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How To Get Healthy Now!You might read through books about getting healthy and think to yourself, Okay, okay, enough with the witticisms and such…just tell me plain and simple what I need to do to get healthy right now. If that is what you are looking for, read on. You may be surprised at how easy it is to get healthy.
Think about what your doctor is always telling you to do. There are things that almost every doctor will tell everyone because these things are generally regarded as healthy no matter what the circumstances are:
If you don't make any other changes in your life, at least take a look at the above list and change your life accordingly in order to follow the smart advice. Following these tips will inevitably make you healthier and will set your body up with the foundation it needs in order to ward off illness. When you peruse the above list you'll realize that the things mentioned are not all that hard to do; it's just a matter of making an effort. What makes you feel your healthiest? Most people have some time in their lives when they have felt their healthiest, whether it's before having kids or maybe when playing sports in high school. You should try to remember at what point in your life did you feel the healthiest, and then figure out what was different about that time as opposed to right now. Did you weigh less then? Were you getting more exercise? Was there less stress in your life? If you can pinpoint the factors in the past that made you feel healthy and then incorporate them into your life in present day then you have a better chance of coming out of it as healthy - or nearly as healthy, or healthier - than you were back in your glory days. If there has never been a time in your life when you have felt particularly healthy then you may want to instead think back to a time when you felt the least healthy, and then try to avoid the same lifestyle as you had back then. When your health was lousy, what were the things you were doing in your life to perpetuate the lousy health? Did you smoke cigarettes? Were you staying up all night partying and then scrimping on sleep? Use this as a tool to make sure you never wind up back in the position of having the worst health of your life. Make it your goal to reach a point where you can honestly say that your health has never been better than it is right now. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. You don't have to join a gym in order to work out. You don't have to hire a nutritionist in order to eat right. You don't need to invest in expensive Feng Shui décor in order to make your room as conducive to a good night's sleep as possible. It's not a difficult task to get healthy. You can do simple things to get healthy that will be just as beneficial as the things you would hire someone else to tell you to do. If you have the money to hire people to do all the things mentioned - personal trainer, personal chef, et cetera - then go ahead and do it…just know that these things are certainly not necessary in order to get healthy. If you don't believe this, then think about those people who live on farms; many of them are extremely healthy and the reason for this is because they get physical exercise daily while also eating natural foods right off their own farms. There is no personal trainer there telling them how to exercise and there is no nutritionist standing over their shoulders to tell them what to cook. They just keep it simple, and that's the way that they stay healthy. It's not so hard that you should be intimidated about the process. STOP MAKING EXCUSES If not now, then when? Think about yourself, only think of yourself a year ago. If you could go back a year and have a talk what would you say? Perhaps one of the biggest things you would suggest to your year-ago self would be to start taking better care of yourself. Every day that goes by is another day that you could have decided to get your health in order, and another missed opportunity if you don't take advantage of it. What are you waiting for? Are you awaiting some magical motivation, or perhaps even some sort of health scare that will shock you into improving your health? Now think about yourself a year from now. How do you think a conversation with year-from-now you would go if you started taking control of your health right now? What do you think the conversation would be like if you let another full year go by without doing a single thing to improve your health? You owe it to yourself to make this the day that you start to improve your health. Even the smallest changes can make a huge difference over the long term. In fact, there are some women who claim to have lost vast amounts of weight from small changes like not putting dressing on their salads or taking a walk around the block after dinner every night. Other subtle changes like one less cigarette every day can help you too (although it's far better to stop smoking altogether, but you undoubtedly already know that). If you are waiting for some motivation to start making the healthy changes you need to make then let your motivation be the fact that you can be much healthier in a year than you are right now if you only make some changes starting today. You don't need a fancy program or expensive equipment in order to improve your health; you just need motivation. Take control of your health. You are the person who is responsible for your own health. If someone is going to take control of your health, it has to be you. It doesn't matter if someone close to you decides that he or she is going to get you healthy once and for all, because if your heart isn't in it then it's not going to stick. It can be helpful to have someone assisting you in your quest to get healthy, and it's always nice to know that someone cares enough about you in order to take interest in your health. On the other hand, if you don't care so much about your health then you may start to resent anyone who is trying to get you healthy. It's a double edged sword, really, and the only way to avoid it is to take control of everything yourself. You should be the one to make the decisions about your health, but more importantly you should be the person who decides that the time has come to get healthy. Do you need motivation to take control of your health? Just know that nobody