Health
Eight Easy Ways to Feel and Look Great
In this hectic day and age, we often worry too much and forget to enjoy life. When it comes right down to it, no matter what hardships you face, you should still try to find a way to be happy. If you’re not enjoying your life, the time has come to work hard and fix the issues that you face.
Did you know that your mood and overall attitude can seriously affect your health? People who are unhappy and pessimistic are much more likely to develop serious health problems, which simply serve to worsen their situation. We were put on Earth to enjoy our life—no matter what anyone else tells you, try to live by this mantra.
Without getting too philosophical, in this article, I will do my best to teach you how to feel and look great—and in general, simply enjoy your life! Once you get started, you will quickly find that the process is an upward spiral. As soon as you change one thing, you will feel better about yourself, which will make it easier to make the next, bigger change, and so on and so forth. Once you get “in the zone” of self-improvement, the changes will start stacking up quicker than you’d expect.
Improve Your Body Image
One of the biggest causes of worry today is body image. People think that they are fat, or ugly, or unhealthy, and they end up wallowing in self-pity. We have all been there, so don’t be ashamed. Most of the time, though, these thoughts are unwarranted and do nothing to help your situation.
If you feel that you have a body image problem, the first step to recovery is to take a positive outlook on things. No one’s opinion matters more than your own, especially when it comes to your body and your life. Developing a positive outlook can have a huge effect on your entire life, so do your best to think positively—the rest will naturally follow!
Detoxify to Cleanse and Feel Renewed
Once you start on the path to better health, a detox diet/exercise plan can be a great tool. Detoxifying essentially eliminates toxins and other unhealthy things from your system, allowing your body to absorb more healthy nutrients and vitamins. Many of the toxins found in modern snack foods work against your body in other ways than simply building fat—they can actually block your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients it needs. In order to counter this process, you need to detoxify!
Detox diets can vary quite a bit. Some call for extreme measures, such as eliminating all solid foods from your diet for a week or more. Others are simple and will be easier to transition into. If you are just beginning on your path to better health, a full-blown detox might not be the best idea. Taking too many huge steps all at once can shock your body, and this is usually unhealthy. Plus, it is often quite difficult to transition from eating whatever you want straight into an extremely strict diet all in one day.
Since there are so many detox diets to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one is right for you. Factors to consider include your body type and your long-term goals. My advice is to do a bit of research, identify three to five diets that seem doable for you, and then consult your doctor. No website can give you 100 percent sound medical advice—only a medical professional can.
Drink a TON of (Purified) Water to Keep Fit and Hydrated
Though exact figures vary from study to study, most scientists and medical professionals agree that water makes up roughly 50–70 percent of the human body. Water is essential to human life—even more so than food! Water allows our bodies to function properly, flushes toxins out of our systems, and facilitates nutrient absorption and overall health.
Most adults don’t drink anywhere near enough water. Doctors recommend that you drink roughly eight (8-oz) glasses of water per day. For heavier people, that number should be even higher. A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight in lbs, cut it in half, and change lbs to ounces to figure out how much water you should be drinking. For example, a 240 lb man should drink 120oz of water per day or roughly 15 (8-oz) glasses.
To clarify, these figures refer to water—meaning pure H2O. Drinks like Vitamin Water, Sobe Water, etc. are not sufficient replacements for pure water. These drinks are loaded with sugars and don’t even contain that many helpful vitamins (which you should be getting in your daily supplement anyway).
Another thing to consider is the quality of your tap water. If you live in a good area, chances are your tap water is fairly clean. However, even if your water is relatively clean, it still probably contains lots of chlorine and other additives, both natural and unnatural. In order to get the most benefit from your hydration, you should be drinking purified, clean water.
Since purified water can be quite expensive, I recommend investing in a good faucet water filter. You can also get a pitcher filter, but this will require space in your fridge so you can keep the purified water clean.
Unfortunately, most water filters sold in stores are not very good. Brands like Brita, PUR, etc. are popular, but their products are inferior to many other similarly priced models. To get the best filter possible for your budget, I recommend searching on websites such as Amazon and reading user reviews for each filter you are considering. Also, don’t forget to stock up on replacement filters while you’re at it! You should expect to spend $15-30 on the filter itself, and $10-25 on each replacement filter, which should be replaced every two to three months.
