Most people are well aware of the benefits of eating healthy and exercising. But there are other lifestyle changes you can make that don’t receive their share of the spotlight even though they’re impactful as well. Along with visiting a family medicine practitioner for regular checkups, consider the following fundamental ways to boost your health every day.

How to Improve Your Health Beyond Diet & Exercise

1. Get Enough Rest

A good night’s rest has seemingly endless benefits. Not only can getting enough sleep help you maintain a healthy weight, but it can also enhance focus and concentration, allow you to perform better at work, and vastly improve your mood. Research even shows that people who get seven to eight hours of rest each night have a lessened chance of developing a serious health condition, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, try spending less time on your phone or computer right during the evening. Light from your devices as much as two hours before bed can adversely affect the sleep cycle.

2. Focus on Your Attitude

A bad attitude is not only an emotional issue. It can also have a significant impact on the state of your health. Family medicine studies on emotional vitality show people with positive attitudes are less likely to develop heart disease or experience strokes at a later date.

While it’s easier said than done, there are steps you can take if you’re consistently down in the dumps. Try to live your life with a sense of purpose while also focusing on the moment. Meditating for just a few minutes a day can open your mind to positivity and help melt stress away. 

3. Spend Time Outdoors

Sunlight is a great source for vitamin D. This nutrient builds healthy bones and teeth while also helping your body defend itself from illness. While it can be tough during winter, spending time outdoors is a good way to boost physical and mental health. Beyond the benefits of physical exercise, a walk in the park or a hike through the woods soothes and refreshes. 

When communing with nature, make sure your skin is properly protected by a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. In addition to the traditional risk of sunburn from UVB rays, also seek out a sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide, ecamsule, oxybenzone, sulisobenzone, avobenzone, or zinc oxide—any one of these will guard against the lesser-known UVA rays. The sun can do just as much damage in winter as it does in summer, especially if you’re spending long stretches of time outside.

Having access to reliable medical care from a family medicine clinic is also integral to staying happy and healthy. That’s exactly what Orange Beach Walk-In Medical Care provides to residents of Orange Beach, AL. With a specialty in family medicine, these doctors can treat pediatric patients as well as seniors with more complex medical needs. Their walk-in care clinic is also ideal for urgent medical matters, including sprains, minor cuts and contusions, colds and flu, and headaches, among many other conditions. Stop by today or call (251) 964-7425 for more information. If you’d like to learn more about the services offered, visit them online.