September and January are the ideal times to put on the table the successes and failures achieved during the year and set new goals to achieve. We propose 15 goals to you to be healthier and to be happier. You dare?
To achieve the ends that we propose, it is not enough to desire them; We must do something more on our part, reach a firm commitment to ourselves, design a strategy and execute it without excuses. Whatever our goal – to quit smoking, find a partner, lose weight or find a job – the secret is to develop a detailed plan of action, tell it to friends and family, frequently remember the advantages of achieving the goal, set small goals for yourself. short term and reward yourself each time they are reached, and keep an objective record of the progression of the fruits obtained.
Have you already thought about your wishes for this new course? Here we make a proposal for 15 healthy goals. Meeting them is a challenge, but also a great adventure to be healthier and happier.
1. Watch what you eat
Although obesity has an already unquestionable genetic basis, the reality is that if we take care of our diet and lead a life far from sedentary lifestyle and inactivity, we will considerably reduce the chances of being obese and, with it, our cardiovascular risk. It is enough to look around us to realize that, as we have abandoned the Mediterranean diet and become more comfortable, the number of overweight people has grown. The worst part is that this process is affecting adults and children alike. Let’s start with ourselves and our closest environment with small healthy gestures; In case this is not effective, there are many proven medical and surgical treatments that will help us lose pounds.
2. Nicotine free
If regaining the taste of food, leaving behind the smell of tobacco from your breath and clothing, climbing the stairs without suffocation and getting up every morning without coughing are not enough reasons to quit smoking, the same is the fact that this habit is responsible for 11% of deaths from ischemic heart disease and 70% of deaths from lung, bronchial and tracheal cancer. Buy your last pack and when there is only one cigarette left, smoke it aware that it will be the last. Also avoid those acts that inevitably entail the consumption of tobacco, such as coffee after eating or alcoholic beverages; But soon you will begin to enjoy the advantages of being an ex-smoker. Anything goes to quit, but what really counts is having a firm determination to do it and, if necessary, rely on professionals specialized in smoking cessation.
3. More muscle and less sofa
If we do nothing to remedy it, the day will come when we will surprise ourselves in front of the mirror taking air to put our bellies in. Staying in shape is not so complicated, you just have to take your tracksuit out of the closet and look for the sport that best suits our needs and tastes: aerobics, zumba, pilates, swimming, spinning, jogging … There are a thousand individual or group activities that They will help us keep our muscles toned, burn calories and make us feel better.
However, if we have been sitting on the sofa for a long time, it will not hurt that before starting a training program we undergo a medical check-up; In this way we can know how our body is and optimally plan the effort and the type of exercise that works best for us. We will avoid unpleasant surprises.
4. Activate your mind
This year do not limit yourself to reading the catalogs of department stores or the activity reports of your company. Be creative and activate your mind, dive into various books and study languages. They are ideal mental training routines, as are facing mental calculations or solving crossword puzzles. You will promote learning and enhance your memory, while protecting your brain against cognitive decline and certain neuronal diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.
5. Put a brake on stress
Stress helps us to be alert and, therefore, protects us against risks; but also, if we do not control it properly, it is the cause of headaches, anguish, nausea and hypertension, in addition to damaging hair and skin. It is therefore important to keep it under control. Let’s identify its causes. Once the reasons are detected, it is essential to minimize them and approach strategies that contribute to disconnect and relax; for some the best is to practice some physical exercise, for others the best recipe is half an hour of daily meditation. It is about everyone finding their way to reduce their effects on our body.
6. Disconnect the mobile
How often do you look at your mobile? Take the test and you will surely be surprised pending this device much more than you thought. Never before has such a new technology been integrated into our daily lives to such an extent that we can no longer conceive of life without it. The supposed freedom of this communication tool has become a slavery and a dependency of such caliber that they have even come to define a new pathology: nomophobia, which manifests itself with extreme fear of being disconnected from the world. To avoid suffering it, the best thing is that we mark the limits and make a reasonable use of the phone, turn it off from time to time and prioritize real life over virtual. If we do not succeed, it is best to consult a specialist.
7. Stick to your schedule
Medical check-ups should be part of our routine; leaving it for later or never finding the right time can be expensive, so don’t be lazy and stick to your schedule. Annual visits to the gynecologist, urologist, ophthalmologist, or dentist are key to good health.
