10 Feb

7 Surprising Life Changes That Affect Your Health

7 Surprising Life Changes That Affect Your Health

It’s easy to feel like your health is out of your control, but there are some key factors that influence wellness at every stage of life. Here are 7 surprising life changes that may significantly affect your health.

  1. Age: As you age, your health naturally changes and your body’s needs change as well. Hormones shift in both men and women, joints may weaken, bones may become more brittle, and your metabolism may slow down. Rather than causing alarm, this simply means you need to support your body to counter the effects of these changes.
  2. Seasons: As the seasons shift, your body has different needs for both diet and exercise. In colder months, your immunity and health are dependent on staying warm. The reverse is true in the hotter months of the year. Consuming foods that foster heat or coolness in the body will keep you healthy. Eating with the seasons by buying locally sourced produce is a great way to start!
  3. Location: The average American moves once every 5 years. When you move to a new location, you may find yourself in a completely different climate—and one that makes you feel and even look differently. Your body will have distinct needs in a hot and humid place than it will in a cool and dry place, and it’s up to you to address these needs through changes in your diet, exercise, and R&R.
  4. Job: Statistics suggest that Americans will change jobs 5-7 times in their lives. The unique demands of your work will dictate your activity levels and caloric needs, as well as the environment you spend most of your time in. Whether you are at a desk under fluorescent lights, in a factory exposed to toxins, or working outside in the hot sun, each of these factors influences your health. Moreover, your stress levels, working hours, sleep, and modes of transportation to work can all influence your immune health and overall wellness.
  5. Children: Aside from the obvious changes in your life and health when you have children, like pregnancy for women and lack of sleep for both moms and dads, having children actually changes your hormones. Levels of the hormone prolactin, which increases our caretaking impulse, will rise in parents, as will oxytocin, the “feel good” hormone triggered by bonding. Elevated levels of prolactin can also lead to decreased sex drive, however, and oxytocin may cause forgetfulness. But there are foods you can eat and exercises you can do to help balance those hormones back to normal.
  6. Body Changes: Increases in abdominal fat, balding, gray hair, brittle nails, pimples, and more—these body changes indicate hormonal changes and are important to take note of. Your body often communicates what’s going on internally with changes on the surface.
  7. Symptoms: Headaches? Stomach aches? Joint pain? Pay attention! Symptoms are a warning sign that something is off, and a signal to make changes to bring your body back into balance.

As you age, as the seasons change, as you change locations or jobs, have children, change body shape, or change symptoms, your ph360 plan changes with you. ph360 is not just a diet, it’s not just an exercise plan, it’s a life plan, personalized for your optimal well-being, now and into the future.