Leading a healthy lifestyle by eating body nurturing food, sleeping well, and exercising create healthy habits which will be very important later on. Not only that, but ensuring all of these healthy habits living together creates an even better effect.
The good news is that it is not hard or impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can always start no matter your age, shape, or form. You have to introduce changes like activities and sprinkling a touch of healthy habits to your day to day routine.
The purpose of this article is to educate you on how to maintain a healthy habit by providing a list of advice and tips to enhance your physical, mental, and spiritual vitality.
I- Healthy Habits to Start
So what are healthy habits?
A healthy habit is any introduced activity, or behavior to your daily routine be it running sports, eating a healthy diet or maybe meditation. Its aim is to benefit your overall fitness (physically mentally and emotionally). If combined together, these healthy habits will produce a healthy lifestyle.
A study made by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health asserted that exercising, keeping a healthy body weight, not drinking, and not smoking during your adulthood may expand life expectancy by a decade.
The first section will provide you with a list of healthy habits to start with:
Physical fitness:
if you want to maintain a healthy habit of living then get your game started by moving your body and your mind. Keep in mind that getting physical doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the gym everyday for long hours. Here’s a list of small changes you can start with:
- Take a 30 minute walk early in the morning
- Do 15 minutes Yoga
- Meditate for 10 to 15 minutes a day
- Each week do a two day running schedule; either early in the morning or late at night.
Healthy Eating:
golden rule to remember, it is not “what you eat” “but how much you eat”. Certain foods may have a lot of healthy nutrients in them, like avocados or bananas, but eating way too much like 3 avocados per day or 3 bananas might increase the calories intake. Here are some tips to mindfully eat until your body is satisfied:
- Don’t eat when you’re stressed or bored
- Drink plenty of water (according to your body’s needs of course) and some healthy fluids as well.
- No more candy or chocolate bars; spoiler alert! Your favorite sweets need some time out. If you want that extra 2 to 3 pounds getting rid of, and then cut your sugar intake (proportionally).
- Take smaller bites and chew slowly: if you are on a diet, using this trick will tell your mind that you have a lot to finish. hence subconsciously you start to think that those two slices of bread are 4. Chew slowly and at least five times then wait 10 minutes and drink water. You’ll notice that you are actually full.
Preventative Health Care screening:
Most people give their doc a visit only when they’re sick, and by far this is one of the most dangerous bad habits a person can do. While the doctor can try his best to fix the issue, long term it will harvest some bad effects. So it is very necessary to proactively check yourself every 6 months to look for possible health risks that may be hiding for now. Here are some tips to follow:
- Get an annual physical exam
- For women, do a thyroid test
- Do a dental exam and cleaning every 6 months.
- Blood pressure screening
- For men, do a prostate screening
- If not already, get all necessary vaccines done for influenza, hepatitis, and Corona etc..
II- How to Build Healthy Habits:
All of the above may sound hard to maintain, especially if you experience setbacks, it will create a whirlwind of exhaustion to your mental and physical health. Nevertheless, research has proven that change is not missioning impossible, and with the right strategy, success is inevitable. You will need to be aware of the nature of habits, That’s why we provide you with the following Tedx video to have a deeper knowledge about human habits.
Everything you do will impact your health and the quality of living now and in the future. On the bright side, you can prevent any health risks that may be costly afterwards if ignored now. Here are some tips to follow:
1. Know your habits:
Regularly being aware of your daily habits and scanning any potential bad ones will help a lot and give you an idea of the repetitive things you do that may not be in your favor. Creating healthy habits and sticking to a healthy lifestyle will positively impact your brain in a way that can make it very hard to deviate from that healthy habit living.
Self-awareness is a skill, and that is why you need to keep track of your habits and repetitive behavior. For instance, if you notice that you eat while you watch TV, stop for a moment, take a deep breath and shift your awareness on how this bad habit may cause you troubles i,e obesity, depression, loneliness etc.
