10 top tips for good health
- paulettecrowley
- Mar 18
- 3 min read
When dealing with health problems, we can get caught up in the details. What is wrong with me? What do these symptoms mean? Is there a medicine to treat them? What sort of help do I need?
No matter what your health concern is, getting back to basics and reviewing your self care is a good idea. You can still work with a health professional about specific concerns but you play an important role in looking after your basic health care.
As a registered mental health coach, I will work on these health pillars with every client, regardless of their specific health goal. Here are my 10 top tips for good health:
10 top tips for good health
Food: Eat mostly whole foods, including lots of fresh, colourful fruit and veges.
Sleep: Get regular, good-quality sleep – 7-9 hours a night is enough for most people.
Exercise: Move your body in a way that brings you joy most days, whether it be walking, dancing, sport or gardening.
Purpose: Have a purpose and review and revisit it regularly, For some people it's looking after their family and for others, it might be building a business, career or caring for the environment. As long as you feel inspired and committed to it, consider it your purpose.
Being outside: Spend time in nature. You don't have to go tramping or explore the wilderness – it can be as simple as walking outside, finding a park to sit in during your lunch hour, or going to the beach. The very act of being outside and catching some morning light will boost your happy hormones.
Friends and community: Have meaningful connections. This doesn't mean scrolling through social media – it could be having genuine connections with friends and family and having someone to talk to, confide in and have fun with, preferably face-to-face. The more connected you are with other people and our communities, the more you receive and the more you can give. These connections make you happy.
Stress management: Keep stress low. If you're consistently overwhelmed with information and a never-ending to-do list, review what you're doing and remove what is not serving your health. That's not always possible with work and family pressures but you might be able to drop unnecessary commitments, stop saying yes to things that aren't important to you, and spend less time on devices. All of those things make a difference to your stress levels.
Good times: Having fun makes you happy and many of us have forgotten how to have good time! What do you enjoy doing and how long is it since you did it? Is your fun dancing, singing, making art, people watching, learning languages or reading novels? If we don't make time for these fun things, they tend to slip away in our busy lives.
Spirit: Creating and cultivating your spiritual life doesn't necessarily mean religion. It can mean meditation, learning about philosophy, or developing a practice of gratitude. Maybe it's exploring theology, nature or contemplating the meaning of life. Whatever you do, honouring your spirit can bring great peace and understanding and contribute immensely to our happiness.
Routine: Humans are creatures of habit and a healthy, strong routine is great for everyone. Obviously life changes regularly but a good routine will keep help keep you grounded, healthy and happy.
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