As we come to the end of the year, many of us begin to reflect on the twelve months that have passed. This gives us a chance to review where we’re at and what we want to do to improve our lives for the year ahead. One area you might want to review is your health. All too often, we don’t pay much attention to our health until we’re in a bad state. Especially as parents. When you have kids, their wants and needs tend to dominate your thoughts, budget and routine. The issue is, if you neglect your own health and well-being, it will have a negative impact on your kids. Not only will you struggle to look after them, but your own illness, injury or other issues will begin to dominate your thoughts and life. Instead, you should regularly review and keep on top of your physical and mental health to catch issues before they develop and snowball. This will also set a good example for your kids, showing them how to take care of themselves when they grow up. Here are some areas you might want to focus on when taking advantage of the new year to review your health and make some positive changes!
Visit Your Doctor
Do you have an ongoing, minor issue that you’ve been brushing under the carpet for a while? Perhaps a small symptom that isn’t going away or is causing you trouble, but that you haven’t properly combatted. It’s important that you actually consult a doctor or other recommended healthcare professional to assist with this. Simple checkups can give your doctor a chance to overview your health, diagnose issues and refer you for treatment if necessary. Whether that’s further tests, therapy or medication. You should also make sure to schedule other healthcare appointments and attend them no matter how you’re feeling. These could range from cervical screening if you have a cervix, prostate exams if required and routine appointments such as flu vaccinations if required. Dental checkups (once every six months) and opticians appointments (once every twelve months) can help to monitor your well-being and will ensure early intervention if issues begin to display themselves.
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating can feel difficult as a parent. You likely have a packed schedule and rarely find yourself with much free time on your hands. It’s not all too surprising that many parents simply eat parts of their kids’ leftovers or reach for convenience foods, such as ready meals, takeaways or drive-thrus. Sure, these foods fill your stomach quickly without having to worry about meal preparation or cleaning afterwards, but they don’t contain the nutrients that your body requires. Make sure to do what you can to eat healthily and at the same time, conveniently. Come up with a meal plan each week. This will ensure that you get healthy, wholesome meals, the same as your children do. Incorporate sufficient protein and your five a day. Planning your meals allows you to buy the ingredients which then encourages you to actually stick to the meals you are considering. You should also meal prep where possible. This involves preparing certain elements of the meal beforehand. You may be able to season or marinate foods, chop vegetables or even cook whole meals that can then be refrigerated and reheated. You can also try supplements from brands like STEEL to fill any occasional gaps in your diet.
Quit Unhealthy Habits
Do you have any unhealthy habits, such as smoking or drinking excessively? You need to stop them now. If in doubt about habits you have and whether they are healthy and okay, or whether they are problematic, consult your doctor. This professional will give you insight into changes you should seriously consider making. There’s no point in shortening your own life span for the sake of a habit that is entirely unnecessary. There’s no reason to engage in these behaviours. So, look into quitting aids. Different people find that different options work well for them. Some find that therapy or hypnosis works. Some will find that alternatives and nicotine-quitting aids, such as patches and gum, can assist them. Whatever works for you, stick with it and see how you get on in the long run. You’ll thank yourself for your efforts later.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is really essential if you have children. Healthy living can maximise your life span and help you to stick around to raise and support your kids well into their adulthood. The tips above should help!