Many people wait till it's too late to start thinking of their mental and physical health. Indeed, some believe that it's a very daunting task. However, that's not the case. Here are five lifestyle changes that will improve your health.

Make Massages Part of Your Monthly Routine

When looking to improve your overall health and wellness, aim for getting a massage about once or twice a month. Receiving routine massages can help to relieve the symptoms of conditions that affect your emotional balance, including anxiety, depression, and stress. Massage can also help to relieve muscle tension by increasing circulation throughout your body, reducing stress-related aches and pains. One study showed that 76% of people who received regular massage therapy stopped experiencing symptoms of insomnia altogether.

Practice Yoga
Yoga has three significant benefits that are both physical and mental. Firstly, it can help by dealing with bodily pain as it leads to improvement in flexibility, which in turn dramatically reduces aches, especially in muscles and joints. Secondly, it relaxes your body and relieves stress, primarily due to the deep breathing. Finally, yoga improves sleeping patterns and is a great resource for anyone who struggles to get more than seven hours of sleep a day. 

Eat Healthy
What you consume heavily impacts your health. Cut down on processed food and ditch the sugary fizzy drinks in your fridge. Avoid calorie-dense foods like chips, which don't have much nutritional value. Ensure that you take a lot of water in each and every day. People often try to eat healthy meals and end up faltering in the snacks department. If you have to take them, choose fruits and nuts instead of cake and candy.

Adopt New Exercises
As you grow older, your body won't be able to handle the same physical exercises it would in the past. That is why it's necessary to adopt new practices based on what you can do. Just because you can't spend 2 hours on the treadmill or bench-press heavy weights anymore doesn't mean you should stop exercising. Look for new ways to keep fit so that your body will be thanking you later, rather than aching and hurting.

Take Up Puzzles
Many people disregard their mental health, and that often has the potential to lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia (and possibly even Alzheimer’s) in old age. Consequently, it is highly advisable to keep the brain as active as possible. The best method to achieve this is by doing crossword puzzles, taking up riddles, playing chess, among other activities. Another way to challenge your mind is by doing everyday tasks differently. For instance, eating with your non-dominant hand will test your brain.

Think Small 
Finally, it is imperative to think small when doing lifestyle changes. Often, many people are fazed by a lot of information regarding improving their health, and they end up doing nothing. You should start small and build slowly. If you take two cans of soda in a day, cut down and start taking only one before eventually eliminating it from your diet. If you don't do any exercise, start with the least demanding activities and progress. Whatever the circumstance, don't overwhelm yourself and end up doing nothing. 

In conclusion, making lifestyle changes to improve your mental and physical health isn't as daunting a task as it may seem. You just need to start small and build along the way. Most importantly, don't wait until it is too late to start following any of these tips.

Content provided by Elise Morgan