Your health is your most important asset. Without a healthy mind, body, and soul, nothing else really matters. So if you truly want to make an investment in yourself, it’s time to get serious about your health. The only question is, where do you start?

4 Small Steps to Major Health Improvements

It’s not always the major lifestyle changes that produce the biggest results. In many cases, it’s the combination of small and consistent tweaks that make a significant difference in your life. If you’re looking to get your health back on the right track, combining the following tips will have a decidedly positive outcome on your life:

1. Clean Up Your Diet

You are what you eat. If you’re eating terrible food, you’re going to feel terrible. On the other hand, a healthy, balanced diet that’s full of all the right vitamins and nutrients will give your body the fuel it needs to perform at a high level.

Cleaning up your diet can look like any number of things, but here are a few helpful tips and tweaks:

• Reduce processed foods. Pre-packaged food might be tasty and convenient, but they aren’t good for you. They’re typically very low in protein, fiber, and the micronutrients your body needs. Instead, they’re full of unhealthy additives, sugar, and refined grains – i.e. empty calories. Switch to fresh foods and notice the difference.
• Avoid drinking your calories. Few things are worse for you than drinking your calories in the form of sugary drinks and/or alcoholic beverages. Remove sports drinks, sodas, and juices from your diet and focus on consuming a balanced diet.
• Protect your gut. The bacteria in your gut is extremely important to your physical and mental health. When this bacteria becomes disrupted, it can lead to any number of chronic issues and diseases (including obesity). You can avoid these issues by protecting your gut health with plenty of fiber and probiotics. Natural sources of probiotics include yogurt and sauerkraut – though you can also get your fair share with probiotic supplements.
• Drink more water. You know that consuming more H20 is vital to your health and well-being. But did you know that you should be consuming more water directly before meals? Drinking two cups of water half an hour before mealtime could improve your metabolism and aid in digestion. 

These are just a few small steps you can implement. If you take them seriously, you’ll be amazed by how different you feel. You’ll experience more energy, less sluggishness, and fewer aches and pains.

2. Exercise With Regularity

Exercise is a game of consistency. You don’t need to lift weights for 90 minutes a day or run 10 miles each morning. What you do need is regularity. Half an hour of daily exercise that gets your heart rate up for an extended period of time is a good thing. You should do this every single day. It could be yoga, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball in the driveway. Just be consistent!

3. Take Dental Hygiene Seriously

When most people think about dental health, straight and white teeth are usually the goals. But did you know that your oral hygiene actually has much more important effects on your overall health?

Research shows links between gum disease and heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and even long-term issues like dementia. If you aren’t mindful of your oral health, harmful bacteria can pass from your mouth and into the bloodstream, where it can damage your vital organs.

4. Stifle Stress

Stress is deadly. Unfortunately, it’s also totally normalized in today’s culture. If you want to live your best life and enjoy less pain, more energy, and a greater sense of satisfaction and purpose, you have to squash stress at the source. This typically looks like addressing the underlying cause and practicing healthier habits (like the ones outlined above).

Invest in Your Greatest Asset

Most people think their job, money, or relationships are their greatest assets. But at the end of the day, it boils down to something much simpler: Your health. Without your health, nothing else matters – not your career, financial resources, or your family. Because if you don’t have health, you won’t be around to enjoy these things. That’s why we believe the biggest investment you’ll ever make is an investment in your physical and mental health. Begin taking it seriously and you’ll see significant improvements in your life.