I wake up daily to care for my mother because of her previous lifestyle choices. She is now living with many health complications. It is what I witness every day, her struggling to get up to go to the bathroom. Her situation also serves as my motivation to try to be more healthy. It is what keeps me trying and trying. Knowing that what I do now matters to my future.
Many of us say in our news years resolution that we need to start being more healthy. Loss a couple of pounds, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more than losing a couple of pounds. According to medicine.net, it means “both physical and mental health are in balance or functioning well together.”
Are you the type like myself that sits around and think about the future? I can be walking in Central Park and see an old couple walking together, and I will be like, I want to be that. I want to have that. It’s not just that they support each other, getting some exercise in, but you can see their love for each other.
I like junk food like anybody else and diseases like diabetes; according to diabetes.org, 12.1% of black people have diabetes. Knowing and witnessing that many of my mother’s problems stem from diabetes puts other things in perspective for me. Why do we do that? Many of us wait until things go wrong to fix our bad behavior, our bad habits when we have lots of time to do it beforehand.
You must start in small increments to get yourself into a habit. What are some things you can do now to get you to live a more healthy lifestyle?
Get some rest. According to the CDC, it depends on the age of the individual.
- A teenager between the ages of 13 to 18 needs 8 to 10 hours
- A child between the ages of 6 to 12 needs 9 to 12 hours
- A child between the ages of 3 to 5 needs 10 to 13 hours
- A toddler between the ages of 1 to 2 is 12 to 16 hours
- An infant 4 to 12 months needs 12 to 16 hours
- For Adults between the ages of 18 to 60 years, seven or more hours
- For Adults between the ages of 61 to 64 years, 7 to 9 hours
- For adults between the ages of 65 and older, 7 to 8 hours
However, I am 45 years old, taking care of my mother, and If I get at least 5 to 6 hours of sleep, I am good.
Other things you should do to be more healthy are:
Get into a routine to get regular physical activity. The CDC also recommends that adults 18 to 65 and older get 150 minutes of physical activity a week, estimated to be about 22 minutes a day.
- Strive to eat more healthily, so you can retain a healthy weight.
- Strive to eat more plant-based foods, whole-grain bread, and cereals
- Eat healthy fats and more whole grains and cereal.
- Liberate yourself from being reliant on Tobacco, illicit drugs, or alcohol. Research how these things harm your life and restrain and limit their use.
- Sustain a positive, promising perspective on life. Things will not change for the better if you do not speak good things in your life. Your tongue is powerful, and what you say, you will experience. Therefore, talk about something you want, like you already have in your life.
- Make sure you take time together and spend some quality time with family or friends. Showing up for your friends and family member shows them that you appreciate them, shows love, and teaches you the lessons you need to experience and comprehend.
- Make sure you schedule time every day for spiritual renewal. You can spend quality time with yourself to meditate, pray, journal, be of service, etc.
If I could give anything to you, it is the inspiration to become a healthy you. Ralph Waldo Emerson states, “The first wealth is health.” We, as worldly beings, think of money when we think about generational wealth, but all the money in the world won’t make you happy if you are rich, if your health is failing you. We are spacing down bad habits and diseases. We must take control of our lives, live healthier lives, and maintain a healthy mindset because change starts in our minds. Therefore, live purposely with possibilities and positivity.