Probably the most important thing to monitor in one’s life is their health. Even given how serious our health is, for some people it’s still not enough to persuade them to make good lifestyle decisions.

Making healthy decisions in life doesn’t just refer to what you choose to eat on a day-to-day basis: That would be far too easy.

It also includes making time in your day to work out and increase your heart rate a few times a week to try to help prevent heart problems in the future.

No one says that you have to go all out when you work out. In fact,  people who think that are actually less motivated to get out of their homes and take action.

Those who don’t over do it when working out are more likely to make a habit of it.

Go for a peaceful jog or walk on a trail (maybe even around campus) or hit up one of the UCF gym’s many pieces of exercise equipment or energetic fitness classes while being cooled down by the luxury of air conditioning.

You know that saying “go to your happy place”? Well, it’s the same concept, except you physically go there as opposed to mentally.

Everyone endures the feeling of stress. It’s only human. So why shouldn’t we all schedule time to de-stress?

Allow yourself to indulge in some “me time” every now and then to keep a level head about things. Do things and go to places that make you happy. Everyone deserves to feel happy on a regular basis.

Stress is inevitable and has a negative effect on your health. Start making time for yourself to de-stress today.

Sodium plays a huge part in our diets, but too much of it is most definitely a bad thing.

The best thing you can do right now is toss that salt shaker sitting on your kitchen counter into the trash can.

There is natural salt in almost all foods. Adding more of it to every meal is just adding more health risks to your life.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that the daily nutrient sodium goal is 2,300 mg.  A lower goal that was tested and found to have even better results, especially for lowering blood pressure, is 1,500 mg.

Of course, any amount in the thousands seems like a lot of something. But when it comes to sodium, a couple thousand milligrams of the abundant element adds up quickly in the average person’s daily diet.

When observing the online nutritional information on some popular food items at various fast food restaurants in the area available at dietfacts.com, it was found that the Big Mac at McDonald’s has 1,010 mg of sodium, a beef soft taco from Taco Bell has 570 mg of sodium, and a  cookies and cream milkshake from Chick-fil-A contains 650 mg.

It’s shocking how much sodium is lurking in fast food.

For those items purchased at the grocery store, most canned and frozen foods are high in sodium for preservation purposes.

However, there are low sodium labels on some canned foods these days as well as frozen food options made with less sodium produced by Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine and the list goes on.

Most people disregard their sodium intake as something that is unnecessary to focus on in their lives.

However, it is so necessary that it is becoming a major health issue across America.

Consuming high levels of sodium in our diet can lead to numerous health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure.

Change is never easy, but in this case change and the sacrifices that accompany it result in leading a healthier life.

It’s never too late to start experiencing the process of change, especially if the betterment of the quality of your life is at stake.