One of the reasons that fad exercises routines and fad diets and fad health and wellness activities are so easy to fall for is that they prey on the general human attitude that we all don’t really feel like we’re as healthy as we could be. And though most of us are right, the reasons for the feelings of tiredness, irritability, and low energy are often a little vague.
That’s why, before making any drastic changes to your routines, it’s good to give yourself a general personal health assessment in a reasonable way. The following five tips will help you out, including getting a professional health assessment, tracking your moods, talking openly with friends, visiting your doctor, and being cautious comparing yourself to others.
Get a Health Assessment
The single best way to get a feel for your health is by getting a professional health assessment from a nutritionist. He or she will talk with you, do some testing, and find out logically and reasonably the relationship that you have between the physical condition of your body and the related mental feelings you get from your mind. Health assessments are the best precursor to making decisions about diet and exercise, because experts are the ones suggesting, not anonymous internet provocateurs.
Track Your Moods
Mood tracking is another way to check in with your basic health. You can install mood trackers on your phone, and then every hour or so, go through a very short set of questions, and then see what your trends are the end of each day. With these numbers, you can see how your diet, your work, or the people you talk to are affecting you on a long-term scale.
Talk Openly With Your Friends
Another good way to judge your health is to talk openly with your friends about what they notice about you. They can tell you if you change your basic moods in the morning or at night. Or if you’re a different person when you drink, for example. That’s important data when discovering your health level.
Visit Your Doctor
Visiting your doctor is different than visiting a certified nutritionist, but it will also give you certain indicators about your health. Your doctor will also know your history better than anyone, and will be able to point you toward trends over time.
Be Cautious Comparing Yourself To Others
One thing to be very careful of is that you don’t compare yourself to other when assessing your health. You can see pictures in magazines or see film of people on TV and assume that you can somehow relate to them in terms of health, but that’s a very dangerous path to go down, as every person is different, and the media portrayal of figures can also be dubious.