We all want to feel good, but sometimes living a healthy life can get a bit overwhelming.  After all, we don’t always have time and energy for hours at the gym and putting together elaborate meals.  Thankfully, good health can actually be quite simple with a few smart strategies. 

Explore your benefits

Are you taking advantage of all the benefits your healthcare plan provides?  For instance, you can use HSA funds toward medical expenses outside your insurance coverage, such as for meeting your deductible, prescriptions, and vision care.  Along those same lines, seniors can use their Medicare Advantage plan to help with health-related expenses that fall outside Medicare coverage.  For example, Humana offers Medicare Advantage plans that help cover dental and vision expenses.  In order to optimize your health, start by using all the tools at your disposal, including your health insurance. 

Grab time here and there

It can be challenging to find time to assemble your gear, drive to a gym, work out, clean up, and then get back to the rest of your obligations.  How about dedicating 10 minutes here and there instead?  Prevention points out simply squeezing in 10 minutes of exercise when it’s convenient is enough to make you feel happier and more energized, and it can even boost your health to the point of feeling decades younger.  Snagging a power walk with the pooch, doing jumping jacks, or climbing stairs during your coffee break can be all you need to give your fitness a shot in the arm.  It’s super simple and requires very little time, just try to commit to at least five days a week to really see results! 

Are you eating superfoods?

A healthy diet can seem complicated – extra shopping, extra meal prep, and for the most part, it sounds kinda dull.  However, superfoods get their hero-sounding name for a good reason.  They are rich in nutrition, jam-packed with antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, probiotics, prebiotics – all sorts of wonderful things!  As a result, they frequently are amped up with delicious flavor as well.  By adding fiber to the mix, you can feel surprisingly satisfied when you consume superfoods.  Add things like blueberries, eggs, walnuts, and spinach to your meals.  It’s one of the easiest ways to revamp your diet, since by including these nutritious powerhouses you feel full and can pare down on foods that aren’t as healthy.  When looking for foods to cut out, Fitness Magazine recommends ditching things like margarine, sugary cereals, soda, and processed baked goods.

Set aside “me time”

Engaging in activities just for you is a key to health and well-being.  You can squeeze everything out of your health coverage, squeeze in your exercise, and squeeze in good eating, but at some point, you should dedicate time just for yourself without being squeezed.  One of the best things you can do for your wellness is something we often overlook as adults: enjoying a hobby.  It’s a chance to lower stress levels, be creative, and distract you from obligations and pressures elsewhere in life.  There is a freedom to gain from participating in hobbies that can’t be found in other activities, since it’s something you do for yourself and control from start to finish. 

Think about what you would really enjoy exploring.  Fly fishing, watercolor painting, beekeeping – the possibilities are nearly endless!  It’s also a chance to boost your social life, since you can seek out others who share the same interest and connect.  There are apps available to help you find people who enjoy the same hobby, which is a chance to ask questions, find information, and bounce around ideas.  When you squeeze errands into your lunch, pick up supplies for your newfound activity.  Set aside an hour or two each weekend to dive in and enjoy yourself!

You can live a happier, healthier life with a few simple changes.  Get the most out of healthcare, snag some exercise, eat healthier, and take more “me time.”  You only live once, and you should feel good and enjoy it!