It’s easy to assume that we’re the ultimate authority on our health, after all, we have to focus on our own wellbeing and we live with our own bodies. That said, unless we have thorough medical qualifications to draw on, it’s not always clear how and why certain health issues occur, or how to consider them, or even when they’re best identified.
This is what we will discuss with these great tips to stay healthy in 2024 and beyond.
Knowing our own bodies is crucial
Even a paramedic with 40 years of experience on the job will need to visit a doctor, and that doctor in turn will need to visit another medical specialist for a full picture of their health.
It’s also true that some knowledge is uniquely ours and may not require completely advanced inspections to figure out. For example, if you become very bloated and uncomfortable whenever you consume dairy, you might lay off it for a little while and eat foods that you’re not quite as sensitive to, perhaps supplementing your calcium intake elsewhere.
We all have a clear picture of our body’s own idiosyncrases and the niggles, aches and pains it has. We know what exercises we like and enjoy and which ones cause us to become uncomfortable, and we usually have a good understanding of our own unique weaknesses, some life long and some picked up through injuries etc over our lifetime.
No Doctor or Health Professional can quite know our body as intricately as we do. The same can obviously hold true for our minds. Often our mental health issues are hidden by us to the outside world, yet mental health makes a HUGE difference to over-all health and even bodily health and cannot be ignored in our quest to stay healthy in 2024 and beyond.
Understand Your Family Medical History
Not all health conditions are hereditary or genetic, but some are, and it’s always good to know if you have a predisposition to them. For example, if your family has a history of heart problems or low blood pressure then it’s always good to live a healthy lifestyle. Also to stay away from bad habits like smoking or alcohol, to eat a healthy diet and to make sure you regularly visit a cardiologist to ensure you’re in good standing.
A family issue isn’t necessarily going to affect you, but it’s good to know if it does or has the potential to. You’ll also be interested to know that there is much research out there now on the fact that just because we have a hereditary disease in our family, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be ‘switched on’ and we will become sick.
Genes And Sickness
We have way more power of our genes than that and that’s through LIFESTYLE. By leading a healthy lifestyle with low stress, a highly plant based diet and adequate exercise, we can literally change how our genes function and give ourselves way more power over our health than we once realised.
We live in exciting times these days with lots of new information and science backed studies proving how epigenetic changes can affect gene expression and turn genes ‘on’ and ‘off’. And, it’s environmental changes such as diet and exercise that is actually capable of doing this.
The Three Pillars Of Good Health
“Doing what you’re supposed to” is no guarantee of physical health. You can get good sleep, eat a good diet, and exercise, and still be at risk of a particular disease or physical issue. That said, your ability to withstand that issue, to remain strong despite it, and to ward off the chances of such an event occurring are dramatically better when you do follow those essential principles.
If you work on all three and limit vices, then you can at least know the pillars of your health are being correctly maintained.
While doing all 3 of these consistently doesn’t 100% guarantee a disease free life, you may be drastically slashing your risk of not only genetic diseases, but many diseases in general. The main ones being heart disease, cancer and diabetes. These 3 disease specifically are reduced the best through the eating of a high plant based diet full of fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals.
The following foods are high sources of all of these and should be eaten in abundance to stay healthy:-
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Potatoes
- Wholegrains such as brown rice, brown sourdough bread, pumpernickel, oats.
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat
- Legumes and beans
- Moderate amounts of nuts, seeds, avocados
- Tofu
Cut down and ideally out on the following unhealthy lifestyle traits:-
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Being overweight
- Eating junk foods
Stay Informed about Vaccinations & Preventive Care
In any attempt to save money from public health systems, many authorities are now looking to preventative care as their next promotional campaign. In other words, if they can help you prevent a problem before it begins, well, that can save a great deal of harm later down the road.
Take care of all the 3 pillars of health above first and foremost as these are the major ways in which you can keep your body and mind healthy. Then look at further measures that you can take to safeguard yourself even further.
It’s good to keep up with preventative measures that may mean something to you specifically. These include vaccinations that help you through flu or Covid season, or managing preventative care such as regular blood pressure checks as discussed above, or having brain scans where appropriate.
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