1. DRINK PLENTY WATER
Drinking plenty water and staying hydrated is also one of the best ways to stay healthy. Drinking more water helps in flushing out toxins and waste materials from the body. Staying hydrated helps ensure that your body is functioning optimally and that your blood volume is sufficient. Another benefit is staying hydrated keeps your skin healthy, helps kidney function and boosts performance during exercise. The National Health Service (NHS) - UK recommends we drink 6-8 cups of water a day.
2. PRACTICE SAFE SEX
Looking after your sexual health is also important to your general well- being. There are many forms of sexually transmitted infections including hepatitis, gonorrhoea, syphilis, human papillomavirus (HPV) and HIV, which can be transmitted through sexual contact. You can prevent yourself from these STIs by using condoms and dental dams every time you have sexual contact. Even though condoms are not 100% effective but that is the most effective form of prevention. There are also other measures like pre- exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which will protect you from HIV. The safest form of sex is between 2 people who only have sex with each other.
3. PROTECT YOUR SKIN
Too much exposure to the sun is linked to skin cancer. Stay out of the sun, especially between 10am to 4pm (peak burning hours). Be sure to use hats and protective clothing when you are in the sun. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects your skin against ultraviolet rays (both UVA and UVB) with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. You could also wear photochromic lens or sunglasses which protect your eyes from the harmful rays in the sun.
4. FREQUENTLY WASH YOUR HANDS
Hand washing is important not only for health workers but for everyone. Frequent hand washing is one of the easiest and most effective way to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. To effectively wash your hands, lather your hands with soap, scrub your palms, the back of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails for at least 20 seconds.
5. PREVENT MOSQUITO BITES
Mosquitoes are insects that can transmit diseases like dengue fever, malaria and lymphatic filariasis. Preventing yourself from mosquito bite can prevent you from getting these diseases. You can take these simple steps to prevent yourself from mosquito- borne diseases;
a. Sleep under treated mosquito net
b. Wear light- coloured clothing which covers almost every part of your body especially when you are outdoors.
c. Dump out any stagnant water near your home
d. Use insect repellent
e. Dispose or bury all empty cans, bottles or other things that hold water.
6. BRUSH TWICE DAILY
Brushing your teeth twice daily which contributes greatly to oral hygiene is another thing to consider for general body health. Brushing your teeth at least in the morning and before bed helps to reduce the growth of bacteria in your mouth, prevents tartar build-up and plaque formation and prevent bad breath. I have an article on the benefits of brushing your teeth twice daily and how to effectively brush it, click here to read.
7. BE KEEN ON STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress is a risk factor for almost all the diseases that affect the human body. If you are constantly under stress, you can have physical symptoms such as elevated blood pressure, chest and back pain, dizziness, low energy, bad sleep and headache. Stress is part of our everyday life, but if you want to stay healthy you have to be concerned about ways that can help you to manage stress. There are several ways to manage stress including; exercise, relaxing your muscles, taking a break, getting plenty of sleep and making time for your hobbies. Talk to others you trust about your concerns and how you feel. Coping with stress can help you stay healthy and limit your risk of getting a lot of diseases.
8. HAVE REGULAR MEDICAL CHECK- UPS
Regular medical check-ups and screenings can help you discover diseases and health problems even before they develop. Visit the hospital regularly for screenings like cervical cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Early detection can help to cure or prevent it.
2023 is a year where all goals, dreams and aspirations are being achieved. Follow these basic measures to stay healthy so that you can have more strength to put in much efforts to achieve your goals. Thank you for reading to this point.
REFERENCE LIST
1. 20 health tips for 2020 retrieved from www.who.int
2. 50 ways to stay healthy at home retrieved from www.benenden.co.uk
3. Yiqing Song (n.d.) 10 tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and body weight, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
4. FamilyDoctor.org; What You Can do to Stay Healthy
5. Carol DerSarkissian, MD (August 2021) Checklist for Staying Healthy retrieved from www.webmd.com
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