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Timeless Tips for Better Living

During this time of COVID-19, everyone is dealing with multiple stressors and concerns. Staying healthy is always important, but, during these difficult times, it’s more important than ever. Not only is taking the recommended steps to help stop the spread of coronavirus essential, but it’s also necessary to work to lead a healthy lifestyle so that we can better fight the virus if we do become infected.

Take a look at these timeless tips for better health and well-being. These tips encompass a diverse range of areas needed to achieve total wellness, including physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Keep in mind that Health Edco has a wide variety of health education resources covering multiple health topics to help any audience learn about and establish healthy lifestyle patterns to create total wellness.




Exercise regularly, rest adequately, and eat nutritiously

Regular exercise is an important habit. It can help prevent some diseases, increase your energy level, aid in managing stress, and help you reach or maintain a healthy weight. Balanced exercise is important—do aerobic exercise to benefit your cardiovascular system, strength training to improve muscle tone, and stretching to enhance flexibility. Look for ways to incorporate more physical activity into your day, every day.

Your body also needs rest. This means getting enough sleep each night (approximately 8 hours for the average person).

Additionally, a balanced diet with foods from every food group is essential to your body’s health. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low–fat milk products, and choose lean protein. Know the limits on saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and sodium. Also, make sure you get plenty of fluids. Some people follow the general guideline of eight 8-ounce (240-mL) glasses of water each day.



Our Balancing Act of Food and Fitness is a fun activity to teach
the importance of the balance between food and physical activity.


Take care of your heart

One of the most important organs to care for is your heart. Maintaining healthy blood pressure reduces your risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure. Lowering your LDL cholesterol level and raising your HDL cholesterol level also reduce your chance of heart disease. Check with your healthcare professional to determine your appropriate body mass and resting heart rate and the best ways for you to reach and maintain them.



Avoid destructive habits

Choose to develop healthy routines that can help you lead a healthy life. Some people choose to risk their health. They develop unhealthy habits such as alcohol abuse, smoking, and drug use. Alcohol consumption contributes to millions of deaths worldwide each year as a result of alcohol-related diseases and accidents. Smoking accounts for millions of deaths from cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and stroke. Drug use may result in overdose or in risky behaviors that can expose people to hepatitis, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Poor eating and exercise habits may lead to heart disease, unhealthy weight gain, or vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The decision to maintain healthy routines is potentially lifesaving.



Practice safe behaviors

Safe behaviors, such as wearing a seat belt, are important. Seat belt use can significantly increase your chances of surviving a vehicle crash. It can also reduce your risk of serious injury in the event of a vehicle collision. Children who are properly restrained by seat belts and car seats also have increased chances of survival and reduced risk of injury. Avoiding situations in which you or a person you know drives while intoxicated can also help protect you and others. Physical coordination and alertness can be impaired by very small amounts of alcohol and other drugs.

Another safe behavior that can keep you healthy is practicing caution in your sex life. Using a male latex or polyurethane condom or a female condom can help prevent many STDs. However, condoms can fail and may not cover all the areas affected by an STD. The only 100% effective way to prevent the transmission of an STD is abstinence. Sex within a committed, monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is also a safe sexual behavior.



Our Wheel of Choices Game helps players
learn how their choices and behaviors matter.


Take responsibility for your health

Preventive healthcare is just as important as taking care of a known health problem. Regular appointments with a healthcare professional may detect health problems such as heart disease, cancer, dental problems, and eye disease before they become disabling or fatal. Work with your healthcare professionals to determine regular exam schedules. Follow your healthcare professionals’ advice, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are uncertain about something, such as a prescription drug. Be sure you understand and follow the directions for the health products you use.



Manage stress and time

Your mind and your body work in unison. For this reason, stress can result in physical problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, headaches, and digestive disorders. Determine the source of your stress. Correct or change the situation if possible. Learn relaxation techniques, get a massage, or exercise to help relieve stress.

Time management is also an important skill. Managing your time well can help reduce your stress level. You may want to prioritize your activities and eliminate the ones that are the least important. Learn to listen to your body and your mind. Say “no” when you need to, and plan time to relax and rest.



