Everyone wants to look and feel healthier. A lean body, strong muscles, and glowing skin and hair is the ultimate dream for many women. However, the road to getting healthy often seems unbearably long. Many people make the mistake of equating health with weight loss. When you believe you won’t look or feel healthy until you lose forty pounds, getting healthy becomes a goal that is impossibly far away. However, there are many things you can do to increase the health of your body and mind immediately in order to look and feel better today.
1. Drink Water
Proper hydration is a vital component of looking and feeling healthy. When you drink enough water, your skin and hair glow and you feel more energized and healthier overall. Make an active effort to drink several cups of water every day to maintain your health. Plus, whenever you feel sluggish or off, make yourself drink a large glass of water. You’ll likely feel better immediately.
2. Get Up Earlier
Waking up to the stressful sound of your alarm clock and rushing around for an hour to get ready in time to leave for work without being late is not the best way to start your day. In fact, starting your day in this way causes you to feel more stressed out and fatigued as the day progresses.
A much healthier way to begin each day is by getting up approximately thirty minutes before you actually need to be out of bed. Use that extra time to do some yoga, stretch, journal, meditate, read, or even catch up on your favorite television show. You’ll feel more relaxed, less stressed, and more energized throughout the rest of your day.
3. Laugh Regularly
Laughter truly is the best medicine. It has a plethora of mental and physical health benefits that most people don’t know. Regular, genuine laughter minimizes stress, increases energy, makes your immune system more effective, and even reduces cholesterol. If you’re feeling like your health isn’t up to par, head to the theater for a comedy or plan a lunch date with your most hilarious group of friends.
4. Do Yoga
Stay committed to the health of your body, mind, and spirit by incorporating fifteen to thirty minutes of yoga into your daily routine. Yoga automatically eliminates your stress, stretches out your muscles, and helps you feel stronger and more in tune with your own body and mind. Because it has both physical and mental benefits, yoga is one of the most effective forms of exercise you can do to quickly make a noticeable difference in how healthy you look and feel.
5. Avoid Allergens
If you’re allergic to pollen or grass or have any other allergies that crop up seasonally, it’s likely that you are allergic to certain foods and drinks as well. Stop consuming these edible allergens to feel healthier in no time. If you’re allergic to pollen, stay away from almonds, apples, cherries, carrots, and peaches. If you’re allergic to grass, don’t eat melons, tomatoes, or oranges. For any other seasonal allergies that aren’t as easily definable, avoid alcohol.
6. Moisturize
Skin needs hydration, too. If you feel like your skin looks dull, dry, or aged, it’s likely because you haven’t been keeping up with a sufficient moisturizing routine. Regularly moisturizing the skin all over your body (not just your face and hands) helps combat signs of aging and adds a youthful, bright glow to your skin. Make it a habit to moisturize twice per day. Use a light moisturizer with SPF protection in the morning and a heavier cream at night.
7. Think Positive Thoughts
The health of your mind is just as important as the health of your body. In fact, the two components of your being are inextricably linked. Taking steps to increase the health of your mind in turn helps you look healthier physically as well. One of the best ways to increase your mental health immediately is to think positive thoughts consistently and unfailingly.
When you’re sitting in commuter traffic on the way home from work with a giant scowl on your face, force yourself to recount three things that happened within your day for which you feel grateful. If you feel like your dreams of six-pack abs will never come true, remind yourself that tomorrow is another day with more opportunities for positive progress. Positive thoughts don’t always come naturally, but making a conscious effort to incorporate more positivity into your thinking patterns has a transformative effect on your mental and physical health.
Being healthy doesn’t have to be an incredibly lengthy process. Of course, making huge changes in your appearance and the way your body feels naturally takes time. While you’re waiting for big signs of progress, keep yourself from getting discouraged by making minor lifestyle changes to look and feel healthier without the wait.
