A healthy lifestyle includes adopting habits such as eating healthily, engaging in physical exercise regularly, managing stress levels effectively and getting sufficient restorative sleep. While these practices may seem obvious, studies have proven they can greatly lower risk of disease and extend lives.
What constitutes a healthy lifestyle for you? For some it could mean running two miles each day, or eating whole food diet, while for others it may include any number of activities or combinations thereof.
Exercise
An active lifestyle encompasses much more than exercise and diet alone. Regular physical activity also improves sleep quality, builds an increased sense of well-being, increases energy throughout the day and makes people more likely to appreciate family and friends as they feel capable of meeting whatever challenges may come their way.
Regular exercise can help you achieve weight loss, lower the risk of diseases like heart disease and diabetes, boost your mood, strengthen bones, and extend life. Experts advise engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week; this time frame can be broken into three 10-minute sessions if necessary.
If running isn’t your cup of tea, consider biking, swimming, dancing, weight lifting or tennis as options to add into your routine. Finding something you enjoy doing will make sticking to a schedule much simpler – exercising with someone can also provide extra motivation!
Eat Right
An important cornerstone of living a healthy lifestyle is consuming a balanced diet. Focus on selecting fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins while limiting sugars, sodium and saturated fat intake. Plan meals and snacks accordingly in order to make better choices; drink water liberally throughout the day while restricting alcohol to one beverage or less per day for women and two drinks or less for men.
Eating well can be challenging, and it’s easy to feel defeated if the results don’t show immediately. Just remember that small steps such as choosing water over soda or taking an hour-long walk instead of scrolling on your phone before bed add up over time.
Finding your healthiest self requires time, dedication and patience. Discover what motivates you – perhaps the desire to feel strong and fulfilled or the hope of avoiding illness are good examples – but intrinsic motivation leads to longer-term commitment and more success when things get tough.
Sleep Well
Sleeping well is as essential for good health as eating right and exercising regularly. Sleep quality improves brain performance, mood and overall health – it may even help prevent or manage many common diseases and conditions such as cardiovascular disease/stroke/high blood pressure/diabetes/obesity/depression/anxiety disorders such as dementia.
Sleep affects every aspect of life: thinking, working, learning, reacting and interacting. Achieve enough rest can help regulate hormones and blood sugar, strengthen immunity systems and maintain weight control.
Maintain a regular sleep schedule and avoid waking up too early, even on weekends, to promote healthier sleeping habits, according to Salas. Your bedroom environment and activities during the day also play a crucial role in providing restful slumber – keep it cool and dark, turn off TV, computers and any other electronics, for instance.
Stay Connected
After getting enough rest and exercise, staying connected to friends and family members is also vital for leading a healthy lifestyle. Studies show that social engagement can reduce stress levels, boost self-esteem, strengthen immunity systems and enhance mood – so even small acts like picking up the phone to contact grandchildren or friends you haven’t spoken with in awhile can have significant ramifications on health!
A healthy lifestyle can be defined as “a way of living that decreases your risk for serious illness and early death.”1
