We have a lot on our plates nowadays. Most of us have busy work schedules with deadlines and targets to hit. If you have children, you have to prioritize them and their wellbeing, ensuring they get to school on time, attend clubs, enjoy extracurricular activities, eat well and exercise. Then there are social commitments. Familial commitments. Hobbies. The list goes on. It’s not all too surprising, then, that many of us begin to brush our health under the rug when issues begin to arise. It’s easy to ignore an unhealthy lifestyle when things are going well, but at some point it will all turn around and you’ll find yourself with issues that you can’t put to one side and that do begin to interfere with your day to day life and routine. So, here are a few steps you need to take to start putting your health first again.

Doctor’s Appointments

First and foremost, it’s important to highlight that if you notice any change at all to your health and wellbeing, whether it seems serious or not, you do need to check in with your doctor. This will allow them to double check that everything’s okay and refer you on for further treatment, testing or medicine if something seems out of sorts. It also ensures there’s a thorough history of your health that can be monitored and analyzed if necessary down the line. This may seem unnecessary, but it can make a big difference to your overall wellbeing. If you don’t have time or are unable to visit your regular doctor, you can always use a Simple Online Doctor instead.

Routine Health Appointments

There are routine health appointments to work into your schedule too. These should be attended at different intervals depending on various factors from your age to sex to activity levels. Common ones include dentist appointments and hygienist appointments (once every six months) and opticians appointments (once every two years). If you notice a change to your hearing, you may need a hearing test. If you are female aged over 25, you will likely need to schedule in cervical screening. If you are male over 50, you should talk to your doctor about prostate examinations.

Diet

It’s something that’s drilled into us day in and day out, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. Diet really is important to your overall health and you need to be doing what you can to maintain a healthy and balanced diet at all times. Avoid fad diets that try to get you to lose weight rapidly. These are generally for the sake of money and profit and don’t do your body any good at all. Instead, you should aim to stick to your recommended calorie count, which can be found below:

• Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
• Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
• Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
• Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
• Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
• Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
• Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
• Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
• Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories

Besides sticking to your recommended calories, you should also make sure that you have a good balance of different food groups in moderation. This will ensure your body is getting all of the nutrients that it needs to thrive. If you find that you have occasional gaps in your diet, you can also consider supplements.

Exercise

Are you getting roughly one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week? If the answer is no, it’s time to get stuck in. Find a form of exercise that you really like. This could be anything from the gym to swimming, cycling, personal training, dance, yoga or whatever suits your fancy!

Mental Health

Remember that your mental health is just as important as your physical health. While this subject was relatively taboo in the past, nowadays, thanks to societal progression and increased understanding in the medical and scientific communities, we are aware that mental health issues are more common than we might have originally thought. There is so much support out there that you can reach out to if you ever feel that you are struggling with your mental or emotional health. From your doctor to support groups, helplines and mental health charities, there’s always someone to help.

These are just a few key areas of focus, but hopefully, some of the information above will help to bring your focus back to your health and will let you lead a better quality of life!