HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

This article will explore the significance of leading a healthy lifestyle and offer helpful advice so that you may start making changes right away. Since your childhood, you must have heard a saying that

“Health is wealth”. 

Do you agree? I think you will be agreed! Good health is an aspiration for everyone. Each of us wants to live in a broad health horizon where he/she can fly like a free happy bird and can see a beautiful happy world with a birds-eye view.

To live happy and healthy you must have to do and not do something. However, to be remaining consistent with activities that can improve your health like exercise is a bit difficult but not impossible. No doubt the uncertainty of your daily life hinders your task but once you overcome them, then nobody can stop you from being healthy and well-being.              

Your task should be to promote healthy behavior and self-management of lifestyle. In this, we’ll discuss some important issues which are very important for your well-being. By changing your lifestyle, many diseases are preventable, which otherwise cause a lot of negative consequences.

There are a lot of optimal and foremost treatment options for non-communicable diseases that are related to lifestyle, but we don’t pay much attention to them, and thus they become chronic. Plants-oriented diet, physical and emotional well-being, and avoidance of hazardous substances are some interventions to prevent or even reverse some deadly diseases. You have to do the following few things to live healthily.

#1 Do Physical activities

The lack of physical activities can result in obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and many other diseases. (1), So physical activities must be part of your healthy lifestyle.

Due to your job or studies, it becomes difficult to take time for your physical activities, but 40-50 minutes is still not impossible even if you have a busy schedule. Physical activities may include but are not limited to walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing, hiking playing games, etc. There is evidence that even 30 minutes of moderate exercise has beneficial health effects. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150-300 minutes /week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activities for the aged 18-64. (2)

So you must spare a few minutes from your busy life for your health. Exercise makes you physically and psychologically fit. It increases your endurance and makes almost all your body functions perfectly.

#2 Review your eating habits

Diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle,.One of the reasons for the increase in diseases is a poor or unhealthy diet. There is an imbalance of food intake in various parts of the world. In Western countries, there is a trend of consuming more meat, sugar beverage, and dairy products whereas in underdeveloped there is inadequate food. Your diet must be a combination of products that makes your body and are needed for proper functions. You should take healthy fat (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated), protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals. You don’t need to take extra pills of vitamins or minerals if you’re eating well.

Your diet should base more on plant sources rather than animal sources. As for a healthy diet is concerned, there is a long list of healthy foods but in general, eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low or fat-free milk, lean meat, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, etc. For a healthy lifestyle, you should also remain within your calorie requirements, which have great importance. (3)

#3 Sleep well

Good sleep is very important for our health. It is not only good for our physical but also for our mental and psychological health. Good sleep helps us to recover from physical and mental exertion. (4)

So for a healthy lifestyle, sleep is very important. Good sleep improves the performance of our various body systems. For example, it makes your heart healthy, makes the immune system better, reduces stress, decreases inflammation, helps in the improvement of memory, reduces stress, or even decreases the chances of cancer.

If you have lack of sleep, you should follow the following techniques;

1. Make a strict sleeping timetable: this means that you should go to sleep and wake up at a fixed time if you are out of town or are on holiday.
2. Do some exercise: if you don’t have proper sleep before sleep, do some exercise before sleep. This may help to achieve sleep when you are in your bed.
3. Avoid bright light and electronic devices. Your cell phone should also be silent.
4. Use a comfortable pillow and mattress.
5. Your bedroom should be also comfortable. Your bedroom should be away from a noisy environment like it should be away from the roadside. Use dim light in your room. The temperature of the bedroom should be comfortable for you.
6. Avoid stress and anxiety at bedtime. Do some relaxing techniques like yoga or read a book.
7.  Don’t sleep in the daytime if you lack sleep at bedtime.
8. Don’t take coffee, tea, or drinks having caffeine.
9. Avoid alcohol or heavy dinner.
10.  You can also take a shower before sleep which may induce sleep.
11. If you have a long sleeping problem, then should contact your healthcare provider.

#4 Avoid stress

Stress may have bad effects on your physical health, psychological health, and on your behavior so stress is not good for your health. (5)

Stress produces a lot of changes in the body. It produces harmful stress hormones (fight -or- flight), disturbs the immune system, and consumes more energy. Long-standing stress may cause a long list of diseases. So make it a part of your healthy lifestyle.

Management of stress

• Do exercises on a regular basis.
• Do relaxation techniques like massage, yoga, and deep breathing
• Read some interesting books
• Don’t live alone
• Listen to music
• Visit your friends
• Avoid excessive use of devices like cell phones, and TV
• Have some time for spiritual activities
• Stop overthinking

#5 Take adequate water

Water is an integral part of your body. Drinking adequate water every day is very important to your health. (6)

The adult human body consists of approximately 60% of water, this indicates how important water is. Water is used in all parts of your body to maintain its functions. It is necessary to eliminate waste products from your body, maintain your body temperature, and your skin intact and beautiful.

Water is lost in various ways like urine, respiration, and sweating, so you must replenish water to maintain good health. Now the question is how much water is needed every day. There are many factors that determine how much water you should take. The factors which determine water intake are ;

• Temperature
• Physical activities
• Body size
• Pregnancy and lactation in women
• Health issues like diarrhea vomiting etc

On average an adult man should take 3.7 liters (about 15.5 cups) and a woman about 2.7(11.5 cups) of water daily. (7) 

To bear in mind, remember a famous saying,

“Take 8 glasses of water every day”

Again, keep in mind that water intake depends on many environmental and individual health conditions.

#6 Quit smoking

Smoking which is preventable is a major cause of death in the United States and also all around the globe. (8)

On every cigarette pack, you may have seen a warning that;

“Smoking is injurious to health”

So smoking must be avoided if you want to live longer.

Everyone knows that smoking is just suicide. So knowing the facts and ignoring the warning, has no justification. Smoking can damage almost all systems of the body and some of them include (9);

• Lungs: your lungs are very much affected by tobacco smoke, ranging from mild to very dangerous diseases like emphysema, pneumonia, and lung cancer.
• Heart & circulation: smoking may damage your heart and circulation, resulting in heart attack and many related diseases.
• Mouth and throat: smoking can cause mouth lips, tongue, and throat cancers
• Stomach: you may have an increased likelihood of ulcers and stomach cancers
• Skin: some toxins are produced due to smoking, which can damage and change the color of your skin.
• Kidneys: kidney and bladder problems may arise
• Bones diseases
• Reproduction & sexual problems

#7 Cut back Alcohol

Alcohol is also should be limited or completely avoided if possible. Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties. (11)

Excessive or chronic use of alcohol may result in many diseases, some of which are fatal. Alcohol may cause liver failure and cancer, digestive problems, breast cancer, colon cancer, mouth cancer, heart diseases, psychological problems, stroke, social problems, addiction, and numerous health issues. So for a healthy life, you must avoid Alcohol.

Act now

So what are you waiting for? Set your goal, spare time for yourself, and start your activities now.