I've been hearing so much lately about youth and their health. From listening to startling facts about obesity on the radio, to reading about eating disorders and rare diseases in the Times, it seems like I've been learning a lot about certain health issues, but I haven't heard anything about how to just live your life in a healthy way, or how to do things for your body that will make you feel not only healthier, but more confident about yourself. So I've come up with some tips, to bring you what I hope will be a helpful and informative article.
Health
Health is a term which I find very vague. What is health? More importantly, what does being healthy mean to you? What does living healthy mean to you? Taking a very objective look at the word health made me realize why we should all try to live healthier lives! After all, no one is totally healthy. I've assembled a list ten tips that can help all citizens of Whyville live healthier.
Tip #10: Wash your hands! I know you've all heard it a million times, but this tip couldn't be more helpful. Colds, coughs, runny noses and sore throats are terrible at this time of year! It doesn't matter how old you are, or how in shape you are, it only takes one person with a bug to pass it on to their whole class.
Tip #9: Catch some Zzz's! Think about how long you sleep for. Is it 5, 6, maybe 7 hours a night? When you wake up, could you just pound the snooze button and go back to sleep for another few hours? Sleep makes up a big part of your day, and it's really important that you get enough of it! Every night, people our age should be getting a minimum of 8 hours sleep each night. Not only will it help cut down on your coffee consumption, but getting enough sleep routinely will make you less stressed! With our hectic lives these days, more sleep and less stress sounds pretty good to me!
Tip #8: Drink lots of water every day! You already know that your body is made of 70% water, and over the day your body loses some of that water, so you need to replenish it. How? It's easy! All you have to do is try to drink about 8 cups of water throughout the day. I know that seems like a lot of water, but water is really beneficial to your body! Along with keeping you hydrated, water is good for your skin and maintaining a healthy body weight, as well as keeping you focused in school!
Tip #7: Brush your teeth twice a day. Your oral health is part of your health, and your teeth are very important. A healthy, bright smile shows others that you care about yourself!
Tip #6: Try to prevent stress. I've mentioned stress a few times already, and certain ways to help prevent stress. The school year is already a quarter over, but already I've seen so many people totally "freaking out" because of tests they either didn't study for, or aren't prepared for. Maybe if you just studied Meiosis for that extra 20 minutes it would have clicked, or it you asked your math teacher for a little help with the Pythagreum theorem, you wouldn't have to stress over that upcoming test!
Tip #5: Learn what goes into your food. Cooking isn't hard at all! Instead of ordering pizza, fry a little bit of hamburger and onion, warm up some wraps, shred some cheese, and chop up some lettuce and make wraps. Not only is this fun and easy, but you get to see how food gets from your fridge, to your mouth.
Tip #4: Use your power of choice! When you're in the line at the cafeteria, what are you thinking about getting? French fries for the third time this week? It's moments like these where you have the choice to make a good decision for your body. Even saying to yourself, I'm going to get milk today instead of that Mountain Dew is benefiting your body! Not only are you getting some extra calcium, but now that you don't have all that sugar in you, you can concentrate during French class!
Tip #3: Don't be a couch, er, computer chair potato! Watching cartoons after school seems to be a thing of the past, now that we have all these great Internet sites like Whyville, where we can hang out all afternoon! Having some computer time isn't a bad thing, but spending too much time typing away isn't always good. After all, just because your fingers are moving, doesn't mean you're burning calories! Every day, try to get at least 20 minutes of physical activity. Get outside while it's still nice and throw around a Frisbee! Head over to the YMCA and go for a swim! Get your heart pumping every day.
Tip #2: Know your body! Every one of us is unique, and our bodies are the same! You probably have a pretty good idea of what foods your body doesn't like, or how long you can run for. Sometimes, pushing yourself is a good thing, but you need to remember that's not always the case. Don't push yourself to eat that last piece of pizza if your stomach says you're full! Listen to the signs your body gives you, it knows what it's talking about!
Tip #1: Be confident with yourself. This tip is not always the easiest to follow, but it's probably one of the most important. No matter what your age or body type, confidence is a sure sign that you feel good about yourself, and isn't part of being healthy feeling good?
I challenge you to take just one of these tips, and try to incorporate it into your life tomorrow. Maybe it's kicking a soccer ball around with some of your friends at recess, or choosing a fruit salad over poutine at lunch. All of your little choices add up to help make you as healthy as you can be!
--rochrox
