Leading a healthy lifestyle plays an important role in extending life expectancy and as much as it may sound daunting at first to develop healthy habits, it takes just a few small changes in your daily routines.
The best defence is a good offence – a solid, long-term health plan that involves proactive, preventive, healthy choices that will have a positive long-term impact on your health. Good health doesn’t just happen accidentally – it comes as a result of consistent healthy choices. These are just some you can start making today!
Stay hydrated
The human body consists of 70% water, which is why it’s so important to restore fluids during the day. Sufficient water is necessary to maintain proper body functioning since dehydration can cause fatigue, confusion, dizziness and low blood pressure.
Consuming plenty of water flushes the toxins out of the body, improves the skin and raises your level of energy throughout the day. Make it a habit to start your day with a glass of water and then keep up a schedule that will ensure you stay hydrated – as experts recommend a daily intake of 6 – 8 glasses.
Be active
Benefits of leading an active lifestyle are universally known – exercise helps your body to release hormones of happiness, relieves tension and alleviates anxiety. Sedentary lifestyle, on the other hand, can be harmful to both your physical and mental health. However, with a busy daily schedule, it can be hard to find time for exercise and going to the gym or a sports club.
Fortunately, you don’t need to go to any of these places to be active, just make a series of small changes that will amount to a healthy habit over time. For instance, you can ride your bicycle instead of taking the cab, choose to take the stairs rather than the lift, walk to the store or your child to school if it’s close.
Eat well
Small but powerful steps that anyone can take towards a healthier lifestyle and disease prevention include small but consistent changes to the diet and eating regime. Preparing your meals will bring countless benefits – you know exactly what you’re eating and with a good plan of a balanced diet, you’ll be eating freshly prepared, healthy foods stocked with healthy fats, carbs and proteins. Cooking your meals gives you full control over both the content and portion size. That’s the best way to make sure you maintain a healthy weight as well.
What can be challenging is ensuring you get enough protein each day, especially if you’re always on the go and have a busy work schedule. The solution lies in introducing the best isolate protein powder that you can easily incorporate into your shakes, smoothies, food and beverages without even significantly altering their taste.
Manage your stress
Zero stress in life is an impossible mission but when it comes in small amounts and short-term, it can be a good motivator and help sharpen our cognitive skills and boost our immune system. However, in excess amounts, it becomes chronic and takes a serious toll on our health compromising our mental and emotional well-being, our sleep and immune system.
The world is devoid of stress but there are ways to navigate through life so we can co-exist with it without letting it take control of our lives. The key lies in adapting – you learn calming techniques that you can “store” for later, techniques such as breathing, meditation, prayer, tai chi, yoga or whatever works for you. Then, in times of heightened stress, you simply reach into your “storage” and calm your body and mind.
Get enough sleep
We all fall into a habit of rushing all the time forgetting to simply pause and rest. Getting enough sleep is one of the main ingredients of a healthy lifestyle where there’s no room for weight gain, anxiety, irritability, skin problems or eating disorders. Sleep deprivation is one of the main factors that contribute to the bad decision-making process as it reduces the ability of our brain to focus and control our impulses. This only means you should make an effort to get around 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful feeling that can have both a soothing and calming effect, as well as euphoric, depending on the situation. It will move you, inspire you and take your thanksgiving to a whole new level creating within you a new and deeper sense of appreciation and joy.
This isn’t about receiving a gift or a favour – it’s more about a feeling of gratitude that you cultivate as a habit regarding all the big and little things in your life. It will slowly shift you into a positive mindset and deeply enrich your life. You’ll sleep better, be less stressed out and have more stable relationships.
Laugh!
As Chaplin once said– “A day without laughter is a day lost!”, so make it a habit to laugh at least a bit every single day. Scientific research shows laughing significantly reduces stress and boosts the immune response and by initiating the release of feel-good hormone endorphin, it elevates mood, reduces stress, depression and anxiety. Laughter is extremely contagious and very powerful medicine – keeping it a regular part of your life will shift your mood and lift your spirits!
As you start incorporating these 7 healthy strategies and make a serious effort to keep your energy balance consistent, the overall quality of your life will improve. Just bear in mind that maintaining your optimal health isn’t just a temporary project with a short-term goal. Consider the project of a lifetime that is instrumental for your long-term health.