Improve Your Health this World Health Day

World Health Day was started in 1950 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to highlight a specific health issue.

Did you know that the WHO has a constitution or set of principles? You can read the entire constitution here.

Here are some highlights:

The WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or sickness. We often miss the mental and social sides of well-being when we think about health. The WHO is committed to health being one of the fundamental human rights.

What are some things that you incorporate to improve your health?

Let’s do an exercise together.

See the handout below.

Take some time to evaluate your health and its strengths and weaknesses.

Take each of the three pillars of health: physical, mental, and social well-being, and assess how you are doing.

Physical Health:

How is your physical health? Do you eat well overall and take time to exercise? Are you getting enough sleep and drinking enough water?

Here are some tips for increasing your physical health

Get More Sleep

More studies are supporting the benefits of sleep on your health. Experts recommend that adults between the ages of 18-64 sleep 7-9 hours every night. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 35.2% of all adults are not meeting the recommended minimum sleep guidelines. If you get less than 6 hours of sleep a night, you significantly increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other health issues. Are you getting your 7-9 hours of sleep every night? Read more about the connection between sleep and weight here as well as more tips on increasing your sleep.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are packed with micronutrients and phytochemicals, which are essential for a healthy human body. Studies show that phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables lower inflammation, boost mood, reduce anxiety, improve depression, and protect your brain. Read more about the benefits of fruits and vegetables on your mental health and take the quiz to see how you measure up.

Eat less processed foods

Our digestive tract and mental health (and overall health) are intricately linked. Eating a balanced diet and decreasing processed foods can help your gut health and mental health. Read more tips about the gut-brain connection here. Although it may seem more expensive to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, It can be a lot less expensive when done right. Check out our 15 tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget.

Drink enough water

Water is essential for food digestion, body temperature regulation, waste elimination, and soft tissue health. Even a tiny 1-2% water loss can decrease your physical and mental performance. According to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), adults need to be drinking around 3.7 liters of water for men and 2.7 liters of water per day for women, according to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI). For more information about the benefits of water, along with tips for increasing it, check out our water blog.

Move more

Exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality, boost cognitive function, improve mood, and help maintain a healthy weight and muscle composition. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week or 75-100 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise. For ideas on some exercises to try, read here. You can access the Lose-It Blog’s complete library of exercise blogs for more tips and ideas for moving your body more.

Mental Health:

Are you taking care of your physical health but letting your mental health take the back seat? Physical health is something to strive for, only if it doesn’t come at the cost of mental health. How are your stress and happiness levels?

Tips for improving your mental health:

Decrease stress

Stress may seem like an unavoidable part of life, but high levels of stress can elevate your stress hormones- leading to weight gain. It can also increase depression and fatigue. Check out our tips for reducing your stress.

Don’t wait to be happy

We can choose to be happy NOW, regardless of our life circumstances. By practicing choosing happiness, we are more likely to find the positives of any situation, enjoy our experiences, and achieve our long-term goals. Read more about conditional happiness and tips for being happy now.

Change your brain’s wiring system to be happier

When focusing on positive experiences, you can create your own positivity bias and become a happier person over time. Learn more here about rewiring your brain for happiness.

Social Health:

Do you have the support you need to not only survive but thrive? Living and raising a family was seen as a team approach in the early days. Have you heard the saying “it takes a village”? People weren’t expected to do it all their own. Humans are complicated creatures, and we crave social connections. We may not WANT social connection all the time, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need it when it comes down to it.

It takes a village to thrive. Take some time to think about who is in your corner. Do you have the support around you? Remember that you aren’t on your own.

Tips for improving your social health:

Reconnect with your community and social connection (in person or online).

Has the pandemic left you feeling isolated? What are some ways to reconnect with friends and family members?

Increase your social support

There are many ways of creating lasting social connections. Try connecting with support groups, clubs, or meetups where you can meet people with similar interests.

Improve your existing connections

Make the time that you do spend with loved ones count. Put away devices and spend quality time together. You will reap more social and mental benefits when the time spent together is meaningful.

The Bottom Line

Take some time this World Health Day to evaluate your health’s strengths and weaknesses. Remember that health is a mixture of physical, mental, and social well-being. Take some time to determine how you are doing and focus your efforts on improving your health.

Reviewed 02/2022 by Anna Smith, RDN