Achieving long-term wellness is a common goal with people beginning a holistic health journey. Long-term wellness can contribute to a longer life and healthier mental well-being. A holistic approach to health means focusing on mental, emotional and physical health to promote overall wellness. Taking a holistic approach to your health can help you address health issues that more traditional medicine may not address.

What is long-term wellness?

Long-term wellness refers to a prolonged period of health. Many people use this term when discussing preventative medicine or recovery. Instead of focusing on a goal weight or healing an injury, you can focus on building habits that contribute to a healthy lifestyle that persists into the future.

For example, suppose you are working with a pelvic floor therapist to assist with post-natal recovery. In that case, they can help you train your pelvic floor to recover from the stress of labor and provide exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. This has the added benefit of ensuring future pregnancies are less likely to have complications. This practice promotes long-term wellness over simple recovery. Here are some additional ways you can work towards long-term health:

1. Get a full night’s sleep

Sleep is essential to your health because your body rests and heals during your sleep. Additionally, it is vital to promote your mental health. Sleep allows you to process previous experiences and can impact your mood and brain performance. It impacts your ability to perform other activities that promote wellness in your life. Three different factors of sleep can affect your overall health:

• Amount of sleep: Adults need at least seven hours a night. The amount of sleep you get can impact your brain’s functioning at total capacity during the day.
• Quality of Sleep: Even if you are getting the right amount of sleep, if the quality of your sleep is low, you may still be missing out on the benefits to your body and mental well-being. You can ensure the quality of sleep by limiting interruptions to your sleep.
• Consistency: A consistent sleep schedule is also important, as it trains your body and brain to perform essential restorative processes during sleep.

2. Have a balanced diet

Eating a healthy diet can help you provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best. Food provides you with energy, vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients. Eating foods that lack nutritional value or irritate your gut health can make you tired or sick, leaving you without the energy to exercise or complete daily tasks.

You can work with a nutritionist to determine if your body has specific needs, like lactose sensitivity or gluten intolerance. Then, you can work to create a diet plan that meets your body’s needs while continuing to provide the necessary carbs and proteins that you need.

3. Manage stress

Stress can contribute to cardiac disease or mental health issues, so it’s essential to manage stress regularly. Excessive stress can prevent you from building positive habits like sleep consistency or healthy eating. It’s important to stay conscious of your stress level and practice stress relief. Exercise can be a great stress reliever. Also, many people use massage therapy to manage stress. Stress can build up in your muscles and cause injuries or strain, so seeing a massage therapist or holistic Chiropractor can help you release tension from your body and contribute to your holistic health.

4. Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is one way to easily manage your health because it has long-lasting benefits for your cardiac and nervous systems. Exercise increases the blood flow throughout your body, which can improve your cardiac health, but it also promotes oxygen in your body, making you feel more energetic. In this way, exercise is a holistic practice because it helps your physical, mental, and emotional health. Also, you can build muscles that can help you prevent injury in the future.

Regular exercise can also help you maintain control over your body and nervous system as you age, promoting long-term physical health. Our physical trainers are happy to work with you to improve your exercise literacy and create a program that benefits your mental and physical needs.

5. Limit unhealthy habits

Limiting unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking improves your long-term well-being. These habits can cause disease or injury, so limiting exposure can prevent consequences that are hard to reverse. Preventative measures, like alternative therapies and education about nutrition, can help you avoid establishing unhealthy habits in the first place.

6. Practice mindfulness

In addition to practicing habits that promote your physical health, it is essential to engage with hobbies and therapies that encourage mindfulness. In this way, you can also manage your mental and emotional health. All these elements contribute to your long-term health because they are connected. If you feel energized and engaged, you may be more able to monitor your eating habits and commit to exercise.

Eating well and exercising regularly increases your blood flow and sleep consistency, which increases your mood. Leading a balanced life where you focus equally on your mental, emotional, and physical health can lead to a more successful wellness journey.

Embrace support from professionals

At Living Well Balanced, we offer holistic healthcare from caring and experienced professionals. We provide alternative therapies like nutritional, physical, occupational, and chiropractic therapy to assist our clients in every aspect of their health and wellness management. You can make an appointment with one of our therapists to learn how they can benefit your treatment plan for injury recovery or prevention and chronic pain. If you have any questions, you can always give us a call at 212-579-2858 or send an email to info@livingwb.com. Check out our blog for more information about alternative therapies.