Looking for advice for improving your health? You’ll quickly realize that there’s a ton of stuff that people recommend for the health conscious. The big picture stuff is pretty obvious — eat right, get regular exercise, and you’ll feel better. The trick is figuring out just what “eating well” means and what kind of physical exercise is ideal.
There are some things you can do for your health that are less obvious. Think you have a problem with your vision? A macular pigment optical density test could make all the difference. Here are some uncommon bits of advice for improving your health.
Don’t Neglect Muscles
When people go to the gym they will typically focus on working out the big “beach” muscles. For guys, this typically means chest, shoulders, and biceps. Women may be more concerned with doing their squats and crunching their way to a flat belly.
You may be neglecting the little muscles you’ve never heard of. This can really make all the difference when it comes to your health and well-being. The gluteus medius muscle, for example, is involved in stabilizing the hips. It is often weak, even in heavy squatters, and an imbalance here can lead to shooting lower back pain and bad posture. Consider contacting a physiotherapist and focus on those small, invisible muscles, to improve your athleticism and reduce chronic pain.
Don’t Be Obsessive
“Obsessed is a word that the lazy use to describe the dedicated” has been a really popular fitness slogan for a long time now. But training constantly, and being meticulous about your diet, might actually be ruining your health rather than helping it.
Chronic overtraining does happen — and researchers have found that it can happen to even amateur trainers who think they’re doing fine. Overtraining leads to decreased immune function and disruption of hormone balance.
Prolonged calorie restrictive dieting has been found to harm the metabolic rate, cause mood disorders, and trigger various health problems. Being less “dedicated” to your training and diet may just make all the difference.
Listen to Your Body
This isn’t possible for everyone, but for those with flexible remote working arrangements, it’s typically more manageable. Society typically says that if you don’t wake up early each day, you’re lazy. But researchers have found evidence that people have “chronotypes” which affect when they can sleep, and when they can’t.
A true night owl may never be able to fall asleep before 1:00 am. If he then wakes up at 6:00 am, he will be chronically sleep deprived, and suffer reduced performance and health in all areas of life. As far as you’re able, don’t resist your natural “chronotype”. You should sleep when you’re tired, and wake up when you’re ready.
Improving Your Health
When you’re improving your health, there are things that you can do that may not seem so obvious. Listening to your body and getting the rest you need and focusing on other muscle groups is a great start. It’s also vital that you don’t become obsessed with overtraining. Obsession and dedication are two completely different things.
Looking for more healthy advice, be sure to check out these 5 healthy tips for busy moms!
