20 Tips for a Healthier, Happier You

Health is our most valuable asset. You can have millions of dollars in your bank account, but if you do not have your health to enjoy it, the money is worthless. The good news is that almost all aspects of your state of wellness can be easily controlled by what you eat, how active you are and how you manage the stress in your life.

Here are 20 valuable tips on quick things that you can do today—right now to begin to have a positive impact on your health and your quality of life. Pick a few to focus on, and then share this list with those you love and who you want to be healthy as well.

1. Quit smoking. Eliminate the poisons that you send coursing through your veins with every puff. Add healthy years to your life.

2. Drink more water. Install a water filter on your tap and keep a bottle in your fridge with cool, fresh water. Keep a bottle on your desk and drink throughout the day.

3. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in their natural form. In our modern culture we have been eating so many highly processed foods. Concentrate on eating fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.

4. Move more. Find an exercise that you enjoy and can do at a moderate pace for 45 minutes a day four or five days a week. Squeeze in a 90 minute workout whenever you can. Exercise improves your cardiovascular health and brain health, too.

5. Weight training. Add some weights in to your fitness routine. Weight training builds muscle, increases your core strength, impedes bone loss and raises your metabolism so that your body becomes more efficient at burning excess calories at rest.

6. Keep a food/exercise journal: If you eat if, write it down. Would you really splurge and eat something that you know you shouldn't if you knew that you would have to write it down? Tracking what you eat and how often you exercise helps keep you accountable.

7. Plan your meals. Planning your meals will save you both time and money.

8. Eat healthy snacks. Don't go for too many hours between meals. This lowers your blood sugar and causes you to over eat at your next meal.

9. Stretching to prevent injury. Do a quick warm-up before you start your exercise routine and long, gentle stretches when you are done.

10. Eat more fiber to improve your bowel health, reduce bad cholesterol levels, and stabilize blood sugar levels.

11. Manage stress. Stress is a part of life, but if you can learn some strategies for managing your response to it, your life will be more healthy and peaceful.

12. Cut the bad fats increase good fats. Eliminate fried foods, and reduce the amount of butter, sour cream and ice cream that you consume. Increase healthy fats like Omega 3, 6 and 9, flaxseed oils, and fish oils are good sources.

13. Reduce salt. An easy way to cut back on salt in your diet is to not eat so many processed foods. Read labels and keep an eye on the sodium content of foods. Don't eat out as often because restaurants use a lot of salt in their cooking.

14. Stay positive. Maintaining a positive attitude is good for your health and the health of those around you. People with a positive outlook are friendlier and know how to manage stress and keep things in perspective.

15. Take good care of your teeth. Visit your dentist twice a year, brush twice a day and floss at least once a day. Cut back on sugary foods, candy and gum. Don't use your teeth as tools.

16. Get better sleep. People who don't sleep well don't tend to have very productive days. Sleep renews your body and mind. If you are not sleeping well, tell your doctor and try to figure out why.

17. Laugh more often. Laughter, aside from being a lot of fun is also healing for the mind and the heart.

18. Listen to your body. Don't ignore warning signs that your body gives you when something is going wrong.

19. Wear sunscreen. Our bodies need sunlight to get vitamin D, and we need to be out in the fresh air enjoying life, but be sure to wear sunscreen and keep re-applying it if you plan to be out in full sun for more than two hours. Wear hats, sunglasses and protective clothing, but enjoy the sunshine.

20. Kindness. Show kindness to the people around you and not just your loved ones. Random acts of kindness when you will not benefit at all from the act can make you feel wonderful and it is a gift to the world that no one but you can give. Kindness is very contagious, so pass it on.

Adapting a healthier lifestyle can be fun and exciting. It does not always have to involve depriving yourself of things that you enjoy, but it will force you to choose new more productive ways to find enjoyment in life. Rather than choosing to collapse in a big chair with a bag of salty snacks and a remote in your hand to de-stress from a long week, try instead putting your sneakers on and taking a walk in the evening air. You will increase your cardiovascular fitness, circulation and you will give your brain a little burst of endorphins—a powerful dose of feel-good chemicals. Instead of having a big bowl of ice cream and cookies, have a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt for dessert. These little changes add up quickly and you will begin to feel the benefits almost immediately.