By Samantha Gluck
We’ve just dipped our toes into the new year, and now’s a better time than ever to start mapping out your goals by resolving to take charge of your health. It’s all too easy to put off doctor visits and neglect basic preventative care. Taking control of your overall health is an act of love, both towards yourself and those you care most about.
Wellness is all about feeling strong and healthy so you can focus on the things that are most important to you. While you can’t always prevent illness and injuries, you do make choices every day that impact your health. Choose to make wellness your priority now.
Schedule those appointments
Making several healthcare related appointments at once may seem daunting, but it’s not that bad after you get started. You can spread them out over weeks or a couple of months, but try to schedule them all during the first quarter of the new year. Set up visits with your primary care physician, dentist, and optometrist. Women, schedule your OB/GYN appointment as well.
Put each of these appointments on your calendar and set reminders too, so you don’t forget an appointment that’s two or three weeks out. You schedule appointments for oil changes and haircuts, neither of which are as important as your health—so take care of it.
Better living through modern technology
Lifestyle improvements like better nutrition, more exercise, stress management, and adequate sleep top the list for most people. Embrace our digital lifestyles and check out some of these smartphone apps that’ll help you get your life together.
MyFitnessPal – Get the App
This free app does a great job of tracking personal eating habits. Its database includes nutrition information on millions of foods, including restaurant menus.
Fitplan – Get the App
The app provides you with step-by-step fitness training from professional athletic trainers and even big-name athletes. You choose your fitness plan based on your specific goals.
Headspace – Get the App
Taking control of your health involves more than changing your eating habits or getting more exercise. Reducing stress can improve overall happiness and help you stick to your goals. The Headspace app does just that, using an array of guided meditation modules designed to relieve stress and anxiety.
SleepCycle – Get the App
New research indicates that those who don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis have a harder time losing weight and maintaining sharp cognitive function. SleepCycle tracks quality of sleep as well as sleeping heart rate. Even better, it wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase in the morning, so you feel well-rested and ready to tackle the day ahead.
They say hindsight is 20/20, but not this time. You’re looking forward to a healthier happier New Year, not backward. Cheers to the new you!
Read more about improving your health, visit LivingMagazine.net/wellness
