Building & Maintaining Health
After recently experiencing a 10-day hospital stay, I have found myself in the position of having to rebuild my stamina and muscle tone.
I have found the following Best Practices to be highly beneficial in assisting with cognitive and physical health:
1. Enforce Bedtime for Yourself.
Sleep experts recommend trying to get 7 to 8 hours of Z's per night. The key to getting enough shut-eye is going to bed earlier and developing a wind-down routine before bed. Shut down everything electronic--yes, that means your TV, laptop, tablet, and phone--and dim the lights in the 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Spend time reading, meditating, taking a bath, or doing something else calming.
2. Take Steps to Stress Less.
Speaking of meditating, you don't just have to limit it to bedtime. For some people, taking some time to meditate or take a microbreak at some point during the day can be beneficial. Another idea: Ask for help. A lot of times we don't want people to know what we're going through. We're trying to be so private. We think we have to do everything, but that can lead to stress. Knowing when to ask for help is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of power. This might mean hiring a babysitter, asking your partner or kids to pitch in more with household chores, or seeing if friends or family members can do you a favor in a pinch.
3. Make Sure You're Not Just Pushing Fruits and Veggies on Your Kids.
We give our kids an eating plan, but so many times, we neglect to give ourselves that same eating plan. We say, "I'll eat after I get them off to school" and then they come home from school and you still haven't eaten. Even if you can't find fresh fruits or vegetables, you can still get frozen. Sneak veggies into a morning omelet, as fruits and veggies to a lunchtime salad and include a side of veggies with dinner each night.
4. Add Something Extra.
Include 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, an immune-supporting antioxidant, in your everyday routine. Make vitamin C-rich foods, like citrus fruits, frozen berries, or mango part of your diet.
5. Keep Up the Exercise.
First things first: Schedule exercise the same way you'd schedule a haircut or a pedicure. It's about prioritizing yourself. If you can't go outside due to the weather or other conditions, incorporate bouts of fitness throughout the day. Do crunches while you watch TV, do 10 to 15 squats after each trip to the bathroom, or do lunges while waiting for water to boil in the kitchen.
6. Don't Forget to Ward Off Allergies.
They're not just a spring problem. There are other preventative measures you can take if certain seasons make you sneezy. On bad allergy days, keep the windows closed and shower immediately after coming indoors. Ensure you wash linens and vacuum to reduce dust, pollen, and other allergens, as well as putting a hypoallergenic filter in your HVAC system.
7. Do Your Best to Maintain Healthy Habits.
Use an incremental, small simple steps approach to change bad habits and a multi-pronged approach for adopting new healthy habits. Dress appropriately for the weather, (hello, layers!), wash your hands regularly with warm water and soap (use hand sanitizer when on the go), stay hydrated and teach young people to do the same. Likewise, model good behavior, like keeping your hands away from your face and covering your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Adopting these Best Practices have helped me to recover and gain greater health and happiness and I hope these Best Practices will help you stay healthy and happy, too! :)