The recommended appointments with each specialist and the tests associated with them will depend on age and sex. Thus, women will have to go to the gynecologist every year and, from the age of 40, start with mammograms, if the specialist prescribes it. It is in this age bracket when men will include a visit to the urologist in their annual routine and, in the fifth decade of life, or even earlier if we have a family history of colon cancer, all of us, men and women, should have a colonoscopy. , a test that detects lesions in the rectum and colon.
If we follow these types of recommendations, we will be able to diagnose many diseases early that become fatal if they are not detected in time; but they are very easy to treat if we find them in an initial stage.
8. Show your teeth more … smile
Smile has been shown to have many health benefits: it relaxes the muscles of the face, helps in better oxygenation of the body and regulates the heart pulse. Plus, it’s the best cover letter – we only have one chance to make a good first impression!
If you want to enjoy the power that a smile gives and, at the same time, wear the best of dentures, follow some basic and simple oral hygiene tips: brush your teeth after each meal and visit the specialist, at least once a year. With these habits you will exhibit a healthier mouth, but, in case you need to undergo other treatments, put yourself in the hands of the best professionals, since they handle the latest techniques in implantology, whitening, orthodontia and dental aesthetics.
9. You also live by pampering
Spending more time with family and friends not only makes us happier, it also helps us maintain our physical health. Some studies conclude that not having friends is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day or that people with a wide circle of friends are much less likely to die as a result of cardiac or tumor pathology.
Social relationships help us build our identity, provide us with well-being and support us in difficult times. They are also important to disconnect from the work routine and manage stress, so do not delay any longer and call that person with whom you have not spoken for a long time.
10. Feel your head
If we were to do a survey, most couples would probably answer that it is never the ideal time to create or expand a family. Having children is a great responsibility and it is always expected to have emotional, economic, family stability, etc.
If you decide to settle down and go for it all, the first thing you should do is abandon bad habits and eliminate or reduce to the maximum those factors that harm fertility, such as stress, poor diet, alcohol and tobacco.
Sometimes the results are almost immediate, but it usually takes between seven months and a year to achieve a pregnancy. After this period, we should consult a specialist to study our case and establish the most appropriate treatment.
11. Pack your bags
Organizing at least one getaway a year will allow us to expand our horizons, but also our minds. Set dates with friends or family or, if you prefer, plan a solo trip and soak up new places, cultures and customs. Holidays are the ideal time to socialize with unknown and different people, enjoy nature, rest, read, meditate and sleep more. All this helps us to charge the batteries, disconnect from work and routine and relax.
12. Fulfill a dream
Giving us a gift from time to time will help us feel better and boost our self-esteem. If you do not want to continue with those lines of expression on your face or have spent years thinking about keeping your glasses in the drawer forever, do not delay it any longer, invest in feeling and looking better. Dare, take the step, put yourself in expert hands and fulfill that sometimes unspeakable dream.
13. Green I love you green
We are probably not fully aware of how pollution affects crops and water in rivers and seas; However, the rule of three is clear: the more pollution, the worse the quality of the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the food we eat; which irreparably affects our state of health and the diseases we suffer from.
Our house is the ideal place to start building a sustainable planet: it reduces the amount of waste you generate, don’t waste resources such as water or energy and tries to minimize the polluting emissions you produce every day.
Also, don’t forget that walking or climbing the stairs, in addition to saving light, helps us stay in shape.
14. Be more supportive
Solidarity grants us happiness. You don’t need great gestures or travel to countries on other continents to be supportive. Small acts that help other people to live better are enough.
When you see the mobile blood donation unit, dare to enter. For someone healthy, this action does not have any consequences, but with it, it is helping, normally, three people who require a transfusion to live or overcome a pathology. Donating blood, organs, or tissues helps many sick people regain their well-being.
There are also other ways to give happiness, such as the donation of eggs and semen, which offers many couples the possibility of being parents. There are so many ways to be supportive. Find yours!
15. May optimism win
Shake off the pessimism of your back, surround yourself with happy people and enjoy life despite the inconveniences. Did you know that being optimistic improves health? Yes, the state of mind directly influences our general state. An eminently negative emotional state can cause damage on a physical level, this is what happens with psychosomatic illnesses. Being optimistic or pessimistic is a vital choice. It is in your hands!
This article has been prepared based on the reflections of specialists from the Quirónsalud Tenerife and Quirónsalud Costa Adeje hospitals.
Article taken verbatim from https://www.efesalud.com/blog-salud-prevencion/de-este-ano-no-pasa-15-propositos-saludables/
