Simple steps to a healthier you

What are you doing to your body each day? Are you taking good care of it or are you causing your body to deal with a lot of unnecessary stress, lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits, and improper exercise? Not too many people take the time to make their bodies healthier and all it takes is just a few simple steps each day to dramatically increase your lifespan and to live a happier, healthier life.

Step # 1 - Start with rest
Our bodies need time to rest and relax. Always make sure you are getting at least 8-10 hours of rest each night in order to allow your body to rejuvenate itself. Rest is one of the best ways to manage stress and to improve your overall well-being. Set a schedule for when you will go to bed and try to stick to this schedule each day so you can get enough rest for your body to be healthier.

Step # 2 - Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress but to also help your entire body to be healthier. Exercise will allow the heart and muscles to stay in shape and to be healthy but it also helps to prevent too much fatty tissue from building up in the body and blocking the arteries and other things. Exercise helps to cleanse the blood and it also helps to release endorphins into the body, which will improve your mood and allow you to feel better. Exercise helps you to keep stress levels under control and it has been shown to help many individuals that struggle to fight depression. Every day you need to focus on 30 minutes or more of good cardiovascular exercise. This can include a combination of weights and aerobics but it can also include swimming, hiking, running, and other activities that challenge your body.

Step # 3 - Eat healthier
One of the best things we can do to live healthier lives is by improving our diets. You are what you eat and why not eat foods that help to improve your body? Start planning your meals so you don't end up needing to stop off at a fast-food restaurant because you are in a hurry. By taking the time to make a healthy sandwich for lunch or to plan out your dinners, you will be able to include the foods you may have been missing in your diet. You can now turn to carrots for a snack instead of potato chips or you can drink a glass of orange juice in the morning instead of coffee. Do things that will make your body healthier and fuel it right by increasing your intake of vegetables. If you don't like to eat some of the vegetables, try making a vegetable drink. A beet or rhubarb drink is a great way to get in all the veggies you need for the day and to provide your body with the right type of fuel to give you energy for many hours.

Step # 4 - Watch your stress
We often bite off more than we can chew and this will cause our stress levels to get out of control. You must learn to control your stress and this can be helped by setting a schedule for yourself each day so you don't feel unorganized and get stressed. One other thing you can do is to ask your boss for a lighter work load. This will also help you to have lower stress levels. Managing your finances properly is a great way to keep your stress under control and to prevent health problems from happening. Take time for yourself each day. Even if it is 15 minutes of resting in the bathtub, your body will benefit in many ways.

Step # 5 - Take a multivitamin
Every day we need to take vitamins if we aren't getting them in our foods. A multivitamin is a great way to get all the essentials we need to our bodies need to function properly. Many of the vitamins will allow your skin to stop drying out and you will notice your skin seems more radiant and healthy when you start taking a multivitamin.