What is World Health Day?
Since it began in 1948, World Health Day has served to shine a light on important health problems that may not otherwise be in the public eye. Past themes have covered depression and mental health, road safety, food safety, and healthy mothers and children.
Theme for 2021: Building a Fairer and Healthier World
During the recent pandemic, we’ve seen health-based services are not provided equally to all communities. Age, income, race/ethic background, location, and family history all play a part in healthcare access. This disparity has led to increased health problems and disadvantages for members of marginalized communities.
To celebrate World Health Day for everyone, we’ve compiled a list of several more accessible ways you can be proactive and take control of your health.
Go for a Walk
Walking 30 minutes every day helps maintain weight and keeps the heart rate and body moving. Creating a walking group in your community can help motivate you and others into a regular walking routine – and it’s a great way to make and maintain relationships.
Get Your Yearly Checkup
A yearly physical can help prevent avoidable health conditions, and proper treatment and monitoring of any health conditions you already have may prevent them from getting worse.
Plan Your Meals
One of the best ways to motivate yourself to eat better is to plan meals and snacks for the week. You can use an app on your phone, a whiteboard in your kitchen, or a piece of paper stuck to the fridge to help plan (and stick to) your meals during the week.
Coupon clipping (check out these websites) can also help ensure your plan is both affordable and healthy. When your local grocery store has a sale on a specific vegetable, commit to trying new ways to prepare that vegetable (roasting, sautéing, boiling, etc.).
Set Attainable Goals
One of the biggest issues people have with goal setting is making unrealistic or arbitrary goals with no real timeline. Start by making small goals. For example, try spending at least 30 minutes each week in reflection. It’s a perfect time to relax, listen to music and write a list of positive things that have happened that week. If things aren’t going so well, it can be a time to process any emotions you’ve been bottling and plan ways to improve your situation.
Self-Care
Take time to rest, reflect and take care of you, so you can better help those around you. Take a day to do something you love – get a massage, take a day trip to your favorite place, try a new workout (YouTube has excellent resources), or get a little more sleep. Keep in mind that self-care is your day-to-day maintenance, but sometimes taking the time to do something different can help give you a jump-start.
Give Back
Helping others is a great way to boost your self-esteem, learn something new, and improve your overall mood. Try volunteering your time at a local soup kitchen or animal shelter or donating to a food pantry. Try complimenting three people you come across in your day or calling someone who has been isolated due to COVID restrictions.
Although World Health Day falls on April 7th, healthy lifestyle changes can occur any day of the year. Let April 7th be a day you re-commit to yourself and your goals.
