Adopting a healthy lifestyle makes you feel great immediately and can extend the length of time that you remain well. In contrast, unhealthy lifestyle choices increase the risk of serious diseases which could otherwise have been avoided.
Although genetics play an integral part in your health, lifestyle decisions like diet, exercise, sleep and smoking also have an effect. Read on to discover which habits will keep you healthy and how to implement them into your routines.
1. Exercise
Physical activity not only benefits the mind and body but can have multiple positive health benefits as well. Physical activity reduces your risk for diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers as well as lowers blood pressure, strengthens bones and muscles, promotes better sleep patterns and enhances mood.
Studies have proven that it's never too late to start exercising, with even small bursts such as pacing while talking on the phone or doing jumping jacks during commercial breaks on television having as big an effect as longer gym workout sessions.
Exercise can take many forms: walking around your block, dancing to your favorite music, joining a volleyball team and more. Or it could mean going for a hike in nature, walking up or down stairs at work, playing tennis with friends, swimming laps or joining an aerobics class - the key is making time and commitment for whatever activity is chosen - whether regular walks around the block, dancing to favorite tunes or joining aerobics classes are just a few examples. Whatever it is you do regularly and in moderation.
Regular exercise benefits people of all ages and abilities. Hippocrates said, in effect: all parts of the body that are used moderately while subjected to labors that they're familiar with grow stout and strong while age slowly."
One of the best ways to reap the health benefits of exercise is through regular physical activity. Adults should strive for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, mostly aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activities each week (or a combination). Muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week also provide added health advantages; those new to physical exercise should gradually build up to their recommended amount over time.
2. Eat a Healthy Diet
A healthy lifestyle can have a dramatic impact on your health, from lowering risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes to managing weight and staying active. Achieving such results may prevent or delay age-related conditions like joint and bone pain, cardiovascular issues and hypertension while simultaneously improving mental wellbeing and energy levels.
At the core of any healthy diet lies eating nutrient-rich food - from lean proteins and whole grains, fruits and vegetables to healthy fats - with every meal. Furthermore, this means restricting consumption of products high in saturated and trans fats, added salt or sugar.
Eating a balanced diet requires drinking ample water and other calorie-free beverages, while limiting your alcohol consumption is also key. Takeaway food, cakes, biscuits and soft drinks should generally be considered optional choices because of their higher content of saturated and trans fats, added sugars and/or salt levels.
Dieting can seem intimidating at first, with so much advice available on nutrition. But you don't need to give up all of the foods you love at once - making one or two changes at a time may be easier and may lead to greater results in the long run. Perhaps adding oily fish twice weekly to meals would provide omega-3 fatty acids to lower heart and circulatory disease risk and encourage home cooking, less likely to contain saturated fat and salt content. With gradual improvements, over time you will develop healthier eating patterns.
3. Avoid Smoking
Smoking harms almost every organ of your body and increases your risk for lung cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. Smokers also put others around them at risk by inhaling secondhand smoke - it has been known to cause lung disease in children as young as 2 and adults alike! Quitting reduces your health risks significantly as well as helping you look and feel better overall.
Once you quit smoking, your blood pressure decreases, your sense of smell and taste improves, carbon monoxide levels in your body return to normal levels, nicotine levels return near-normal in six hours, and oxygen levels in your blood return within a day - these benefits all stemming from this simple decision to stop smoking.
Many smokers turn to cigarettes to ease their feelings of anxiety, stress and depression, but once you quit you'll need other methods of managing these emotions. Exercise, listening to music or taking a warm bath could all provide comfort while satisfying oral cravings with celery sticks, sugarless gum and carrot sticks as alternatives - just make sure they remain low calorie foods so as not to gain weight! Additionally it is vital that healthy and well balanced meals be eaten and sufficient exercise be undertaken if they want a successful smoking cessation journey.
When cravings strike, distract yourself with chores, phone calls to friends or activities to use up extra energy. If the urge becomes unmanageable, try leaving the situation that triggered it: for instance if it occurs while at home take a walk outside for some fresh air; deep breathe deeply or drink plenty of water to quell any cravings that arise; don't beat yourself up if relapse does occur; most people attempt multiple times before being successful at giving up smoking for good; instead turn every relapse into learning experiences by adapting your plan accordingly!
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is vital to overall wellness and can lower the risk of several diseases. Achieve this means maintaining a diet rich in fresh produce and physical activity as well as not smoking; healthy weight also protects against osteoporosis while helping manage blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels.
Make gradual, sustainable changes over time to keep a healthy weight by increasing vegetables and fruit consumption, opting for lower fat dairy and lean meat products, limiting foods high in saturated fat, added sugar and salt intake and drinking plenty of water and other nonalcoholic beverages. It is also essential that your diet includes enough protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals from all food groups to stay on track with weight control.
Maintaining a healthy weight can be challenging as weight varies with age and menstrual cycles; however, making the effort is critical to your health and well-being. Achieved through effort alone, maintaining a healthy weight reduces risks for certain diseases while helping you feel great with increased energy.
At the core of any healthy lifestyle lies its foundation: prioritizing activities you enjoy and creating sustainable habits. If jogging isn't your cup of tea, don't focus your exercise regimen around it; set other health-promoting goals instead, such as noticing how meals make you feel afterward or increasing physical activity levels. Selecting such goals may be enough to change long-standing health-promotive behaviors into lasting ones - and lead you on your way toward weight loss! Additionally, creating this sustainable habit may restore food as both source of nourishment and pleasure!
5. Manage Stress
Reducing stress through regular physical activity and restful sleep are three lifestyle choices that have an enormous positive effect on health. Modest yet achievable changes to these behaviors will decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and early mortality.
Stress is a normal part of life, but prolonged exposure can be hazardous to our health. Stress causes your body to release hormones that trigger your fight or flight response - these raise your blood pressure, speed up heart rate and cause sweating as well as suppress immune functions making you more irritable and susceptible to illness.
Responses like these are part of our ancient ancestors' survival instinct, helping them run away from danger or stand their ground and fight for survival. But repeated exposure to similar feelings can lead to serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, headaches, back pain, digestive issues, fatty liver disease, high blood sugar levels and weight gain.
Even though many factors contribute to stress, including poverty, unemployment, relationship difficulties and substance abuse; there are ways to manage it more effectively. Exercise can be especially helpful at dispelling pent-up energy and increasing mood-lifting hormone release; relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing or spending time in nature may also prove effective; good nutrition and quitting smoking also play a vital role; I have worked with several patients on managing their stress by teaching them how to shop wisely for healthy meals on a tight budget and develop healthier coping mechanisms than before;