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Health & Fitness

Happiness: 7 Step Plan For Better Health

Happiness: 7 Step Plan For Better Health

 

  1. Commit to yourself.  Take 30 minutes each day devoted to you alone.  During this time, evaluate your current situation with work and at home.  You can always find ways to make improvements. Set specific goals and an action plan to achieve these goals in a specified timeframe.  Think about your personal identity.  Is it tied to one area alone or many different areas?  People whose personal identity is bound to their profession alone can experience burnout more easily.
  2. Make healthy food choices.  Care for your own bodies as you would a child’s or a beloved friend’s whom you want to be around for a long time.  Would you offer them soda, candy, junk food and fried foods?  Making any small change today will be significant, like replacing sugary drinks with water during meals instead.  Obesity is on a sharp rise along with the numerous health problems associated with it. 
  3. Get more sleep.  Develop a natural and regular sleep/wake cycle.  Aim for 7-9 hours of undisturbed sleep.  It may mean cutting out those late night shows to be asleep a couple of hours earlier.  50% of people are not sleeping enough as they attempt to cram more into their already busy lives.  Being sleep deprived causes poor performance, bad moods, diminished energy levels and weight gain.
  4. Exercise.  Fit it in somehow!  I have devoted many weeks to writing about how to sneak in exercise by breaking it up throughout the day, whether it is on lunch break, with the kids, at home or at the gym.   Finding activities you enjoy will allow you to exercise without even trying.  Your goal is 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. ¼ of all adults do not exercise, which leads to obesity, chronic disease, and disability.
  5. Prioritize.  Realize that there are only 24 hours in a day. Cut out those extra things by learning to say “no” to checking your email numerous times a day, unreasonable hours at the office or other unnecessary activities that waste time.  Learn to say “yes” to more time spent with your family and friends, a weekly yoga class or date with your spouse.  Think of 3 things that you’d like to say “yes” to today to lower your level of stress.  1/3 of Americans report feeling extreme stress, which also comes with numerous health problems.
  6. Live in the moment.  Life is to be enjoyed as a series of moments in the present.  Do not dwell in the past or live only for what is to come in the future.  Happiness and a positive outlook on life are associated with better health and taking fewer sick days.  
  7. Stay balanced.  One of the hardest tasks is to find balance in your life.  Whatever your situation, try to balance work and stressful activities with the comfort that comes from relationships with family and friends.  Attempt to reconnect and stay in touch with the people you care about.  Lonely people have higher blood pressure, become sick more often and are more likely to die from a heart attack or cancer than those who feel connected to others.

 

Conshohocken Physical Therapy is not an ordinary Physical Therapy clinic. We believe in changing your life. We are driven by the desire to make a positive impact, both personally and therapeutically, on every person who enters our office.

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You will experience pain relief, improved motion and a greater quality of life. Our approach is friendly, evidence-based and innovative and our Doctors of Physical Therapy have the most specialized training in treating your body.

Learn more about Conshohocken Physical Therapy by visiting us online at www.conshypt.com.

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