Maintaining our health as we age is critical. It can be easy to let things slide, but if we want to live a long and happy life, we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves.

In this article, we will discuss five skills for maintaining good health. For each skill, we will explain what it is, why it is important and how you can incorporate it into your daily routine.

Let’s get started!

1. Organizing a Balanced Diet

Diet organization is an essential skill for maintaining health. Eating a balanced diet helps ensure that our bodies get the nutrients they need to function properly. It also helps to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

According to United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, a balanced diet should consist of:

• Whole fruit such as oranges, bananas, apples and grapes.

• Vegetables of all colors, including broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers.

• Grains such as brown rice, oats, quinoa and whole-wheat bread.

• Proteins such as lean meats, poultry, fish, tofu and legumes.

• Dairies such as low fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese.

• Oils such as olive oil, canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil.

The best way to ensure you are getting a balanced diet is to eat various foods from each food group. This can be achieved by planning your meals and ensuring you have a good mix of different foods. It would help if you also aimed to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods.

2. Understanding Visible Signs of Good Health

Visible signs of good health are an important indicator of overall health. By understanding warning signs in and on your body, you can take steps to address health concerns before they become serious.

Some visible checks that you can conduct on your body include:

• Check your skin for changes such as new moles, spots, or rashes. By conducting your skin checks every few months, you can increase your likelihood of detecting early phases of skin cancer.

• Check your hair for thinning, excessive shedding or changes in texture. These warning signs generally indicate an underlying health condition such as hormonal imbalance, thyroid problems or nutritional deficiencies.

• Check your nails for changes in color, thickness or shape. Nails can indicate health conditions such as anemia, diabetes, psoriasis and thyroid disease.

• Check your stool for changes in color, texture or blood. Stools can flag gut health conditions such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and colon cancer. For more information, check out the Bristol Stool Chart to identify healthy types of stool.

• Examine your mouth for changes such as sores, redness or white patches. This may flag any issue with your oral health, such as gingivitis or Oral Thrush.

• Look at your body and observe any weight changes. Unexplained weight gain or loss can indicate health conditions such as diabetes, thyroid problems, heart disease or cancer.

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3. Understanding Auditory Signs of Good Health

Listening to your body is another key skill for understanding your overall health. Ultimately, the sounds that your body makes can indicate any health problems that you may not be able to see.

Some auditory checks that you can conduct on your body include:

• Listen to your breathing. If you notice that you are short of breath, wheezing or have difficulty breathing, you may be at risk of underlying health conditions such as asthma, COPD or heart failure.

• Listen to your heartbeat. If you notice that your heartbeat is irregular or faster than normal, this may be a sign of an underlying health condition such as arrhythmia or heart disease.

• Listen to your bowel. If you notice that your bowel sounds are different from what is normal for you, this may signify an underlying health condition such as IBS or Crohn’s disease. The Centre For Gastrointestinal Health’s bowel sounds guide, provides further information on the different stomach noises of concern.

4. Sleep Schedule

Developing the skill of adhering to a strict sleep schedule is highly important for offsetting the health risks associated with sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation has been linked to several health conditions, such as:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Depression

To develop the skill of adhering to a sleep schedule, it is important to:

• Set a regular bedtime and wake time. It is important to stick to this schedule as closely as possible, even on weekends.

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime. Caffeine and alcohol are stimulants that can make it difficult to fall asleep.

• Avoid working or using electronic devices in bed. This will help to train your brain to associate your bed with sleep.

• Create a relaxing bedtime routine. This may include reading, taking a bath or using relaxation techniques.

If you are having difficulty sleeping, it is important to see a doctor as they will be able to help you manage any underlying health conditions that may be causing your sleep problems.

5. Stress Management

Stress is a normal response to events that make us feel threatened or anxious. However, chronic stress can have a negative impact on our health.

Some of the health problems that have been linked to chronic stress include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Obesity
• Diabetes

To develop the skill of managing stress, it is important to:

• Identify your triggers. What are the things that make you feel stressed?

• Avoid or limit your exposure to your triggers. If you can’t avoid them completely, try to limit your exposure as much as possible.

• Develop healthy coping mechanisms. This may include exercise, relaxation techniques or journaling.

• Talk to someone about what you’re going through. Talking to a friend, family member, therapist or doctor can help you to manage your stress.

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Maintaining good health is something which will never go out of style. It is always important to have a healthy body and a healthy mind. It can also be difficult to sift through the mountains of information on the internet about what is really beneficial to one’s health and what is just a trend that will turn out to be unhealthy in a few years. For more information about all things health, consider visiting Healthy New Age.

While many skills contribute to maintaining good health, the above five are some of the most critical. By developing and maintaining these skills, we can offset the health risks associated with several conditions and live healthier, happier lives.

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