reduced bone mass, the precursor to Osteoporosis) or Osteoporosis, get on a plan to stop or even reverse the condition. This is often a combination of diet, medication, and weight-bearing exercise.
2. Record a Food Diary
According to author James Clear of the book Atomic Habits, one super easy way to improve your diet is to simply write down what you eat. This should ideally be done with a regular pen and paper (as opposed to an app). The habit of writing what you eat regularly puts you face to face with what your body is consuming. Just seeing the things you eat in written form can be powerful enough to spark a change.
3. Increase Your Hydration + Electrolytes
Simply carrying around a water bottle can be enough to encourage higher than usual hydration. Another way to increase hydration is to take out 8 empty glasses of water. Set them on your kitchen counter (or your work desk) and fill one. After you finish drinking it, set it in the sink. Then begin glass 2. The idea is to finish all 8 glasses by the end of your day. However, it’s not just plain water that is important but electrolytes as well. . Rather than consuming drinks with electrolytes (such as Gatorade or Vitamin Water), it’s better to consume foods high in electrolytes such as bananas, oranges, avocados, or pistachios, for example).
4. Reduce Your Media Consumption
Not only can screen time can lead to overloads of the sensory system, fractured attention, and metal reserve depletion but it can also induce stress reactions, disrupt sleep cycles, reduce activity levels, and reduce outdoor time (ultimately leading to less vitamin D and exposure to greenery which reduces stress). There are also the factors of eye and neck strain as well as writs and shoulder pain. Drastically reduce your use to improve your overall happiness.
5. Add Strength Training to Your Weekly Routine
The inclusion of strength training in an exercise program is becoming more and more prevela the as the benefits of strength training outweigh benefits from any other exercise program. This is primarily due to the fact that muscle tissue is the greatest reservoir of mitochondria in the body, the body’s energy storehouses. By increasing your muscle, you not only increase your energy, you also boost metabolism, build bone density, and protect your joints. No matter how you decide to go about your strength training, it’s imperative to make strength training a regular habit.