There’s a movement happening in the realm of wellness. These days, most people you talk to are at least doing something to better their health; eating healthier food, being more physically active, cutting out poor lifestyle habits, exercising better mental health, or taking a herb or vitamin to support stress, sleep or energy. For some, the simple act of aiming for better health is enough of a motivating factor to keep them coming back for more. Yet for others, the mere thought of ‘improving health’ drives them quicker in the completely opposite direction. So for those who want to seek better health but just can’t commit to doing it, here are 5 was to improve your health without focusing on actually improving it.
Do More Outside
With the abundance of research on ‘nature cure’, ‘forest bathing’, and the health benefits of generally spending more time outdoors, it’s a no brainer that dedicating more of your day to being outdoors is only beneficial to your health. From improved immunity, better brain power, lower levels of inflammation, and less stress, the benefits of being closer to nature is endless. For most, spending time outside isn’t too difficult nor is it demanding, as the simple state of being outside is part of the actual therapy. So whether it’s sitting outside for lunch, catching a cat nap on your deck, or engaging in a form of activity that you enjoy, leaving the indoors and being present in a natural outdoor setting is a simple act to improve your health without the stress of actually focusing on health.
Don’t Park So Close
This one’s easy. We all know the health benefits of movement, walking, and being generally more physically active. The further away you park, the longer you’ll have to walk to where you need to go. Science confirms that combined bouts of short incremental physical activities can quickly add up to greatly benefit your health. Yes you need to be conscious of purposely parking further away, but the simple justification (outside of doing it for your health) is that there’s much less of a chance of getting your prized car dinged, plus for those who spend too much time indoors, walking further gives you a few extra steps of outdoor time you’d otherwise not get.
Confide In A Friend
Being engaged in local community has been independently shown to benefit health. Longevity studies show that by having friends and people to enjoy time with, your lifetime rate of mortality drops while simultaneously increasing life’s quality. As well, having someone you feel close to (can be as little as one friend or close family member) can socially help improve a variety of healthy endpoints, both short and long term. Not to mention, having someone to confide in not only helps ease your emotions, but can favourably provide health promoting decisions and options that you otherwise may not have considered.
Think About the “Now” Not The “Later”
Fear is one of our greatest life foes. Although lifesaving and adaptive, being overwhelmed with too much fear can easily interfere with life and can create a lot of stress. Thinking and living in the ‘now’ allows you to take more pleasure in the simple things and appreciate what you have, whereas thinking or planning too far into the future distracts from the ‘now’ and induces many fears about situations and events that have yet (and are likely not) to happen. Simply put, fear has been shown to accelerate aging, whereas slowing your pace of life down greatly increases health and wellness.
Fill Up On Fat
I’d be remise to say that most people don’t enjoy high fat foods. Plainly put, fat not only tastes good, but it stimulates particular fat receptors on the tongue the feed directly into a persons reward and satiety areas of the brain. The good news with fat however is that not only does it give most a short term dopamine (reward like) response, it also does a lot for creating balance and satisfaction in the long run. Healthy fats quickly help balance even minor blood sugar irregularities, provides immediate and direct energy, boasts an array of gut and health oriented compounds, and rarely if ever is stored as fat.
For many, health can be a stressful life endeavour. In order to simplify the approach, improving health without consciously focusing on it truly creates a beneficial and easy way to achieve it.
Dr Jeremy Hayman, ND helps patients at Cornerstone Naturopathic Inc. feel better, live better, and achieve optimal wellness and health. Years of patient care coupled with dedication to personal life balance has helped Dr Jeremy employ the adage that “your approach to health should be simple”.