BETTERMENT: Making healthy lifestyle adjustments can positively affect your physical and mental health.
By Kelsey Chamberlain, Staff Editor
We live in an age where people’s lifestyles are beginning to take a turn for the worst. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975; 650 million adults were obese in 2016. In this type of climate, many people may be ill-informed of the proper ways to make healthy changes to your lifestyle and diet, including old habits to drop as well as new healthier ones to pick up. There is often a general misconception that making great lifestyle changes, whether it’s losing weight or simply living better, have to be drastic. However, there are many simple choices we make daily that, gradually, if we make the right decision, can improve our lifestyle. Whether it’s cutting back on meat, drinking more water, or exercising more, simple, attainable goals such as these can create positive change.
As popular as it may be, present day research is beginning to show that consuming meat may have some significant drawbacks. Mayo Clinic states that those who consume red meat excessively are at a higher risk of dying from heart disease, a stroke, or diabetes, while vegetarians typically consume less calories, giving them a lower weight and less risk of heart disease. There are a myriad of benefits to converting to a vegetarian or a plant based diet. A common concern when debating whether or not to convert to a vegetarian diet or diet of less meat is the issue of how the body will retain enough protein. However, there are many protein-rich meatless foods, including eggs, spinach, quinoa, and a variety of nuts, fruits, and seeds. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should choose a variety of proteins that are low in solid fats as well as calories. Eating plenty of these rather than meat can not only save your body from the potential health issues that come from eating meat, but is also a positive step for the environment. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, many types of livestock that are killed for meat and other resources release a greenhouse gas called methane, an immense contributor to global warming. A global decision to cut back on or stop eating meat entirely would greatly help ease climate change. Cutting back on meat doesn’t need to be drastic and can be done in small steps such as cutting back on your weekly intakes or choosing to give up red meat and still eat other kinds such as chicken or fish.
Another big but worthwhile step to taking care of your body is abandoning soda and drinking water instead. Soda may be adored worldwide, but, according to foodrevolution.org, there are many known drawbacks and health risks associated with consumption of soda, including risk of decline in kidney function, increased chances of becoming diabetic, increased obesity rates in children and heart disease in men, as well as dehydrating you and containing high amounts of calories, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. There are many benefits to simply drinking water instead of consuming soft drinks. Medicalnewstoday.com lists many of these, including the fact that water lubricates joints, regulates the overall temperature of the body, promotes healthy skin, helps spread oxygen throughout your body, flushes body waste, and helps maintain a healthy blood pressure.
So how much water should you drink daily? A common misconception is that eight glasses of water a day is enough. However, according to mayoclinic.com, for some people this may be too much or too little water, so they say that a good rule of thumb is 3.7 liters of water per day for men and 2.7 liters a day for women, although each person’s body is different. This may seem like a lot, and with busy schedules remembering to simply drink enough water can be difficult. However, remembering to bring a 32 ounce or higher reusable water bottle with you when you go out can help you tackle much of your daily intake, as you will have a large portion of water with you to drink throughout the day. An application called Plant Nanny, available on both the App Store and Google Play, also reminds you throughout the day to drink enough water. The app allows users to choose a plant of their liking and to keep it alive you must water it. Every time you drink an actual cup of water during the day, you can log how much water you drank and it “waters” the plant as well, keeping the plant at risk of dehydrating until you reach your daily amount, which the app calculates using body statistics as well as how much exercise you get. This is a fun and simple tool to help your body stay hydrated.
A final easy lifestyle change is remembering to exercise more often. Exercise, while tiring, is extremely important to your well being. According to genesisfitness.com, benefits of exercising for just 30 minutes a day include minimized risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes, as well as reduced stress, weight loss, and release of endorphins that improve your mood. In hindsight, 30 minutes a day, like drinking a lot of water, may not seem like a lot, but again, for those with busy schedules, this can be very hard to find. Luckily, 30 minutes can be a lot simpler than imagined. It could be a light jog around your neighborhood, a quick circuit of ab or leg exercises before bed, or a zumba instruction DVD. However, exercising is always more fun with others around, and having a partner or team there to push you to be your best can also be beneficial to your performance.
There you have it! Three simple adjustments that can positively alter your life. It is important to remember that these changes can be implemented at your own pace. If you wish to consume a soft drink every once in a while or don’t want to workout some days, that’s perfectly fine! These changes are all about balance. It is nearly impossible to immediately drop old habits, so go easy on yourself and be proud that you are doing your best and trying! If you keep working on these lifestyle changes, you will soon find that they begin to come easy. So, for the betterment of your health, give some a try!