Health & Fitness

10 Ways to Improve Your Health Now

Adopt these easy habits - like acquiring pet fish - and you could see some significant health benefits for both you and your family

By Wellness Matters /

Credit: Flickr/Omega Man

Watching pet fish can help to relax you

Try these easy tips to improve your health

  1. Plan your meals and snacks to help control your weight. Haphazard eating often leads to overeating. 

  2. Try to sleep on your side or back.
 Sleeping on your stomach stresses the neck.
  3. Sanitize your desk regularly.
 The average desk harbours 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.
  4. To beat workout boredom, try working out with a friend.
 Boredom is one of the top reasons why people give up on a fitness regime.
  5. Avoid caffeinated foods and beverages if you have anxiety.
 Caffeine can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
  6. Eat fibre. It helps you feel fuller, which curbs appetite. It also promotes intestinal health by speeding the elimination of cancer-causing waste products. 

  7. Ensure your kids’ health with adequate sleep. Growth hormones are released during sleep, supporting both overall growth and the repair of muscles.

  8. Eat less salt. You can reduce the amount of salt in canned vegetables and tuna by one-third simply by rinsing and draining them first.

  9. Avoid second-hand smoke. Even smokers are at risk from second-hand smoke. Smoking in a confined area over the day can cause the smoker to inhale the equivalent of three extra cigarettes.

  10. Get some pet fish. Keeping an aquarium is a health-promoting hobby. Watching fish swim relaxes the mind and body, reduces blood pressure and relieves stress.

Originally published in Wellness Matters, Canada Wide Media’s quarterly newsletter on health and wellness.