Prioritizing your health and wellness is not an easy thing to do as an adult, and especially if you are a parent. But, as we age, we have to realize that self-care, our health, and our overall wellness (both mentally and physically) needs to be a huge priority, if not the #1 priority in your life. Struggling to make it one? Here are 5 ways to prioritize your health going forward:
Focus on yourself
For many people, especially women, taking care of themselves is not a priority. They may think about it, but actually doing it is another matter. Consider this, though: crossing off every item on your to-do list does not matter if you are sick, exhausted and depressed because guess what? You won’t be able to cross things off if you are too sick to get up and get moving and grooving. Those who are able to make their health a main focus of their lives do so by prioritizing themselves over others. This does not mean being selfish or not caring about anyone else. What it does mean is unapologetically making self-care an important part of your life, well worth your time, and effort. The result? You’ll not only be healthier but you’ll be better able to love and care for the people in your life.
A great place to start? Make sure you set aside time for doctors visits and dental visits. If you need a highly qualified dentist who is kind and gentle, Metro Decatur Dental Group PC is great for general dental health, restorative work, orthodontics, and even wisdom teeth removal in Decatur GA. Your health begins with your mouth, so if you haven’t had a dental cleaning in a while, definitely set aside time for this in 2022.
Make self-care a part of your daily schedule
How do you focus on yourself? Well, that’s easy: make it a part of your daily schedule! Finding time to exercise, eat healthy and get more sleep doesn’t just happen. It becomes a part of your life because you intentionally create time for it.
Organize your schedule to fit in workouts, meal planning, meditation (or another form of mental focusing) and sleep. You’ll soon find that a little forward planning goes a long way to help ensure you have the time you need to get and stay healthy, along with all your other commitments.
Change Your Environment
Have you ever heard the saying, “you are who you spend time with?” Well, that goes for everything else in your life, as well. People are a product of their environment and that includes the people, the foods, the order, the chaos, and so much more around them on a daily basis. If your pantry is full of chips, cookies and crackers, you’re unlikely to snack on carrot sticks. Remember: every time you buy something at the grocery store, you are making an investment in your health. Likewise, every time you work out, you’re making an investment in your fitness. If you make poor investments (unhealthy foods, not exercising), you’re not setting yourself up for success when it comes to your health and wellness. So take a hard look at your overall environment and if it’s not helping you get healthy, change it.
Read food labels
This is a relatively easy way to start with your healthy eating, if that is on your health goals in 2022. Start making it a habit to check the labels of all the foods you buy. Pay attention to how much fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, protein, trans fats, MSG, artificial coloring/flavoring and preservatives they contain. Also, notice the serving size. Based on your health goals, some of this might not matter to you and other things will. Choose what matters and check for fit!
Realize you only have one body
In life, you only get one body. Who else is going to take care of it if you don’t? That’s right…nobody! If you choose not to prioritize your health, no one else is going to prioritize it for you. You can make all the excuses in the world, but when you realize that you are in control of the changes you want to see, it is empowering. Be kind to yourself, and start where you need to start, but understand that this is not your practice life, it’s the only one there is.
