Do you hope to live a full and happy life?

According to the CDC, of the 900,000 premature deaths that happen each year, 20-40 percent of them are avoidable. Improving your physical and mental health may help prevent suicide, accidents, and preventable illnesses that take lives far too soon.

Keep reading to learn simple tips for bettering your overall health.

1. Exercise

Stay physically active. This benefits both your physical and mental health.

Exercising burns calories. By maintaining a healthy weight, you reduce your risk of obesity-related conditions, like heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, liver disease, and cancer.

Cardio strengthens your heart muscle, which remains in motion constantly for your entire life. Weight-bearing exercises strengthen your bones, to prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Staying active also boosts your endorphins, which trigger the reward center of your brain to help you feel calm, happy, and overall good. Exercise also lowers levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, which wreaks havoc on your wellbeing when they remain chronically high.

Hit the gym several days each week. Attend an aerobics class or join a sports team for additional mental health benefits.

No time? Take the stairs instead of the elevator, do isometric exercise in three-minute increments throughout the day, and opt for a standing desk that allows you to move as you work.

2. Eat Whole Foods

Opt for whole foods over processed food products for optimal health. Processed foods contain high amounts of sodium and sugars to increase their shelf life and improve on taste.

Consuming too much simple sugar leads to obesity and can cause mood disorders. High sodium diets elevate blood pressure and increase your risk for a heart attack or stroke.

When craving sweets, eat fresh fruit. Lightly salted dries nuts offer protein and healthy fat to curb hunger throughout the day.

Fresh vegetables fight your risk of numerous diseases due to their phytochemicals. Their fiber will aid in digestion so you properly absorb nutrients and rid your body of waste.

3. Build A Support System

Build a support system. Friends, family, and community play an integral role in our overall health.

It may not surprise you that the lack of solid relationships can lead to depression. But, did you know that loneliness increases your risk of dying early by 26-32 percent?

Without a support system, people take on more responsibility, increasing their stress and exhaustion levels. This alone can suppress immunity and lead to illness.

4. Don’t Ignore Your Health

In a culture where we lead chronically busy lives, health problems seem inconvenient at best. Often, people will ignore warning signs of both physical and mental health problems to continue taking care of their responsibilities.

This never goes well. ignoring the problem does not make it go away, especially if you are at higher risk for serious conditions. Often, it gets far worse causing recovery to take longer.

5. Sleep

Make time to sleep a proper amount. A lack of sleep can make you feel anxious and exacerbate any mental illnesses.

It lowers your immunity, making you more likely to get sick. Chronic sleep deficits play a role in conditions like obesity, heart disease, and more.

Prioritize Your Physical And Mental Health

Life gets hectic. This leads to us skipping exercise, eating fast food, falling away from friends, ignoring our health, and skipping sleep.

Without optimal physical and mental health, you cannot properly take care of anything else. Prioritize yourself!

We want to help you live your best life! Find fitness, nutrition, and self-care tips on our health page!