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5 Tips for a Healthier YOU

Here at Supplementally Speaking, it’s our mission to provide all types of health and wellness information to keep our audience well in body, mind and spirit. There’s no shortage of tips, tricks, and wellness to-dos on the internet these days – why not throw a few of our ideas into the mix, too?

  1. Move. Old news, but still so true. According to the Centers for Disease Control, adults need a combination of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise each week. Shoot for at least an hour and fifteen minutes of vigorous exercise (like running) or two and a half hours of moderate exercise (such as brisk walking), plus two sessions of body or strength work (like weight lifting or yoga) each week.Spreading the minutes out through a few sessions a day makes it easier to achieve your minutes.
  2. Enjoy (good food). The more complicated a diet or eating plan, the more difficult it can be to maintain. Focus your diet on whole, healthy foods you prepare at home. USDA Economic Research Service studies show an average of an additional 134 calories per meal or snack eaten outside the home.2 And how you eat matters, too. Enjoy meals in a relaxed environment with loved ones and they’re sure to feed your soul, too.  
  3. Learn. A previous Supplemental Speaking post, Aging is Inevitable—Do Your Mind Right discusses the attributes of “superagers”, a group of older Americans who maintain memory skills of much younger ones. Continuing to seek out opportunities to learn is a key component of healthy aging and a noted habit of the “superagers”.
  4. Nurture. Studies show happy marriages may lead to longer lives and lower risk for disease, obesity and depression.3 And friendships are important too—they improve confidence, decrease feelings of loneliness and help during challenging times.4 Make time with loved ones a priority and nurture those important relationships that nurture you. 
  5. Challenge.An extension of continued learning, challenge refers to pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. Exposure to new things stretches your body and your mind, making them stronger. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn French, take a kickboxing class or tour another country to learn the culture. It’s time to break out that bucket list and check some items off.

References:

1- Current Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/current-guidelineslink opens in a new window

2 “Eating Out Increases Daily Calorie Intake.” USDA ERS, United States Department of Agriculture, 1 June 2010. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.

3- Savedge, Jenn. “Being in a healthy relationship may help you live longer.” MNN - Mother Nature Network, Mother Nature Network, 31 May 2017. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.

4 “The health benefits of good friends.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 28 Sept. 2016. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.