5 Ways You Can Improve Your Health That Have Nothing to Do with Food or Exercise

There’s more to health than food and exercise. Thank God.…

There’s more to health than food and exercise. Thank God.

There are a few things you can do to boost your health that don’t require you to eat a salad or do cardio. YAY!

1. I’M NOT TELLING YOU TO GET MARRIED BUT…
Cultivate healthy relationships. People with deep and meaningful connections are healthier. Research suggests that good friendships and strong social ties help you live longer, reduce the risk of depression, suicide, and substance abuse, and can even help you fight cancer.

2. STAND, DON’T SIT
We’ve all heard it before. Sitting is bad for your health. Sitting is the smoking of our generation. Sitting for longer periods of time can lead to a greater risk of dying early, and it’s also linked to over 30 diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Just standing up every now and then is a straightforward way to improve your general wellness.

3. A WHOLE NEW WORLD
We spend most of our time indoors. This makes sense, because we spend a lot of time driving, or eating, or watching tv, or working. The thing is, getting outdoors is better for our health. Getting outside increases our levels of Vitamin D, lowers our stress levels, improves our sleep, and of course, makes us happier. Not exactly bad side-effects.

4. “FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO AND YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.”
If your job has high-levels of stress attached to it then it might be time to find a new one. A study by researchers from Harvard Business School and Stanford University claims that work-related stress is as harmful for health as secondhand smoke. Are you stressed or depressed at work? It’s not self-indulgent to look for something new if that’s the case. It’s obviously not as straightforward as just upping and quitting, we need to work after all, but feeling calm and safe in our jobs and workplaces has a massive impact on our health.

5. SLEEP IS THE BEST MEDITATION
This is my favorite way of improving my health! Imagine, you can literally make yourself healthier in your sleep. Is there anything better? We just wrote a blog post about why getting enough sleep is important so I won’t go into it all over again, but basically lack of sleep is bad for your sex life, your stress levels, your brain cells, and your heart. Sleep long and hard folks.

Now come on, there’s got to be at least one of those you can do.

/Femi, The Girl Who Hates Working Out

RELATED: Why You Should Start Thinking Like An Athlete

All of the content and media on Lifesum is created and published for information purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Users should always consult with a doctor or other health care professional for medical advice. If you have or think you are at risk of developing an eating disorder, do not use the Lifesum app and seek immediate medical help.