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Often, when we think about our health, it’s about our overall physical health, predominantly workouts and eating healthily. However, there are so many areas of our health that get overlooked. We’re all guilty, as when life gets busy, it’s easy for things to slip. However, this is your sign to put some time and effort into focusing on these neglected areas of health to improve how you feel and look after your mind and body.
Oral Health
First up, we have oral health. It’s common for people to neglect their oral health for a range of reasons, whether they’ve not had any issues currently and don’t feel the need to look after their teeth, mouth, and gums; perhaps they’re embarrassed about their teeth and don’t want to get them looked at; or they don’t want to pay. However, our oral health is so important, as not only does it directly impact how we speak, eat, and breathe, but it can have a big impact on our confidence, too. It’s not effective at all to wait until there’s an issue and then get it resolved, as often you’ll spend much more money overall and the treatment will be more intrusive.
So, you should book an appointment to see a dentist Solihull, South London, or Southampton, and also make sure you’re brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, as well as flossing and using mouthwash once a day. Even if you don’t have any symptoms of an oral health issue, booking an appointment and taking your oral health seriously are key. We only get one set of natural teeth, so looking after them is such an important part of your overall health routine and should be done as early as possible.
Gut Health
Something else you should focus on is your gut health. Gut health is so important, as the gut is responsible for breaking down the food you eat and helping you absorb the nutrients you need. When you eat the right foods and look after your gut, it can completely transform how you feel. Good gut health also fuels your overall health, so it’s key that you pay some attention to eating gut-healthy foods.
The main thing you should do is predominantly eat whole foods like lean protein sources, plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, as this should provide your gut with the nutrients it needs. You should also eat probiotics in your diet, which are fantastic for your gut health, like kefir, live yogurt, sauerkraut and miso. Probiotics also help build up your immune system. So, if you want to feel revitalized and energized, then focusing on your gut health is the way forward.
Mental Health
A huge element of our health that is overlooked is our mental health. While things are improving, there is still a stigma around mental health that simply isn’t there with physical health. A mixture of people not being comfortable talking about mental health and other people not fully understanding it, mental health is something that is still misunderstood.
Even if you don’t have any mental health concerns, you must invest some time in yourself and your mental health, such as knowing when you need a break and when to say no, being open to asking people for help when you need it or identifying negative self-talk and being aware of it. If you struggle with mental health problems, then you should reach out to a medical professional, ideally, your doctor, who will be able to help you figure out the best steps moving forward. You should never struggle on your own and although sometimes it can feel like there’s no way out, there always is, so make sure to speak out and ask for help as you would with a physical health problem. Your mental health is just as important.
Joint Health
Last but not least, we have joint health. When we’re younger, our joint health usually doesn’t cross our minds, however, healthy joints are essential to helping us walk, run, jump, and generally just function and move well! So, a few things you can do are regularly lifting weights and stretching once a day to work on your flexibility. Yoga is a great way to both build strength and protect your joints. You can also tailor your diet to be good for your joint health by eating omega-3 fatty acids, as well as seeds, nuts, and a variety of fruits and vegetables, to protect your body as early as possible. Looking after our joints will help to keep us more mobile throughout our lives and improve our quality of life, especially in the later years.
