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Looking to make your health a priority? Luckily, getting healthier doesn't have to mean an entire overhaul of your lifestyle. Instead, simple, doable health tweaks can be easier to implement and stick with — and that means you're more likely to see results.1
Ready to jump into a healthier lifestyle? Use our tips below to get started.
1. Mix Up Your Plate
Stuck in a rut when it comes to the meals you eat? Adding more variety to your plate can help ensure you are getting a wider range of nutrients in your daily diet. It has also been shown to add diversity to your gut bacteria, which is a key component of health.2
One study found that eating more healthy foods could extend your lifespan by six to seven years for most adults. Those who begin eating healthier foods as young adults could see increases of nearly a decade.2
2. Call Your Loved Ones
Contact your mom or an uncle. Or a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Studies have found that maintaining strong, healthy relationships with friends and family can have positive impacts on our physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.3
Not sure where to start? Try one of these:4
- Check in with friends and family through a quick call or text.
- Reconnect with old friends through email or social media.
- Nurture existing friendships by planning a coffee date or dinner out.
- Develop new friendships by connecting with people in your neighborhood or from work.
3. Be Sober Curious
Concerned about your current relationship with alcohol? Consider being sober curious. Unlike individuals who decide to completely stop drinking all alcohol, those in the sober curious movement choose to avoid alcohol for a period of time for personal or health reasons.5
Cutting out alcohol, even temporarily, can have some major health benefits, too:6
- Improved sleep
- Increased mental clarity
- Weight loss
- Improved liver function
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer
4. Set Limits — Real Limits — on Your Screen Time
It's easy to say you want to spend less time on your phone, but it's hard to stop scrolling, binge-watching or messaging at 9 p.m. after a long day. Don't rely on your willpower alone. Set actual limits on your device that will turn off apps or your whole device after a certain amount of time.7
Limiting your screen time can help improve your physical and mental health, boost your mood, increase your social interactions and enhance your sleep quality.8 Once you've met the app's time limit for the day, you'll be more likely to get the shut-eye, social time or workout your body will benefit from.
5. Reevaluate Your Work-From-Home Setup
If you're still working from home, it's time to reevaluate the healthiness of your situation. Is your workstation ergonomic? Do you have clear boundaries (physical and/or time) between your work and home life? Have you made physical exercise and social engagement a priority and part of your WFH life too?9 While working from home can have its benefits, small tweaks can ensure you aren't sacrificing your health for productivity.
6. Discover — and Fix — Nutrient Deficiencies
Do you ever pop a multivitamin “just because"? Instead of guessing what your body might be nutritionally deficient in, get blood work done to find out which supplements and vitamins will actually best support your health. Being low in nutrients like iron, B-12 or vitamin D could be negatively impacting your physical and mental health. Check with your primary care physician for vitamin deficiency tests or opt for an at-home test.10
7. Make Exercise Enjoyable
Skip the cardio slog. No one likes doing something they don't enjoy, so make exercise easier by choosing something you love to do. Whether it's tap dancing or walking with a friend, playing soccer on a rec team or swimming laps with a favorite podcast, find a way to stay active that you look forward to instead of dread.11
8. Start Your Day With a Glass of Water
Water makes up 50%–70% of our bodies and is key for a wide range of functions — from carrying nutrients to cells and cushioning joints to helping regulate body temperature. But according to the Harvard Medical School, most adults aren't getting enough. Help your body stay hydrated by starting each day with a full glass of water, and aim for four to six cups a day by having a carafe or insulated bottle with you during the day.12
9. Find Your Om
The benefits of meditation have been well documented: pain relief, stress and anxiety reduction, depression support and improvement to overall well-being, to name a few.13 But finding a meditation style that meshes with your lifestyle and personality is key.
Luckily, there are dozens of apps that can help. Whether you prefer guided meditation or one focused only on breathing, meditation designed to be done while walking or one that you can do at your desk, finding the right style of meditation that you connect with can unlock a world of mental health benefits.13
10. See Your Doctor
As they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." If you can't remember the last time you went to the doctor, be proactive and schedule a physical exam this year. Getting an overall physical including blood work, skin cancer check and hearing and vision exams can be key preventative measures for men and women to catch issues before they become serious medical problems.14
11. Support Your Eyesight
If your work and leisure hours involve more and more screen time, prioritize your eyesight by scheduling an eye exam. Make your screen time better for your eyeballs with ergonomically placed screens and anti-glare filters, and give your eyes a break throughout the day with the American Optometric Association's 20-20-20 rule: Take a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away.15
Take Charge of Your Health and Wellness
If you are looking for an option to help manage your health and wellness finances, consider the CareCredit credit card. The CareCredit card can help you pay for the care you want and need and make payments easy to manage.* Apply today and use our Acceptance Locator to find a provider or retailer near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your account, find a provider on the go, and easily access the Well U hub for more great articles, podcasts, and videos.
Author Bio
Kate Bayless is a health and wellness freelance writer with 15 years of experience. Her work has appeared in Parents, Women's Health, Beachbody, and OpenFit.
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