The way that you live is crucial to your overall health. This is true for all of your life, of course, but there’s no denying that certain deficiencies in our lifestyles are easier to ignore when we are younger. A child should eat a healthy diet, but you’ll feel a lot more energetic on pop-tarts and soda pop at ten years old then you would on the same diet at 30. And while drinking to excess is extremely dangerous at any age, you’ll probably notice that poor choices will feel worse in the morning at 40 years old than they once did at 20. So it’s natural to reconsider some of the poor habits we may have as we grow older — and, in fact, it’s wise. The older and more mature that you get, the more you should be taking opportunities to correct poor lifestyle choices and reclaim the happy, healthy life that you deserve.
With that in mind, here are a few crucial health vulnerabilities that you have the power to correct. Some of them are more common than others, and some more serious than others, but all are vulnerabilities that you need to check for and address.
Nutrition is (almost) everything
You need more than a healthy diet in order to stay healthy. But without a healthy diet, most of the other stuff that you do won’t be enough. The foundation of great health is eating a balanced and nutritious diet.
You probably already know that you shouldn’t eat tons of pizza, chips, hot dogs, and other “junk” foods. But what should you eat instead? The answer is actually quite simple: The best things to eat are whole, unprocessed foods. If you eat various vegetables and other whole foods, you should be able to stay healthy without having to think too much about micronutrients or counting calories.
If you diet is deficient — as is the case with far too many Americans and Canadians — then you need to take the situation very seriously. Start making changes to how you eat, and enlist the help of a doctor or nutritionist if necessary.
Alcohol and drugs
You were likely told in school and by adults as you grew up that alcohol and drugs can be extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, those warnings don’t take hold with everyone. And if you find yourself going through adulthood with a substance abuse problem, then you’re almost certainly dealing with very serious health consequences.
Addiction is a serious thing. And even if your substance issues stop just short of “abuse” or “addiction” by clinical standards, you’ll be much better off limiting your drinking or drug use (experts agree that even relatively moderate use of alcohol and most other drugs is lousy for your health, and the supposed health benefits of alcohol are highly dubious). Besides, whether you have an addiction is something best determined with the help of a trained professional, point out experts who run rehab centers in Toronto.
If you’re a casual drinker, take this opportunity to cut back. If you’re a heavy user of alcohol or another drug, seek professional help. Addiction is not something that you want to tackle alone.
Doctor, doctor
Sometimes, patching up health vulnerabilities is as easy (or as difficult!) as changing a basic part of your lifestyle. Other times, your health vulnerabilities may have little to do with how you live. If you really want to know how to protect your health for the long term, you need the help of a medical professional.
With that in mind, make sure that you’re visiting your primary care physician regularly — at least once a year, or more often if you are told to do so. Don’t hold back when reporting issues to your physician, and see any specialists you might need to. Doctors are your allies, but they can’t help you patch up health vulnerabilities unless you give them the information that they need.
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