After the COVID-19 pandemic put our lives effectively on pause for most of 2020, we are getting close to returning to some normalities in 2021. Beyond getting yourself vaccinated, there is plenty more that you can do to ensure a healthy year ahead for yourself.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you look to improve your overall health.
Healthier Diet
While you may have found your eating habits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a diet change can be the foundation of getting yourself reinvigorated in 2021. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is the basic building block to help you lose weight and lower cholesterol. This diet should also minimize the amount of processed or red meats and starches, fats, and sugars. It doesn’t have to be about caloric restriction as much as it does moderation and intervention.
Besides limiting alcohol and tobacco intake, a proper diet can further include vitamins and supplements to elevate one’s cellular health further. Products like spermidine can activate the body’s cellular renewal process, known as autophagy, which gives cells the ability to regenerate and rejuvenate at high efficiency.
Such supplements like spermidine can help combat neurodegeneration by helping to increase the formation of memory cells. This reduces inflammation factors and helps alleviate some of the risks of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. This can also increase one’s life span by supporting cellular respiration through autophagy, preventing oxidative stress and age-associated cardiovascular conditions like hypertension.
Mental Health
It is okay not to be okay. 2020 definitely put our mental health to the test, be it anxiety, depression, grief, or other conditions. Taking part in a therapy session can be one of the healthiest things you can do. Therapy Group of DC is among services that offer confidential, personalized teletherapy sessions to contact expert therapists who are right for you.
With data-driven treatments, licensed therapists can help people confront everything from social anxiety to symptoms of depression. Whether it is individual therapy or group therapy, a caring and supportive environment is in place to make you feel at ease with letting what is weighing you down. Through additional information, a therapist can help design a session perfectly equipped for your struggles. For example, a psychologist may notice intimacy issues and provide insight without overstepping boundaries into what you have to say.
Proper counseling is just one step of mental health, as self-care is also imperative in allowing yourself to feel how you want to feel. In fact, something as simple as a deep, cleansing breath has a key role in boosting your mental capacity to get through whatever the day is throwing at you.
Don’t be afraid of exercise.
We all went through similar experiences in the pandemic of trying to make fitness happen. Whether you depended on turning your bedroom into your gym or waited three months for your stationary bike to be delivered, you tried to stay healthy. However, some of us felt better suited to the couch. That said, fitness is key, but you don’t need to feel as devoted as an athlete.
Routine exercise can make you feel better and help keep your weight under control. Try to stay active for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes a day, at least five days out of the week. Don’t feel like you have to train for a marathon. Current guidelines recommend just that time frame for moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Light muscle-strengthening activities should be included within that.
Don’t be afraid to make it fun for yourself with online classes or even forming a walking or running club among your friends. Whatever gets you moving and on the road to better health in what will hopefully be a better year for us all.
