No matter how good a person is, he or she can always do things to improve themselves. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are based on, right? These tips focus on ways that anyone, no matter their age or budget, can do to improve his or her physical and mental health.
- Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Most self-improvement articles will tell you that you need to “have a healthy diet” but won’t go into detail as to how to do that. The concept of what a healthy diet is will vary from person to person. What doesn’t vary is that people can improve their diets by incorporating more fruits and vegetables. The average adult should eat about five servings of fruits and vegetables every day to get the most out of his or her diet.
Of course, change doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why it’s a good idea to start small. Begin by adding one fruit or vegetable to your diet and see how it goes. You can do this by packing some fruit for a snack at work or adding an extra vegetable as a side with dinner. From there, you can discover which fruits and vegetables you like and dislike and change your diet even more from there.
- Spend More Time Outside
Spending time out in the sun can help people get in more vitamin D. It doesn’t necessarily matter what you do outside, so long as you get some sunlight. Of course, make sure to wear sunscreen on hot days and stay wrapped up in warm clothes on cold days.
Exercising outside is even better. Breathe in the fresh air and break a sweat. Try to exercise around half an hour to an hour each day. The Hard 75 strategy suggests exercising outside for at least forty-five minutes each day. The 75 Hard program is a general challenge or guide to improve mental and physical health, mostly focusing on men. If you want to learn more about it, all you have to do is search what is 75 Hard to answer any questions you might have about it and how it works.
- Read More
Reading more often not only expands your mind but can be a great way to relax and learn more. You do not necessarily need to read history textbooks to learn something from a book. Just pick up something you like, get cozy, and start reading.
Various studies over the years have shown just how healthy reading often is, both for children and adults. People who read more often are likely to be more relaxed, knowledgable, and understanding of others. By reading about people going through different situations, whether fictional or not, readers can become more compassionate towards others in real life. Reading together is a great way for parents to encourage positive traits in children.
Reading more often doesn’t need to be expensive either. Most county libraries in the United States will give free library cards to anyone who lives in the county. All a person needs to do is bring in a piece of mail, ID, or anything else with their address on it and show it to a librarian to get a free library card. From there, using the library is totally free, so long as you don’t leave books overdue for too long or lose any materials. Fees will vary from library to library.
You don’t need to run a mile every day, quit junk food, or write the next great American novel to improve your mind and body. By starting off with small steps, you can slowly work towards making your life a little better each day. Try these things for yourself. If you do them on a consistent basis, you should begin to see an improvement in both your physical and mental health. So, what have you got to lose by trying? Get some fruit, go outside, and pick up a book tomorrow!