else can make the decision for you, so it's up to you. It doesn't matter what the status of your health is…what matters is you taking control of your health right now instead of putting it off another day. Your family's influence only goes so far. Maybe you grew up with parents who were overweight, and so you just naturally assumed that you would be overweight your whole life…you figured it was in your genes, so why even fight it? The truth of the matter is that most people are overweight because of lifestyle, not because of some genetic predisposition. It's time that you got something through your head right now: you are not doomed to live like your parents. You cannot use that as an excuse, at least not as a valid one. Many women use this excuse for other bad habits too, such as smoking, drinking, and other vices. They claim that they witnessed their parents doing it, so they naturally assumed it was okay, and forevermore they are destined to repeat the pattern. Nothing could be further from the truth! Although it is true that parents are a huge influence on their children, there is simply no truth to the idea that you are destined to have the same bad health habits as your parents. You are your own person, whole and complete, and you make the decision whether or not to follow the bad example of the people around you. Don't blame your physical maladies on someone else if they are nothing more than the result of poor health habits. It's time to take control of your health, and to take responsibility for the things you do. GIVE UP THE HYPOCHONDRIAC TENDENCIES Sometimes a sneeze is just a sneeze. Some women love drama. Do you know that the term "hysterical" is a feminine word? That's why it sounds so similar to "hysterectomy." The word was invented by doctors who were of the frame of mind that only women could be hysterical, and therefore it made perfect sense to dub the term with a word that had a root base within femininity. Although not all women are hysterical and histrionic, it's true that there are some women out there who are absolutely convinced that there must be something wrong with them, even if they can't put their finger on it. Of course, there are men like this too, but women must take care not to get paranoid when it comes to their health if there is no real reason to panic. If you spend more time at your doctor's office than you do grocery shopping, there's a problem. This is assuming, of course, that there is not something seriously wrong with you…if you are that sick then you would probably be hospitalized, wouldn't you? If you find that every cough, sneeze, ache, or pain makes you immediately jump to the conclusion that you are going to die from some exotic disease then you may indeed fall into the category of hypochondriac behavior. There is no shame in asking your doctor, "Doctor, tell me the truth. Do you think I'm a hypochondriac?" Your doctor may actually welcome this discussion because it opens up the lines of communication to talk about something that may be a real problem for you. It's true that you may not be a hypochondriac in the clinical sense - there are certain things you must do for a certain amount of time before you can actually qualify for a diagnosis of something like this - but it may indeed be that you spend far too much time worrying about the diseases and illnesses that you might contract instead of worrying about living life right now. If this sounds like you then you need to figure out a way to stop fretting about what might happen and start thinking about how you can improve your health now so you never have to deal with those exotic diseases that you are so afraid of. After all, the best defense is a good offense, right? On the other hand, don't ignore illness. The flip side to having hypochondriac tendencies is that you may just choose to ignore every sign of illness you encounter, even if you know that the culmination of your symptoms potentially point to something bigger. Some women ignore illness because they simply don't have the time to deal with it, while other women ignore it because they are too scared that it may be indicative of a bigger problem and they figure they are better off just not knowing. It's usually okay to ignore an occasional cold or stomach ache, but when these things don't go away or are coupled with other alarming symptoms then it's time to head to the doctor to get checked out. There aren't documented instances when ignoring a major medical problem made it magically disappear. Pay attention to your body and don't ignore it when it's trying to tell you something. Pay attention to your family's medical history. The reason why it's important to know about your family's medical history is because there are certain diseases and ailments that can be passed on from one person to another in their genes. You may not actually inherit a disease, but having family members who have it may give you a predisposition to it. That's why doctors will ask you whether people in your immediate family have diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses. If you don't know your family's medical history then make a point of finding out. You may discover something that you didn't know that might push you to get healthier…maybe you didn't realize that the majority of your father's family suffers from Type II Diabetes, and the realization of that might be enough to get you to start taking your health seriously. If you do not have access to your family's health history, either because you are adopted, or you don't speak with your family, or everyone in your family has passed away, then you can always consult with a genetic counselor if there comes an instance when you simply have to know (such as before deciding to have a baby or some other instance). One thing is for sure: you should not ignore your family's medical history because your older relatives may be a glimpse of what is in store for you. You can avoid certain ailments with healthy living, but some conditions are pervasive regardless of your lifestyle. Do you really want to get healthy? How long will you spend reading about the process of getting healthy before you actually take notice and do something about it? Here is what you should do right now:
When you have completed these tasks you're ready to read more about the other things you need to do to get healthy.
