When you invest more time into maintaining a healthy lifestyle and less into negative physical and mental spaces, you will begin to see a brighter side of life.
From eating a balanced diet and finding ways to stay active to reducing stress levels and setting aside time to rest properly, there are a variety of healthy habits you should start implementing in your life today.
In this blog post, we’ll provide three dos and don’ts of healthy living that can greatly improve your mental and physical well-being!
Dos
Keeping your body healthy while maintaining a healthy lifestyle means eliminating bad habits and getting in touch with your mental and physical well-being. It’s important to face your health head-on and take the proper steps to better yourself so you can live a healthy life!
The following are things you should do to regain control of your well-being.
1. Get Physical Exercise
Exercising five days a week for 30 minutes each day has been linked to improving mental health and reducing feelings of depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Physical exercise can also improve self-esteem and cognitive function, allowing you to perform daily activities better.
Getting on a treadmill may not be your cup of tea, and that’s okay! Whether you enjoy going on walks doing yoga or personal training sessions, or venturing on hikes, there are various ways to reach your exercise goals.
A great way to hit your exercise goal is by working with an affordable trainer, like the ones at Evolved Strength in Willow Park Village. Evolved is an effective one-on-one workout program where you and a trainer work together to build muscle, strength, and confidence while achieving your fitness goals.
2. Take Care of Your Skin
Skincare keeps your skin healthy and prevents acne and wrinkles while making your skin looking and feeling youthful. Additionally, maintaining a solid skincare routine can protect you from sun damage and is linked to better overall physical and mental health.
If you’re looking for quality skin care products, visit Skoah in Willow Park Village. Skoah is known for being an industry leader in skincare with their cruelty-free, plant-based, and vegan products. At Skoah, you can also receive a customized facial! Choose between deep cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, customized mask, and muscle-melting massage.
Note: Every human body works differently, so we recommend visiting a local dermatologist or skincare professional to help you craft a skincare regimen that makes you look and feel your best.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
Did you know that eating a healthy diet can help to prevent diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes (WHO)?
There are so many fantastic benefits to eating a diet with plenty of fruits and benefits and reducing your consumption of unhealthy fats (like saturated fats), sugar and salt. You may notice that your mood starts to improve, your memory is better, and you even get better sleep.
To help you stay healthy, we recommend buying delicious fruits and vegetables from local stores such as Prairie Farms and fresh protein from markets like North Sea Fish Market. If you’re a snacker, buy healthy snacks like cheese from Springbank Cheese and Co., which has good nutritional value. Eating pesticide-free, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free foods is a great way to gain all the proper nutrients from your meals.
Don’ts
When stressful situations arise, people tend to neglect physical activities, avoid eating (or overeat), drink more alcohol, and slowly put their health on the back burner. These unhealthy habits can take a considerable toll on your immune system and blood pressure and put you at risk for heart disease and other severe health issues. Below we’ve outlined some common unhealthy habits people tend to have, so you can understand what practices you need to eliminate from your lifestyle to regain control of your well-being.
1. Neglect Your Mental Health
Mental health is no joke. Every year, 1 in 5 Canadians experience a form of mental illness. Suffering from mental illnesses can greatly affect your life, the way you work, what you eat, how you sleep, and your relationships. Those experiencing mental health issues must remember one important thing: you are not alone.
Although many daily tasks can feel impossible, you must take the time to treat yourself to things you enjoy to help you focus on the bright sides of life.
Here are some personal wellness activities you can do to boost dopamine levels. If you are feeling a bit blue.
- Take a walk and enjoy the fresh air
- Get lost in your favourite genre of book
- Go to a delicious restaurant. Some of our favourites include:
- Go visit local boutiques and find unique items. Some of the best shops include:
- Go for a walk and get some fresh air
*Note: if you are experiencing more serious mental health issues, it’s always best to seek help from a licensed professional. Click here for a list of resources available in Alberta.
2. Forget to Get Regular Checkups
Like renewing your passport, regular checkups are those tedious tasks you rack up on your to-do list and save for “next weekend” every weekend…However, annual health checkups are important to ensure you’re as healthy as possible.
From going to the dentist or optometrist to the doctor or ear specialist, we challenge you to start crossing your checkups off of your to-do list and take a step towards a healthier lifestyle.
If you’re looking for a new optometrist, we recommend Dr. Bishop at Dr.Bishop and Associates in South Calgary. For almost 40 years, Dr. Bishop and Associates have offered the complete eye care experience to Calgarians, and they’re ready to provide you with the same quality experience.
We also recommend visiting HARP Hearing for all of your hearing needs. HARP provides high-quality, personalized hearing care for all Calgarians. They will help ensure your ear health is top-notch.
3. Brush Off Body Pains
According to Statistics Canada, 16% of those aged 18-64 live with chronic pain. Chronic pain can interfere with everyday activities and commonly leads to anxiety, insomnia, depression, and other health issues.
If you’ve been living with body pains and haven’t gotten them checked out by a professional, it’s time to book an appointment. Whether you require physio, chiro, or a relaxing massage, it’s time to put your needs first.
For back pain, neck pain, or any pain related to the spine, muscle, and nervous systems, visit Willow Park Village Chiropractic and Wellness. They will help determine why you’re feeling your pain and work with you to find an effective solution to make you feel good.
Are you feeling tense or pain in your joints, muscles, or tendons? Book an appointment with Essence Wellness Clinic and relieve your chronic pains. Essence Wellness Clinic provides deep tissue massages that target your pain areas and help you get back to a pain-free state.
Visit Willow Park Village for Everything You Need to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
If you’re ready to take your mental and physical health into your own hands, we’re proud of you! Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not easy, but it is always worth it in the end.
At Willow Park Village, we have all the shops and professional services you need to enhance your lifestyle. Stop by our shopping centre in South Calgary today!