Need a good kick-start to form healthy habits? Why not get healthier on World Health Day? Every April 7th is known as World Health Day. It’s a day to draw attention to health challenges and progress throughout the world.
Whether you acknowledge this day or not, it’s also just a good time to reflect on your own health jouney after settling into the new year.
There’s never a bad time to get healthier. World Health Day is a great reminder that your health and worldwide health is one of the greatest gifts you’ll ever have. Let’s maintain it, improve it, and fortify it. Here are 7 healthy habits for this year’s World Health Day.
7 Habits to Boost Health on World Health Day
1. More Sleep
If you’re like me, you’ve likely thought of sleep as a waste of time at some point in your life. You may think the “early bird gets the worm” or you need to take advantage of every hour. You may think there’s not enough time in the day for everything you need to get done. Sleep only robs you of productivity.
Unfortunately, these outlooks are erroneous and can cause significant harm. Turns out, sleep is the only time your body and brain can heal itself fully, and it’s necessary for good health. In fact, your lymph system depends on your sleeping hours to support healthy immune function and brain health. It is significantly productive.
What’s more, when you don’t get enough sleep, your waking hours decrease in productivity. Lack of sleep actually contributes to many health issues (1) as well, and it’s tough to “live well” when health fails.
Each 24 hours, aim for at least 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep. If you find you need more wake hours to get everything done, try to reduce your daily obligations or time-wasters during your day to make time for sleep.
2. Less Stress
If there’s anything we’ve learned in the last few years, it’s that stress can build in all different circumstances. Stress can build when we have too much to do. It can build when our activities and social lives are halted. It can build when we are healthy, but fearful about unknowns.
Since stress is a reality no matter our circumstances, we must take action to deal with it in healthy ways. Reduce unnecessary stress, balance our lives, and give our bodies healthy outlets every day.
Why?
When stress and cortisol build up, we feel a cascade of negative effects. These effects include fatigue and overwhelm. Chronic high stress can even affect your health (2).
What can you do? First, use daily destress tools, like these, to reduce stress and feel more energy.
Then, add Nature’s Best Stress Relief. Amazingly, there’s an all-natural oil that can fight and reduce stress. Nano-particle hemp oils can help you feel more energy by supporting stable moods (3), stress relief and normalized cortisol levels, healthy sleep habits (4), and healthy brain and nervous system functions (5). The highest-quality nano-particle hemp oil available is Dr. Colbert’s Nano-Science Hemp Oil. Get yours today!
3. Greens, Greens, & Greens
Ever feel like you can’t wait for summer just because you crave the seasonal fresh greens and herbs? Can’t wait to plant your garden? Great! You are on track to form one of our 7 healthiest habits for World Health Day.
In fact, when you add more greens and herbs to your diet, you can consume the same component plants used to grow and flourish: chlorophyll. In addition, vibrant and brightly colored vegetables and fruits offer a vast array of phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other health-promoting nutrients. Try:
- Delicious Fresh Herb Sauces. A delicious parsley-based sauce like Keto Zone®
- Chimichurri or Fresh Basil Pesto is perfect for any summer meal!
- Vibrant Salads and Green Vegetables. Greens are amazingly nutritious foods that are highly anti-inflammatory and health-promoting (6). Try eating a green salad with heart healthy extra-virgin olive oil every day.
- Fresh Low-Carb Summer Fruits. With a bit of portion control, you can add more colors from fruits to your greens and still fit into a Keto Zone® lifestyle. Berries support healthy blood pressure (7), deliver loads of antioxidants, and promote overall health. Lemons and limes are also great for you, adding vitamin C, antioxidants, and more.
- Divine Health Organic Fermented Green Supremefood® and Organic Red Supremefood®. A great way to add even more organic greens and fruits to your diet is through Divine Health’s delicious organic fruit and vegetable powders. They are great-tasting and easy to add to water, tea, smoothies, and more!
What’s more, when you plant a garden and grow greens, you add to the health of your local environment as well!
4. A Healthy Weight
For millions of adults, acheiving a healthy weight is much easier said than done. However, with a Keto Zone® plan and lifestyle, a healthy weight is attainable this year. Kick start your new life and weight on World Health Day with these Keto Zone® options:
This Keto Zone lineup will teach you the basics of Keto Zone, how to make it a healthy lifestyle and maintain your weight goals, and how to continue it for years to come.
