We all have so many hopes and dreams for our life. For some, it’s graduating from college and then climbing the corporate ladder to claim an executive position. For others, it’s starting and raising a family and feeling the beauty of being surrounded by those you nurture and love. Independent-minded souls have hopes of following an entrepreneurial path, of being their own boss and charting their own direction in life. Some even become great explorers or adventurers, setting out on amazing journeys where great discoveries are just a treasure map away.
Every person has a different dream, a song that is uniquely their own. Yet, as humans, we all have elements in common too. One of the key things we share is that every hope, every dream, relies on our continued good health. Being well is the foundation for keeping our bodies, mind and heart going as we pursue our place in the world. It’s so important to develop healthy habits and take care of ourselves so that we can live life fully, year after year.
Financial Benefits of Living a Healthy Lifestyle
When you follow a healthy lifestyle, you’ll find there are lots of financial benefits too. By staying healthy, you’ll be able to bring in more income in life and will have greatly reduced medical expenses. You’ll be able to save a lot of money on your monthly out-of-pocket doctor’s costs and over the counter and prescription drugs.
Another great benefit is that you will be able to get much cheaper life insurance premiums. By adopting healthy habits and keeping in good shape you’ll also be able to afford important add-ons such as long-term care insurance. With this coverage, you can avoid paying out of pocket if you should need extended care and services during your lifetime. You can take some time and review a helpful online guide that highlights the pros and cons of such a policy.
Reduce Your Stress
One of the best ways you can take care of your health is to take proactive steps to reduce your stress levels. When we are stressed, that body jumps into fight-or-flight mode and triggers a host of chemical reactions that allow us to respond to danger. This worked very well in more primitive times, when we had a one-time event like seeing a tiger in a jungle.
Today, we don’t have a tiger chasing us but we have constant stressful situations that never seem to let up. From financial worries to relationship issues to a maniacal, driven boss, we have stress lurking around every corner. To be truly healthy we need to set aside some time every hour or so to step away from the fray, and calm and care for ourselves. Silent or guided meditation, or calming music, can really help us reenter and keep stress at bay.
Spend a Lot of Time in Nature
We always like to think that humans today are so much smarter than our ancestors from prior days. If you look back in time, though, you’ll find that those that came before us had far more balanced lives. During the time of the hunter-gatherers, they got to spend almost all of their time in nature and had very few tasks to complete each day. Nature is an amazing healer, helping restore our natural rhythms and nourishing us at a cellular level.
In Japan, scientists have studied the effect of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. When you are immersed in a beautiful grove of trees our bodies entrain with the greater rhythm of nature and we synchronize to that calming frequency. They also discovered that trees give off beneficial organic compounds that enhance our immune system and contribute to our continued health.