Eat Right to Feel Right
It should come as no surprise to you that eating healthy will make you feel and look healthier. No matter what your age or how much you weigh, it is never too late to start eating healthy and get your health back on track. In fact, if you’ve been eating unhealthy foods for a long time, you will actually start to notice the benefits of eating healthy quicker than others might.
No one will tell you that eating healthy is easy, but when it comes down to it, you probably know what is healthy and what isn’t. The root of the problem is usually self-control. If you know yourself well enough to know that you won’t be able to follow a diet without help, you might want to enroll yourself in an organized program like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. If you feel that you have the self-control to do it on your own, however, do some Internet research and build a diet that fits your lifestyle.
Since you will need to tailor a diet to fit your life, I won’t get into too much detail here about what you should be eating; just know that the healthier what you eat is, the better you’ll feel.
Exercise to Renew that Feeling of Youth
This should be a pretty obvious one. Exercise is essential to good health. If you have ever been in good shape for a long period of time, you know what it feels like to be fit. If you haven’t, think back to when you were younger—wouldn’t you like to feel that energy and drive again? It’s not that hard—all you have to do is start exercising and keep at it!
Joining a gym might give you the motivation you need to actually get started, but shy people might find it easier to exercise in the comfort of their own homes. The best thing to do is to make a daily exercise plan, and then follow it each and every day. Keep at it, and you will start to see results fairly soon. Within a few months, you will feel like a brand new person!
Relax to Keep in Balance
Another important thing to do to improve your health and happiness is to remember to relax. Set aside sometime each day to do whatever it is that you enjoy doing. Listen to your favorite album, read your favorite book, or even cook your favorite meal—just do what you want to do. Also, try to identify the most relaxing room in your house—ideally, one that is quiet and free of distractions—and spend your relaxation time there. If no such room exists in your house, consider finding a quiet place outside of your home.
Look Your Best
Since our modern world puts so much emphasis on how we look instead of how we feel, it is increasingly important these days to look your best. That doesn’t mean that you have to look like a supermodel, but keeping yourself in good shape, taking care of your teeth and hair, and staying generally well-kept can do wonders for you.
Identify a hairstyle that fits both your personality and your body. If you don’t consider yourself to be a stylish person, consider going to a professional hairdresser to get their opinion. Hairdressers deal with hair all day, and they know what looks good and what doesn’t. You might have to shell out a good amount of money to get a great haircut, but the confidence boost you’ll receive will be well worth it.
If you have good teeth, keep doing what you’ve been doing all along. If you don’t, see a dentist immediately. Even if you feel like you are getting old, it is never too late to improve the health of your teeth.
If you feel your teeth aren’t white enough, there are a variety of over-the-counter whitening products that can help you. As always, I recommend consulting with a medical professional (a dentist, in this case) before beginning any type of treatment plan.
Likewise, if you are happy with your skin, keep at it! If not, consult with a doctor or a dermatologist. There are also many ways to improve your skin at home. For instance, many types of soap contribute to dry skin, so consider switching brands if this is a problem you suffer from.
Tap water is often heavily chlorinated or dirtier than it should be, so a showerhead water filter is often a wise investment. These are basically just like any other showerhead, except that they filter out chlorine and other impurities so they can’t damage your skin. Since most people take hot showers, their pores are typically open to whatever impurities are in the water. This can lead to a number of skin problems, both minor and major.
Be Confident and Stay ahead
Confidence is important in every aspect of life. Improving your body image and health can help with your confidence, and if you follow this guide and start down a path towards better health, you will gain confidence naturally. If you are someone who relies on the opinions of others for your own happiness, do your best to ignore what other people think. After all, if you go through this life caring only about what your peers think of you, are you ever going to be truly happy?
Closing Thoughts—Be a Happy, Healthier You!
Hopefully, this article has given you the tools and motivation you need to go out and create a better, happier, healthier life for yourself. Whatever attempts you are making to improve your life—keep at it! Nothing comes easy in life, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results as quickly as you’d like to. You only have one life to live, so never give up!