5. Move Your Body & Get Outside
While you may have always thought of exercise as a weight loss tool, it’s actually so much more than that. It is a crucial health habit that supports cellular health, mental health, and physical health. Exercise and movement go beyond the scale to improve mood, outlook, and health.
In fact, if you start a habit of daily exercise AND do so outside, you’ll get double the benefit. You’ll:
- Reduce Sedentary Hours. It’s important to stand, walk, and be active as much as possible. If your work requires that you sit, break it up to improve metabolism outcomes. One study found that getting up occasionally from sitting improved self-perceived energy and vigor, mood, levels of fatigue, and food cravings (8).
- Get Sunshine. Natural sunlight is one of nature’s best mood lifters and energizers. In fact, sunlight has been shown to decrease depressed moods and increase serotonin levels (9).
- De-Stress. Studies have found that activity outside improves health markers and supports healthy cortisol. This means less tension, fatigue, and depressed moods.
- Take Advantage of Evening Hours. Try getting outside for an evening walk after dinner. First, walking always burns calories and supports heart health (10). Moreover, timing a walk after dinner can help normalize post-meal blood sugars, reduce evening stress, and encourage optimal sleep.
- Improve Sleep. When you get outside during daylight hours, you support your body’s 24-hour daily cycle and circadian rhythms. This fights the issues upon us from too much artificial light and promotes healthier sleep habits.
- Contribute to A Loved One’s Health. Getting outside for a walk, bike ride or hike can also be a great way to encourage others to get healthy. Invite a friend, neighbor or family member.
- Stay the Course. Amazingly, it may also help you exercise more consistently. One recent study concluded that men and women over 66 years who exercised outside reported higher levels of total activity per week than inside-exercisers (11).
6. Drink Up & Hydrate Better
Did you know that dehydration promotes feelings of unhealth, feeling overwhelmed, experiencing fatigue, and feeling mentally foggy? Amazingly, dehydrated adults often feel more stress and have more cortisol (12)! Unfortunately, most adults function in a state of dehydration each day..
This one’s an easy fix! Try to drink 32-48 ounces of water by noon, and another 32-48 ounces of water by 6pm each day. Add Instant Ketones for electrolytes and a ketone boost. If you exercise, add drink 16-24 additional ounces per hour of exercise.
7. Faith, Gratitude, and Optimism
Lastly, focus more on mental health this World Health Day. About 80% of the research on faith, gratitude, and optimism and their effects are in the realm of mental health. Since much of a faith practice is internal, in mind and Spirit, it makes sense that a faith practice would impact mental health the most.
They are effective.
Daily practices of faith, prayer, and gratitude can improve and encourage optimism. They are correlated with overall better health (13). Specifically, studies show greater:
- Coping with Adversity
- Positive Emotions
- Well-Being and Happiness
- Hope and Optimism
- Meaning and Purpose
- Self-Esteem
- Sense of Control
These effects are significant and can change your life. Start now.
Bonus Habit: Community
You’re on the path to making your own body healthier. Now what?
What’s one thing you can do between now and next World Health Day to support the health of others in your own community, state, country, or world? Can you contribute to a community garden or school’s backpack program for those who don’t have enough food? How about forming a walking or exercise group with others from your church or neighborhood? Can you support charities that feed those struggling with hunger? Or organizations that dig well so everyone can have clean water?
Amazingly, when you go beyond your own health crusade and support others, you’ll enjoy better health for yourself as well.
How to Make Habits that Boost Health Stick
Habits are best added one at a time until you master each. To make these habits stick, start by adding justone per week over the next 7 weeks. Focus on each for 7 days, and then add the next. You can make small changes to super charge your summer, and then continue them to turn your healthy habits into a healthy lifestyle.
Bottom Line
Why not add 8 habits that boost health on World Health Day? There’s health to gain, and nothing to lose. Add sleep. Reduce stress. Add greens. Acheive a healthy weight. Exercise outdoors. Drink more water. Practice faith, gratitude and optimism. Then, add a habit of supporting others to healthier lives as well. This is a great start to better health!