Have a positive outlook

Difficulties, problems, pain, and losses in life are normal. They happen to everyone. The difference between people who dwell in negativity and people who live positively is attitude. Difficult experiences can often become opportunities to learn. A positive attitude can make all the difference.



Recognize and meet your individual needs

Each person has unique needs. Meeting these needs makes people feel satisfied and gives them a sense of well-being. You might need time alone or time with family and friends; you might need to be challenged. Identify the things that you need to feel satisfied and to have a sense of well-being, and make them a part of your life.



Our Stress and You Folding Display is an effective
teaching resource for stress management.


Find purpose in life

Everyone has unique talents, abilities, interests, and values. You may find purpose for your life in sharing your unique gifts with others. Perhaps you find satisfaction in helping others, promoting environmental issues, teaching, or parenting. The things that give you joy or help feel vital can increase your sense of purpose.



Determine your values

Values are the standards by which people measure the things in their lives. They often reflect what is most important to people. Some see values as standards for behavior; others see values as standards for what is important in life. Activities that conflict with your values can cause guilt and internal struggle. Determining your values will help you choose activities and behaviors consistent with them so that you can live your life according to the values you have chosen.



Seek harmony

A positive self-image is important to your sense of well-being. Accept yourself with all your strengths and weaknesses. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you make. Have confidence that you can make positive changes in your life. Reach out to the people around you. Work to develop and maintain strong, healthy, lasting, and meaningful relationships. Seek spiritual renewal daily from your source of spiritual strength.



Know how you feel

Feelings can be spontaneous, uncontrollable responses to situations. Whether you feel joy, anger, jealousy, excitement, loneliness, compassion, fear, or hope, admit that you feel a certain way. Identify the emotions you feel. Explore why you feel a particular way about a particular situation. Some feelings may be unexpected or unwanted, but feelings in themselves are not wrong.



Express and communicate feelings appropriately

Although your feelings may be spontaneous responses to situations, your responses to them should not always be. Acting immediately on emotions without considering how your behavior will affect you and others is not responsible and can hurt you and others. Anger can be expressed appropriately and does not have to result in a tantrum or violence. Talking to people who will listen may help you find the best, most appropriate way to express your emotions. Be clear and honest when discussing your feelings, and avoid threatening others.



Keep balance in your life

Work to find a balance in all areas of your life. Balancing work with recreation and time alone with time spent with others will contribute to good emotional health.



Maintain a sense of well-being during times of adversity

Everyone struggles at different points in life. Look for ways to overcome obstacles. Learn to accept the circumstances you cannot change, and find ways to change those you can. Keep in mind that circumstances come and go. Do not base your self-worth on a particular set of circumstances. Your self-worth is not determined by a poor grade, a lost job, a failure at a particular task, a divorce, or a difficult disagreement with someone important to you. Keep your focus on the good things around you and on the other things in your life that give you lasting joy.



Find and develop close relationships

Deep, lasting relationships are a source of happiness and comfort. A few intimate friends can share in your joys and help you in times of sorrow. Close friends are the people who know both your good and bad sides. A close relationship develops over time and is based on honesty and trust. To develop a close relationship, you must be willing to give of yourself and to receive from the other person.



Also available in a girls version , our Your New Body: Boys Folding
Display
helps boys understand the importance of choosing friends wisely.


Act assertively, but with courtesy and respect

Assertiveness means that you clearly state what you think or how you feel. It does not mean that you force your will on others; nor does it mean that you simply submit to the will others. Be courteous but firm. Treat others and yourself with respect and tolerance. Do what you think is right, and stand up for what you believe.



Interact well with others

You may interact daily with dozens of people, even if only over the phone or via email or web meetings. Depending on your attitude, these moments can be either pleasant or unpleasant. Approaching other people with respect and tolerance generally results in a satisfying interaction for everyone. Be willing to compromise, to admit that you can be wrong, and to disagree on a topic without making the disagreement personal. How you relate to others affects you, as well. Peace with the people around you can have a positive impact on your own sense of wellness.



Learn More

Covering multiple health topics, including nutrition, physical activity, heart health, drugs, tobacco, sex education, stress management, and many more, Health Edco has the educational materials that can inspire healthier habits in audiences of all ages. Shop by Health Edco’s health education subjects to get started.


The information in this article is not intended to replace the advice of a healthcare professional.


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