Unfortunately, this is the wrong attitude to have. Health is not always something tangible. You can’t be 58% healthy. The reason why is because we’re a dynamic biological system with different internal factors still in flux. When you add the influence of a chaotic external environment, quantifying optimal health is challenging objectively. We have some considered useful norms on a population level – blood pressure, BMI, blood glucose, and all the other things doctors look for on blood tests.
But there’s a range of expected results on blood tests for a reason. A certain number on a specific test won’t predict what will happen to you in the future. It’s all about risk factors and how they interact with other areas of your life.
I’m sure you’ve been in this situation before: you go for a test, and the results are a bit higher than usual. The doctor most likely shrugs and says, “come back in a month, and we’ll do another test.”
This is a perfect demonstration that there’s no golden number you need to hit to be completely healthy.
Instead, we should be asking how I can improve my overall health?
What are the best health tips?
Again, I think this is asking the wrong question – “best” is up for debate. Here’s how I decide which tips to prioritize: I pick the lowest hanging fruit first.
The number one reason why people don’t do things they know are healthy is because of friction. If there’s even a little hurdle to jump, chances are drastically lower that we’ll engage in healthy behavior.
Sometimes a tip that would make the most significant impact on your overall health is also hardest to implement. In this case, I’d argue that smaller, easier-to-accomplish habits will have a much more substantial effect on your health in the long run.
What are the top 10 ways to stay healthy?
From my experience as a coach, these are the top 10 tips I can give you to improve your overall health. Whether you’re a man, a woman, an athlete, or a student - these tips apply to everyone.
Get enough SleepSleep
Research is mounting on the importance of SleepSleep on cognitive performance, mental health, cardiovascular health, weight loss, and mood. There are a few parameters like sleep duration, how we cycle through SleepSleep, continuous versus broken up sleeping periods, and so on. Still, the fundamental factor seems to be sleep duration. Most adults need 7-9 hours of SleepSleep. There’s only a tiny percentage of people who can get away with less and that, and the chances are that you’re not one.
Inadequate SleepSleep affects every organ system. It’s related to lower immune function, worse appetite control, worse reproductive health, increased pain perception, reduced reaction times, reduced memory formation, and insufficient emotional control.
It’s a significant risk factor in Alzheimer’s, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, and narcolepsy is comorbidity with obesity.
Have a regular sleep schedule
Having a regular sleep and wake routine is primarily essential for ensuring sleep duration, but it also impacts circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythmicity refers to the standard patterns of pulsatile hormone release, organ function, and general maintenance that our body goes through daily. It’s why we tend to get hungry or use the bathroom around the same time each day.
If you do like to sleep in on weekends, try not to wake up more than an hour past your regular weekday schedule.
Other things you can do to help sync your circadian clock is to get outside light exposure in the first half of the day, avoid alcohol and stimulants like caffeine in the hours before bed (since they disrupt regular sleep cycles), and make sure your room is as dark as possible during the night.
Move Often
This is important for a few different reasons. Firstly, contributions from unplanned physical activity are the most variable in daily energy expenditure; if you’re trying to maintain your weight, regularly moving throughout the daily burns, a surprising number of calories.
Regular movement also improves insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control. By introducing regular periods of physical activity, you’re asking your muscles to use glucose.
It’s also essential for posture and general mobility. Bad posture is a common misnomer – there is no such thing as a universally lousy posture, and “your best posture is your next posture.” Spending too long in one position may contribute to a general lack of a comfortable range of motion regardless of what it is.
Finally, engaging in regular training is a positive habit. Still, it sometimes can result in less general movement throughout the day, leading to fewer calories burned overall and lower blood glucose control.
Get outside
Being outdoors provides the benefits of blue light that can help set the circadian rhythm. Seeing green vegetation has been shown to improve mental outlook and reinforce positive feelings. Often when we’re outdoors, we’re also active, whether playing sports, being social or merely going for a stroll. Moderate sun exposure also boosts Vitamin D, which is essential for immune function and general health.
Getting outside is synonymous with multiple other healthy habits.
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