RECOGNIZE YOUR SUPERWOMAN TENDENCIES "That's just how I am." If you are the kind of woman who burns the candle at both ends then you have probably had to defend yourself to people who tell you that you need to relax a little. Maybe you justify things by telling people that you enjoy being busy and that's just the way you like your life to be: full of activities and responsibilities. Have you ever stopped to think, however, if this is actually a true statement, or instead is something that you say to get people off your back? Sometimes women can tell people something enough that it actually becomes true to them…in other words, if you tell people that you like to be busy enough times then eventually you start to actually believe it yourself. Is it actually true that you prefer being busy? If you take the time to think about it you may actually discover that you don't like being so incredibly busy and you don't really like having such a high stress level all the time. If you aren't sure, then think of it this way: what if you could get rid of a quarter of the things you have to do…would you be happier, or would you be bored out of your mind? Chances are that you would enjoy having a little more time to relax and spend time doing something other than obligatory projects. Of course, there are some women who would go a little crazy without having their hands in everything, and if that is truly the way that they are then that's fine. If you are like most women, however, when you tell people that being busy is your favorite way to be, you're actually just making an excuse for your hectic life and not necessarily telling the truth. How can you hope to be healthy if you are constantly pushing your body and mind beyond what you should? Is it by choice, or because it's expected of you? Some women fill up their schedules because they think that's what they're supposed to do. Other women do it because they feel as though they might lose their identity if they don't have a ton of stuff to do. There are other women still, however, who really don't have much of a choice about being busy. Single moms, for example, might find themselves having to work full time while taking care of their kids all by themselves. Some single moms have to take on two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and some single moms attend school on top of everything else they need to do. It isn't only single moms who invite stress into their lives out of necessity. Some women find that they have to care for an ailing spouse or parent while also handling all the other necessities of life. In these instances, it is all too easy to allow health to take a back seat to everything else. These women trudge through everything regardless of illness or fatigue, and usually this means that it takes longer to get over any illness…or the illness winds up getting worse before it gets better. If you are a woman who is in this type of situation to where you find yourself stressed out but with nowhere to turn for help, you should know that there are actually some things that you can do. For example, there are plenty of local organizations that supply respite care to caregivers and single moms. If you feel weird about asking for help, just stop for a moment and imagine how nice it would be to have an afternoon to yourself once in a while. You become a better caregiver/mother/worker when you actually have some time to rest once in a while. If people offer you help then you should seriously consider accepting. Why not slow down? Really, why shouldn't you slow down? There are dozens of reasons why you should slow down, including your health and your mental stability. If you are one of the lucky women who can actually slow down the pace of things - either by declining new requests or by outsourcing some of the things you usually do - then why in the world wouldn't you? Do you really think that the world will come crashing down if you don't personally handle everything at work, home, church, school, or wherever else you are involved? The truth of the matter is that there will always be someone who can do just as good of a job as you can, although you may need to be the one to train someone if they are going to do as well as you do. Have you ever actually made an effort to slow down? Your health will truly benefit from a slower pace in your life, so if your hope is to be healthier then there is so much more to it than exercising and eating right. The way that you deal with stress - and the amount of stress you allow into your life - play a major role in whether or not you are healthy. Keep this in mind when you try to decide whether or not to accept a new project someone asks you to do. PEOPLE COUNTING ON YOU Kids take a lot out of you. What an understatement it is to say that kids take a lot out of mothers. Consider the fact that pregnancy alone is an incredible process that can sometimes be to the mother's physical detriment, and then think about the years thereafter when mothers lose sleep in order to care for the children. When you add the additional stress of simply being a mother, then you begin to realize that the position of "Mom" is something that can actually hurt your overall health. Considering that most moms do their best to always put their own needs last, it is no surprise that mothers really need to make a concerted effort to pay attention to their own needs. Some moms actually feel guilty any time they put their own needs first because they