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A healthy lifestyle involves small changes that make your life efficient and simple by improving your mental and physical health. A well-balanced diet and daily exercise can help improve your bodily health and functions.
Moreover, it is also vital to take care of your emotional health to cope well with challenges. This also involves a well-balanced diet and daily exercise.
The Importance of Being Healthy
Healthy habits can have benefits that can make a big alteration on both the physical and mental aspects of your body. (1) These benefits include:
- Improved energy
- Reducing your risk of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes
- Lowering your stress levels
- Increasing your focus
Healthy Habits to Stay Fit and Fine
A list of healthy habits one can adopt to improve their physical, mental, and overall wellbeing:
- Exercising daily. (2) Even if it is a brief walk around your neighborhood, being active at least 30 minutes daily can help you be healthy.
- Writing down your health goals and setting “due dates” to stick to.
- Eating mindfully. This includes eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full.
- Consuming nutrient-dense foods (3) that provide high amounts of nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals.
- Listening to motivational/meditating podcasts.
- Meditating daily. (4) Self-reflect on your day, your goals, and what matters most to you. You can do this by writing in a journal and/or simply closing your eyes and listening to your breathing.
How Important Is Exercising in Keeping One Healthy?
Exercising plays a vital role in keeping you healthy by helping:
- Control weight
- Combat against health conditions and diseases (5)
- Improve your mood and energy (6)
- Promote better sleep (7)
- Prevent gaining excess weight or maintain a healthy weight loss
- Make you feel better about your appearance and boosting your confidence and self-esteem
Stay Physically Active
When you keep yourself physically active, you burn calories and reap the benefits. You don’t have to perform vigorous intense exercise daily to be healthy; any amount of physical activity is better than none at all.
Being more active throughout your day can include:
- Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
- Parking far from the entrance of the store to get those extra steps in
- Revving up your chores around the house
- Going for a walk up and down your street before dinner
Dietary Changes to Stay in the Best of Health
Dietary changes for good health include practicing eating in moderation and mindfully. Healthy eating should be all about balance. You can still enjoy your favorite foods by limiting your portion sizes and staying physically active daily.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020, a healthy eating plan (8) emphasizes consuming:
- Fruits – Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits are great choices. However, be aware of canned fruits containing added sugars and/or syrups.
- A variety of vegetables – Grilled, steamed, frozen, or canned
- Whole grains
- Fat-free or low-fat milk products
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
Moreover, consume foods low in saturated, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars, and stay within your daily calorie needs.
The Health Benefits of Proper Sleep
Sleep is vital to your health because if you do not get proper sleep during the night, you cannot perform at your best during the day. Lacking good-quality sleep can cause concentration problems, drowsiness, and increase stress.
Moreover, the possible risks of health conditions may arise (i.e., type 2 diabetes, hypertension, depression, obesity), and an irritable mood can affect your performance the following day. (7)
The Role of Personal Hygiene in Good Health
Maintaining good personal hygiene is essential to being healthy.
Practicing personal hygiene daily includes brushing your teeth, washing your hands and face, and taking a shower regularly. These habits not only help keep bacteria, viruses, and illnesses at bay, but they also help you feel good about yourself, which is vital for your overall mental health. (9)(10)
Go for Regular Checkups to Minimize Health Risks
Getting regular screening done is healthy and important to aid in identifying risk factors and health conditions in order to prevent them before they become serious. If diseases are caught early, treatments can usually be more effective and, in turn, can help you live a long and healthy life.
Proper Hydration Is Crucial for Healthy Living
Water is the largest single component of the body and is integral to cellular function. It is an essential nutrient, and its losses can lead to severe disorders or death.
A healthy life is dependent on the maintenance of adequate hydration, tissue perfusion, and electrolyte balance. (11)
Lifestyle Changes to Preserve Your Mental Health
Changes that should be made for your mental health are as follows:
- Set boundaries to make yourself your main priority.
- Take the high road. Instead of asking, “why me?” try to stay positive and know that small changes are better than no changes; it doesn’t happen overnight. Moreover, don’t dwell on the past; use it to fuel yourself for now and envision your future.
- Learn to communicate, especially when you need help (need for a dietitian, personal trainer, therapist to coach you along your healthy living journey).
- Understand that there are always going to be bad days in life – know this and stay grateful.
Final Word
To achieve good overall health, you need to take care of your physical, emotional, mental, and behavioral health. You know your body best, and not everybody is the same and metabolizes food the same.
Therefore, there is no one-shot diet for a healthy life; there’s just you and a strong mindset. Also, you need to determine what exercises and habits contribute to your good health.
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