Living a Healthier Life Year-Round

During the winter season it is easy to lose sight of healthy living, between calorie-filled holiday menus and the cold weather that prevents you from outdoor activity. But staying healthier throughout the year can keep you feeling better about yourself.

The road to a healthier life is continuous and requires taking small steps daily. Here are a few lifestyle steps that can have immediate health benefits.

• Pay attention to what you eat. If you know it’s bad for you, don’t eat it! Ingredients such as white flour, white sugar and hydrogenated fats should be restricted in your day-to-day diet. Instead replace these with oatmeal, nuts or fruit, which all have positive effects on the body. It is important to always maintain the three-meal-a-day diet while indulging on small healthy snacks in between.
• Exercise is just as important as what you eat. Becoming more active in your everyday life is the first, and possibly easiest, step. Replacing things in your routine, such as using the stairs instead of the elevator, can help contribute to both physical and mental health. This will help build your muscle mass and improve your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
• Always see the glass as half full. Staying positive helps motivate yourself to succeed and keeps you in a much better mood. If your outlook is consistently negative, it is important to determine why and to reach out for help if needed.
• Prevent avoidable stress. Many people feel stressed, especially those who have others relying on them. Simple changes can help reduce stress. For instance, instead of packing your kids’ lunch in the morning when everybody is rushing, pack it the night before. By working on things you can control, you will relieve stress.
• Consider supplements, such as multivitamins and probiotics. Multivitamins help provide additional support to your body while probiotics aid your digestive system.

Taking small steps can jumpstart a healthier life both physically and mentally. Through eating right, being active, staying positive, preventing stress and familiarizing yourself with supplements, you are able to take control of your health.

Steve Bernardi is a registered compounding pharmacist and co-owner of Johnson Compounding & Wellness in Waltham (www.naturalcompounder.com). Readers with questions about natural or homeopathic medicine, compounded medications, or health in general can email steve@naturalcompounder.com or call 781-893-3870. Find Johnson Compounding & Wellness on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/johnsoncompoundingandwellness and on Twitter @JCWC.