The start of a new decade brings with it new resolutions to improve one’s life, including adopting a healthier lifestyle. Here are ten useful health tips to get you started on a healthier lifestyle in 2020.

Maintain a nutritious diet.

Consume a wide range of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Adults should eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day (400g). Include fruits and vegetables in all of your meals, snack on fresh fruit and vegetables, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and eat them in season to increase your intake. Eating healthy can reduce your risk of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Reduce your consumption of salt and sugar.

Filipinos consume twice the recommended sodium intake, increasing their risk of hypertension and, as a result, heart disease and stroke. Salt is the most common source of sodium for most people. Limit your daily salt consumption to 5g, or about one teaspoon. In contrast, excessive sugar consumption raises the risk of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. In both adults and children, free sugar intake should be kept to less than 10% of total energy intake. For an adult, this is approximately 50g or 12 teaspoons. The WHO recommends consuming less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits. Reduce your sugar intake by limiting your consumption of sugary snacks, candies, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Reduce your consumption of unhealthy fats.

This will help to prevent unhealthy weight gain and NCDs. Fats come in a variety of forms, but unsaturated fats are preferred over saturated and trans fats. The World Health Organization recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total energy intake, trans fat intake to less than 1% of total energy intake, and replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats are found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee, and lard; and trans fats are found in baked and fried foods, as well as pre-packaged snacks and foods such as frozen pizza, cookies, and biscuits.

Avoid drinking too much alcohol.

Alcohol consumption can lead to mental and behavioural disorders, as well as major NCDs like liver cirrhosis, some cancers, and heart disease, as well as injuries from violence and road rage.

Drink only safe water.

Water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio can be contracted by drinking contaminated water. At least 2 billion people around the world consume contaminated faeces-contaminated water. To ensure the safety of the water you’re drinking, check with your water concessionaire and water refilling station. If you are unsure of your water source, boil it for at least one minute. This kills any potentially dangerous organisms in the water. Allow it to cool naturally before drinking.

Take part in activities

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement that necessitates the expenditure of energy by skeletal muscles. This includes physical activity and activities performed while working, playing, doing housework, traveling, and participating in recreational activities. Physical activity requirements vary by age group, but adults aged 18 to 64 should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Increase moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week to reap additional health benefits. This is very important for your health. A lot of people have fibromyalgia symptoms, which appear mainly because of inactivity.

Maintain a regular blood pressure check.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, has earned the moniker “silent killer.” This is due to the fact that many people with hypertension are unaware of their condition because it has no symptoms. Regularly have your blood pressure checked by a health professional so you know what your numbers are. If your blood pressure is too high, consult a doctor. This is critical for the prevention and management of hypertension.

Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis are spread through the air. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, infectious agents can be spread to others via airborne droplets. When you start coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth with a face mask or tissue and dispose of it properly. When you cough or sneeze and don’t have a tissue nearby, use the crook (or inside) of your elbow to cover your mouth as much as possible.

Follow all traffic laws.

Every year, over one million people are killed in car accidents, and millions more are injured. A variety of government-enforced measures, such as stricter legislation and enforcement, safer infrastructure and vehicle standards, and improved post-crash care, can help to reduce road traffic injuries. You can also avoid road accidents by following traffic laws such as wearing a seatbelt for adults and a child restraint for your children, riding a motorcycle or bicycle with a helmet, not drinking and driving, and not using your cellphone while driving.

Talk to people you trust in case you’re feeling down.

Depression is a common disease that affects more than 260 million people worldwide. Depression can manifest in a variety of ways, including feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, as well as frequent negative and disturbing thoughts or an overwhelming sense of pain. Talk to someone you trust about your feelings, such as a family member, friend, colleague, or mental health professional.

And there you have it, ten tips for living a healthy life in 2022. If you have any other tips relevant for this year do let us know in the comments below!