Your healthspan is the period of time you get to enjoy good health and we want that to be as long as possible through creating healthy habits and practicing preventative care. It’s never too late to make a change to improve your health and you don’t have to completely overhaul your current routine to make these changes. There are many ways you can gradually incorporate healthier choices into your day-to-day activities that will benefit you in the long run and increase your healthspan. Here are some of the changes you can make to improve your health starting today.

Diet is a major factor in a healthy lifestyle. Food provides fuel for energy and the building blocks to make new cells. You can eat your way to better health by incorporating whole foods into your diet. These are unprocessed foods that are ideally locally sourced for full, unadulterated nutrients without harmful additives or pesticides. Each meal should be made up of a variety of colorful plant foods, adequate protein, and healthy fats. Make it a goal to eat a plant-forward diet with every color for a wide variety of health benefits.

Those with a healthy lifestyle make sure they move their body every day. If you spend most of your day at a desk or are sedentary, moving your body for even just 30 minutes a day can improve your health. Just by going on a daily walk or taking part in light exercise like a yoga class, you can lower your risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. A 15-minute walk after each meal significantly lowers blood sugar and insulin.

When you’re asleep, that is your body’s chance to reset and repair. Adults should aim to get around seven to eight hours of sleep every day. If you have trouble falling asleep, try setting aside an hour before bed to unwind. Take this time to turn off the screens and do calming activities like stretching, journaling, drinking tea, or reading a book. If you still struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep, you may also discuss sleep supplements with your doctor. These supplements could include melatonin, valerian root, magnesium, and more.

Stress can affect your health in many ways. It can cause high blood pressure, gut health issues, poor sleep, high blood sugar, chronic pain, and more. By finding a healthy way to cope with stress, you can put yourself on the path to a healthy lifestyle. There are many options available for stress control that can benefit your health. To manage stress you can try talking to loved ones or a therapist, meditating, doing light exercise, journaling, massage therapy, and more.

While there are many warnings about sun exposure and the risk of skin cancer, a little bit of sun carries great health benefits. Sunbathing for 20 minutes every morning can boost your mental health, lower blood pressure, regulate sleep, strengthen bones, increase immunity, and give you a good dose of Vitamin D. To gain these benefits and more, incorporate soaking up some sun into your healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget to apply your sunscreen after 20 minutes of sunshine.

Humanity is centered around forming connections with people. When we talk and spend time with our loved ones, we feel less stressed and we get a good dose of happy hormones like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. These hormones improve mental health and physical health too. By staying connected with people you are connected to, you can lower blood pressure, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and more.

We all have our vices, and it’s okay to indulge now and then, as long as it’s not often. When it comes to alcohol, no amount is healthy for you. To keep your health in check, moderate your consumption to limits that are compatible with your goals. We recommend that you discuss what range would be considered acceptable for you with your doctor.

Though any one of these changes on the list can help you towards a healthy lifestyle, these changes are meant to work together to improve all areas of your health. By committing to these healthy habits, you’ll begin to see results and feel better than before.

At Robinson MD, we want you to enjoy good health for as long as you can. We help patients achieve this by practicing functional medicine, which is a holistic approach that examines every aspect of your lifestyle to determine how you can improve it. If you want to explore functional medicine more, you can fill out our Wellness Questionnaire to determine whether we can help you achieve your health goals.