The healthier you in 2021

Every year, everyone has new goals to achieve. Be it set up new goals to achieve or just simply carry forward the previous goals with some modification or just carry forward the previous goals as it is since it is not achieved yet or it has not becoming habit yet.

In this article we are going to share with you, three areas of health for the healthier you in 2021. They are nutrition, physical activity, and mental health. These three are really essential components of health that you need to put an effort to maintain especially as you grow older. World Health Organization (WHO) in its definition of ‘health’ as well emphasize on these three factors when describing what health is.

‘Health is state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’

Which also explain why individual who are disabled or individual who is bedridden can also have the best state of health despite their lack in certain things and individuals with complete physical well being might also be not in their best state of health. Since health itself is more than what can be seen outside.

Nutrition

Ministry of Health has come up with Malaysian plate to helps Malaysian to easily practice healthy eating habit. This makes it even easier nowadays to follow the healthy eating regime, put more plant-based food into your diet. The requirement is 3 servings of vegetables per day and it is about 3 ladles of vegetables daily. The types of vegetables that should be consumed more is the non-starchy vegetables such as green leafy vegetables. When we consume plenty of plant-based food, it will reduce the intake of food from carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Which our current scenario is vice versa, the eating habit that most of us are currently is, we consumed too many carbohydrates, fats, and protein which is the contributor to the obesity and various diseases. It is no surprised that we are the fattest country in Southeast Asia.

By saying this, also implying that weight monitoring and be more mindful on what we put into our body such as the need to consume less saturated fat, trans fat and interesterification fat in our daily diet is a must. Being mindful of our ideal healthy weight helps us to be more cautious to choose food not only because of its calorie but because of its overall nutrition content, which is why apart from maintaining healthy body weight, it is also essential to start monitor your body parameters every year! You may do blood test, or simply go to the nearest pharmacy or clinic to check on you blood pressure, blood glucose, blood cholesterol level, and uric acid level. So, go and check your health parameters before end of this year so you may start planning for the healthier you in 2021 better with your health information.

Physical activity

Physical activity is one of the areas that is concerning healthcare professional especially for Malaysian women since in the previous years, we can see the gap in women who is exercise as compared to man, but not anymore. Nowadays, we can see that many Malaysian women started to exercise, be in the lady’s gym only or be it in the local cycling group in your neighborhood, you will meet women joining such activities nowadays which is a good sign. But still, more efforts need to be done to encourage women to exercise especially those new moms who is still adjusting motherhood. It is nice to see perhaps in the future gym with kids’ corner where mom can do their exercise while their kids still can enjoy their own activities all in one place.

Apart from this, if you are considering starting exercise in the new year, you may start with something you like, it can be cycling, jogging, Zumba, Pilates, dancing and many more. The interesting thing with exercise is that you can try various of things before you will find what suit you most, and when you have found that exercise that you like. You will have no more feeling like it is a torture.

As for elderly, perhaps to start with vigorous exercise is dangerous for your body, so simply stick to exercise that require simple motion but still makes you move around. It is as simple as gardening, tai chi, or any other house chores that makes you move your body and make sure you enjoy that so that you can put that into your habit!

Mental health

Apart from exercise can make body healthier it can as well improve mental health. Many people are becoming more stress and anxiety with regards to pandemic COVID19. Staying at home, practicing social distance, and wear mask has made people paranoid of going out and makes people have no source of comfort.

There are certain practices which can improve this according to World Health organization (WHO) such as take time daily for spiritual renewal, where you can allocate some of your time daily for reading, praying, meditate, and seek spiritual renewal. A heart primed with gratitude, forgiveness, and service help you soar over life difficulties, and challenges. Spend quality time with family and friends also helps in building strong heart and healthy mind. Relationship teach love and acceptance which makes more room for kindness which is as well a good fuel to content heart!

Lastly, manage stress and limit the use of tobacco, alcohol consumption and illicit drugs also will tremendously help. Also, if you think that the burden is too much to carry learn to let go, learn to share, and learn to accept things at is.

In conclusion,

With all these tips, we hope that 2021, will be our year to soar high, to achieve more things, to be magical and fill with lots more positive vibes, kindness, compassion towards one another as we have gone through a tough obstacle throughout 2020 from various sides, health, economy, and politically. Thus, its about time for us to be more understanding of one another and unite for the betterment of humankind!