Health Class Refresh: Tips You Learned in School to Remember in Adulthood
You probably remember health class as an awkward time when teachers educated you about your body. While it felt like you’d rather be anywhere else, those educators had some sound advice you may need a refresher on. Here are five tips you learned in school to remember in adulthood:
1. Drink Water
This tip is an obvious one, but it’s important to continue to keep up your water intake. It may sound repetitive at this point, but drinking enough water is vital for your health. Though your body gets some of the fluid it needs from the food you eat, you should aim for 2,200 milliliters — or about nine cups — of water daily. Along with needing water to aid in digest and remove waste and toxins, every cell in our body needs it to function.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Forgetting about the importance of sleep is easy, but getting around eight hours of rest a night is vital. Poor sleep can affect you as soon as you wake up — you might feel a little more sensitive, getting more angry or sad than usual. However, it can go deeper by affecting your memory, bringing about mental health issues or even leading to cognitive decline. As you get older, you may also be concerned about your changing physical appearance – namely, aging skin. A lack of sleep can accelerate your skin’s aging process. If you’re not getting enough sleep, start changing that pattern today. Your brain and body will thank you for it.
3. Learn About Nutrition
Nutrition may take some relearning, but a balanced diet is great for your adult life. Each body is different, so the food you need may differ from someone else, but research shows 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables could reduce your risk of disease and death. Tossing a few more apples and peppers into your meals might benefit you significantly. Remember that a healthy diet won’t look the same for everyone. What works for you might not work for someone else, so try a few new meals and see how you feel.
4. Care for Your Mental Health
Your employers may not emphasize your emotional well-being, but hopefully, your health teachers did. Make sure to do what makes you happy, like talking with your friends or doing something you secretly loved in middle school but thought was too “nerdy.” Nurturing yourself in adulthood is crucial for your continued joy. So many parts of your life start with good mental health. Therapy is a fantastic option if you have the means, but remembering to live for yourself can get you far.
5. Exercise Daily
Workouts can be hard to fit into your day, but a little physical activity is ideal for your body’s health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This number works out to about 20 minutes daily — perfectly manageable in your adult life. You don’t have to head to the gym if you don’t want to. Simply taking a walk around the block every day can give you the workout you need, along with lowering your risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.
Take Care of Yourself with These Health Class Tips
The days of health class may seem far behind you as an adult, but many of the teaching points still ring true. Use this refresh to remember the best ways to care for yourself in adulthood.
Cora Gold is the Editor-in-Chief of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. She has a passion for writing about ways to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, especially for new moms.
