At Prairie Lakes we care about the health and wellness of
our residents, and want to make it as easy as possible to lead a healthy life. Our
24-hour fitness center has cardio and weight training equipment so you can work
out at your convenience with WellBeats virtual
training for programming and progress tracking options, or if you prefer to
exercise outdoors we also have trails throughout the community. We also know
that a healthy life goes beyond keeping up with a workout regimen, and do what
we can to encourage a good work/life balance and decrease stress with our game
and coworking lounges, 24/7 emergency maintenance, and pool with a sundeck for
relaxing.
While we do what we can to help our residents lead
healthy lives, we know that’s oftentimes easier said than done. It’s now July,
which means 2019 is halfway over. Regardless of if you made an official New
Year’s Resolution, or if you read our January
blog with tips to keep your resolutions this year, there’s a good chance
that over the past six months your focus has wavered from your health and
wellness goals. It’s easy to let life get in the way of taking care of
yourself, and it’s completely normal to take a step backward in your health
and wellness journey. Any health or fitness professional will tell you that what’s
even more important than staying on the proverbial wagon is refocusing and
jumping back on when you do fall off. Living a healthy life goes well beyond New
Year’s Resolutions, and takes a life-long focus and commitment. This can
understandably be a daunting task, but instead of getting overwhelmed, read on
for some tips and small steps you can take to refocus the rest of 2019 and
start 2020 off better than ever.
1.
Drink More Water
We’ve all heard that we’re
supposed to drink eight glasses of water per day, but what not everyone
understands is just how important water is for leading a healthy life. A
healthy human body is comprised of 60-65% water. Every single cell in our bodies
requires water to function properly. Dehydration, even mild dehydration, can
lead to tiredness, low energy, headaches, or worse. What’s more is dehydration
can have a ripple effect to further unhealthy choices. For example, thirst can
easily be mistaken for hunger and can cause overeating or poor food choices. On
the flip side, adequate water intake keeps your joints working properly,
digestion flowing, and temperature regulated.
Doctors and nutritionists go
back and forth with exactly how much water is “adequate”, but everyone can
agree it’s important. If you have trouble remembering to drink water throughout
the day, this could be an easy place to start with refocusing on your health. Consider
purchasing a new
water bottle with convenient markings to track your intake throughout the
day, or if you’re a bit more tech-forward you can download an app like Plant
Nanny (Apple
and Android)
to send push notifications and remind you to drink from a reusable water bottle
you already have.
2.
Get More Sleep
If you already drink enough
water and are still not where you want to be from a health perspective, the
next “easier said than done” step you should take is taking a good look at your
sleep habits. Next to water, sleep is arguably the most important aspect of
living a healthy life, but similar to water, it’s one of the first things to go
when life gets stressful. Sleep deprivation can lead to quite a few health
issues ranging from obesity and diabetes to heart failure and stroke. Sleep
also aids in several important functions of the brain like hormonal regulation,
which controls mood and emotions, and a lack of sleep can easily worsen any symptoms
of depression that may already be present. When you’re asleep your brain gets a
break, which allows it to rest and reset, repairing and creating new synapses
that help improve memory and decrease stress. Sleep also allows our body to
heal and repair from anything that may have happened that day, and in general, a
good night’s sleep allows us to prepare for the next day.
Adults who get at least eight
hours of sleep regularly tend to be healthier than those who don’t. Adequate
sleep has shown to increase concentration and productivity, lead to a healthy
weight and better mood and emotion management, and enhance athletic
performance. Somewhat ironically, many of us will let sleep go when it’s most
important. Even though sleep can help decrease stress and improve productivity,
oftentimes we’ll put off sleep when our jobs get stressful and we can’t seem to
focus. If this sounds like you, use the rest of 2019 to go against western society’s
standard and focus more on sleep and less on work. Overall you’ll be healthier
and most likely more successful as well. If you have issues sleeping or falling
asleep you should talk to your doctor and keep a sleep journal to see what you
can do to better your sleep.
3.
Don’t Forget Your Mental Health
As you’re refocusing your
efforts to live a healthy life make sure not to forget your mental health in
the process. Over the past few years, it’s become much more common and easier to
discuss mental health, and for good reason. Stress can lead to a myriad of
health issues, and mental health often parallels physical health in a wide variety
of ways. Also keep in mind that mental health goes beyond a diagnosis like
depression or anxiety, and treating mental health issues doesn’t just mean
taking an antidepressant. If you do think you may have a mental health disorder
you should definitely find a professional and start treatment, but focusing more
on mental health can also be much simpler than that. Find ways to de-stress
regularly and take a step back from the day-to-day stressors. Try out some creative
hobbies like painting, crafting, music, or journaling. Instead of checking your
phone before bed turn off the electronics and open a book. Nature is often
calming, and Noblesville is a great area to go on a hike or get out and enjoy
the outdoors. For a gentler, indoor activity consider adding yoga or meditation
to your regular habits.
A licensed therapist or life
coach can help if you have the means, but at the very least consider carving
out at least a few minutes every day to step back, relax, and focus on you and
your mental health.
4.
Rethink Exercise
Oftentimes when we commit to
living healthier the first action item is to work out X number of minutes for X
number of days. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, what tends to
happen with that is that we overcommit, can’t keep up with our goal, and end up
quitting because we feel like a failure. It’s a vicious cycle that does more
harm than good. Instead of starting that line of thinking over again, take a
different look at physical fitness for the rest of 2019. While it is recommended
everyone gets at least 30 minutes of activity per day, the fact of the matter is
that’s not always achievable right off the bat. There’s no harm in starting
small, taking steps that you can actually complete, then working your way up.
Is 30 minutes every single day all but impossible for you? What about 15
minutes? Or 30 minutes every other day or three times per week? It is important
to stay active, but it’s more important to find ways to do so that you’ll
actually stick with. Also think about ways to sneak physical activity into your
daily life. Can you take a walk during your lunch break? Or what about taking
that weekly conference call standing up instead of sitting at your desk.
Whenever you’re waiting on dinner to cook do some calf lifts or stand on one
leg. It may feel odd at first, but the little things can quickly add up.
5.
Talk to Your Doctor
It’s always a good idea to talk
to your doctor before trying out a new diet or workout regimen, and you should
be getting regular checkups at least once per year. Keep in mind that every
body is different, and what works for your friend or your favorite online
influencer may or may not work for you. It can take some trial and error to
find what does work best, and a doctor, nutritionist, or other health care professional can help get you on track faster, suggest treatments and other
plans unique to your needs, and track your progress. Google is a great place to
start and learn more about ways to improve your health, but talking to a professional
is an even better way to get back on track with your health and wellness goals.
How are you planning to refocus on your health for the
rest of 2019? Find us on Facebook,
Instagram,
and Twitter to let us know!