This is a great method to break the cycle and disrupt the progress of these toxic habits. Solely being aware about the bad effects it may cause to your body, and to your mental health is a good impetus and will boost your willingness for a change.
2. Make a Plan:
If you’re committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle, you should always make a plan that includes small and reasonable actions that will keep track of your progress and help you achieve success little by little.
For example, if you’re usual way from home to school is to go by the vending machine selling sneakers bars and orio, maybe try a different path to fight that urge to buy candies. Always keep in mind that small steps are better and will get you better results. Think about how you can change your daily habits to support your goals and achievements.
What is even more important is that you have to plan the obstacles that will hinder your progress and shake off your trail. Even during unexpected situations, you can still live healthy habits.
3. Be Patient:
Let’s be real here, it is ideal to adopt a healthy lifestyle, it will make life much easier and more enjoyable, but it is a whole process to go through. The secret lies in your level of patience and how much you can give and endure.
As you are reaching your target closer, you’ll be encountering a lot of setbacks, some of them are health related issues which can block your way. For instance, if you are dealing with depression or obesity, you should address a professional that can help you with any underlying issues and will guide you better.
Keep this in mind; you are never too overweight, too skinny, or too weak to start and make a change. Patience, endurance, and willingness will forever be your best friend.
III- Benefits of Healthy Lifestyle:
1- Healthy Habits decrease disease-free life by a decade:
Experts have found that leading a healthy lifestyle by drinking plenty of water, exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, eating moderately, can expect to get an additional decade in their life expectancy.
A research made by The Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences looked at 5 low-risk healthy habits that will back up the above statement ; never smoking, a healthy body mass index (BMI) between 18 to 25, moderate to vigorous physical activity, moderate alcohol intake and a healthy diet.
The results showed that women who adopted 4 of these healthy lifestyle habits had a disease-free life expectancy at 50. It adds about 34.4 years taking them to 84 years without diabetes, cancer, or heart disease.
For men aged 50, it added 31 years for those who adopted one of these 5 to 4 healthy habits .
2- Improves Mood:
If you take care of your body and treat it like a temple, your mind will absorb these benefits as well. According to The Mayo Clinic, physical activities and sports in general stimulate the production of endorphins. These chemicals are the one responsible for leaving you feeling happy and relaxed. Eating a healthy diet and exercising will enhance your fitness and your overall physique. This is a great way to improve your confidence and your self-esteem.
Just to be clear, it is not just hitting the gym and eating healthy food that will improve your mood. Joining social interaction like in volunteering clubs or social events will play a tremendous role in boosting your mood. This is also regarded as a small healthy habit to start taking; even if you are not a social person or and see yourself as an introvert. Always make small changes and take small steps. We guarantee you that you’ll be leading an active and well balanced life that keeps your mind and body healthy.
3- Boosts energy:
When you give your body the proper food and the most adequate portions, it will give you enough fuel to manage your energy levels. Healthy diets shouldn’t be very strict or exclusive of all the things you love (sugar chocolate bread etc.). It should include whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, fruit and vegetables.
Getting enough sleep is a healthy habit that you should never let going of no matter what. We do know how lack of sleep can render your body, your mood, and your overall energy levels. Not only that, but poor quality sleep may result or be responsible for high blood pressure and heart disease. Thus: stick to a schedule that best fits you, exclude any electronic devices 2 hours before your sleep, and avoid the lights. This will most definitely boost your energy and get rid of that sluggish and tired feeling you have when you first wake up.
Conclusion:
Bad habits are hard to break. Therefore, making the right decision to adopt better living practices will be one of the best decisions that you’ll never regret. It is nothing but Reaping What You sow.
A Content Writer & Freelance Translator. He enjoys writing about mental health, fun for seniors, educational apps, and entertainment for all. In his spare time, he enjoys watching football, playing video Games, and good laugh with his friends.