feel as though their kids should always be the main priority and anything less makes them a bad mom. If you find yourself feeling this way often then you should realize that no kid wants a harried mom who waits on the kids hand and foot (okay, most kids don't want that), and would greatly prefer having a mom who is generally healthy and refreshed and who teaches them how to be relatively self-sufficient. This is certainly not to suggest that you ignore your kids, but instead that you don't fall into the trap of going from mother to indentured servant. Every mother knows that it's tempting to forget about yourself and put everything into your children, but this is simply not good for your health, or for your sanity. Women become caretakers frequently. Whether you are taking care of the kids, or an aging parent, or someone else who cannot care for themselves, it is most often women who wind up taking care of everyone. This is whether or not the woman is employed or in school…it all just seems to fall square on a woman's shoulders to care for the people around her. This is a noble calling, of course, but you need to make sure that while you care for everyone else you are also caring for yourself. If you look at official statistics, the difference between the number of women acting as caretakers and the number of men providing the same type of care to loved ones is dramatic. Women even seem to fall into the position of caretaker when the person being cared for is not even a blood relative (for example, a mother-in-law). If you have no choice but to become someone's caretaker (or if you do it eagerly by choice) then you need to pay attention to your own health as well. It's a tough task to care for someone else yet still care for yourself, and that is why you need to make a conscious effort to not always put everyone else ahead of you. Besides, if you get too tired or ill to take care of yourself, how in the world will you take care of everyone else? Take that into consideration before you start to feel guilty about taking time to yourself to build your energy back up. Are you trying to prove something? While you are reflecting on why you allow yourself to get so exhausted sometimes, you should take into consideration the possibility that you might actually be doing everything to prove something to someone. Are you trying to show your husband that he made the right decision by marrying such a strong woman? Are you trying to demonstrate to your daughter that women can indeed do everything? Are you attempting to change your parents' opinions that women cannot do very much in the world? It's important to recognize if you are running yourself ragged because of some innate desire to prove something to someone or perhaps even to the world. Once you realize that you're taking on too many tasks and doing too many things just because you are trying to - essentially - impress someone, then that may give you the fuel you need to slow things down. You should also realize that some people will never change, regardless of what is presented to you. If your uncle has always said that women are worthless, yet he sees you juggling a job and a family with what appears to be the greatest of ease, he may maintain his chauvinistic stance regardless. Instead of trying to change the world and everyone in it, first concentrate on prioritizing your own life and making sure that you are getting the rest that you need in order to stay healthy. Change your health before you attempt to change the world. Women are consistently exhausted and stressed out beyond belief, simply because many of life's responsibilities seem to land on women more often than men. It's that stress that can be extremely detrimental to women's bodies and seriously affect their health. Women feel no qualms about popping vitamins in an attempt to stay healthy, yet many feel an enormous amount of guilt any time they take some time to themselves (even though deep down they know that relaxation will actually enhance their health). You can indeed balance your work, your home life, and your social interests without stressing out and allowing your health to decline.
CONCLUSION Women's health is different from men's health, but one thing does unify both men and women: the more effort you put into being healthy, the more your body will reward you with strength, stamina, and longevity. It's important to remember that you are solely responsible for your health. It doesn't matter if you have the best doctor, the most amazing personal trainer, and a fantastic nutritionist. These people are mere augmentations to your responsibility to your body. When it comes right down to it, nobody can make you healthy if you don't want to be healthy. You also need to remember that even though the act of being a woman is innately exhausting, what with motherhood and all the other things that naturally fall upon women instead of men, you should still take the time to focus on your health. Sometimes it's difficult to take time for yourself, especially if doing so actually makes you feel guilty. Remember that the more refreshed you are, the more effectively you can handle everything life throws at you including illness and fatigue. There is no excuse not to be concerned about your health. Now is the time to take control of your health. For lots more helpful and informative content on female health and wellness conerns see our Topical Articles.
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