Baltimore is a wonderful place to live — but, like everywhere else, it’s not without its dangers. From the delicious food that will go straight to your waistline if you’re not careful to the crime that, unfortunately, can sometimes threaten Baltimore residents, it’s important to keep your head on straight and your mind on your long-term health and immediate safety while you’re living in Baltimore.
We’re here to help. Below, we’ll lay out some basic tips for staying safe, healthy, and happy in Charm City. Get the most out of this wonderful city, and live the healthy and happy life that you deserve.
Watching your diet
It’s not just Baltimore: Americans are fat everywhere. In fact, more than 93 million American adults are obese. Baltimore isn’t the fattest place in the United States, but it certainly isn’t the thinnest, either. More than a third of Baltimore residents are obese (and that’s higher than the rate in surrounding Baltimore County).
You’ll find a lot of delicious food here. But if you want to get the most out of Baltimore and live a healthy life, then you should probably be a bit careful of how much of the delicious Baltimore food you’re eating. Try to keep your intake of fast food under control; ideally, you should be eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods, much of which should be vegetables. Cooking at home instead of dining at Baltimore’s fine restaurants will help, so try to limit your evenings out and your consumption of delivery and takeout.
Get moving
Diet is a huge part of staying trim and healthy. But it’s not the whole story. It’s also vital for you to get regular exercise, experts agree. You should be getting a half-hour or more of exercise per day, five days a week — 150 minutes in all. That’s only two and a half hours of working out. You can do this.
Baltimore has a lot of great places to break a sweat. Consider joining a gym, or just go running. You can find lots of awesome routes that will take you through scenic and safe areas in the city.
Staying safe all day and night
Baltimore has had issues with crime. If you’re living or working in Baltimore, you need to be street-smart.
That means not wandering around alone after dark, especially in unfamiliar places. It also means that you need to have a sense of where you are and which neighborhoods might be less safe to wander around. Baltimore is walkable, but it’s sometimes wiser to take a cab.
Protect your home, too. No matter how safe your neighborhood may be, it’s always a good idea to invest in a security system. A good security system will respond to an intruder by raising an alarm in your space as well as contacting authorities to send them to your home. In addition to using a security system, you should remember best practices for keeping your home safe from burglary. For instance, never advertise your vacations on social media while you’re still away; crooks use posts such as these to determine that you’re out of town and that your home is relatively safe for them to burglarize.
Caring for your mind
Baltimore is a fantastic place to live and work in, but, like any urban area, it can be stressful. And even if Baltimore were entirely peaceful, idyllic, and stress-free, we would all still have our own stresses and challenges. Like physical health, mental health is something that requires proactive care.
That’s why you should head to a therapist, say the pros at Baltimore Therapy Group. Therapy is great for the treatment of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, but it’s also wonderful for those of us lucky enough to be mentally healthy. Therapy can help couples, careers, and your overall mood and mental health. It’s a great way to make life just a little better here in Baltimore.
