Living fast and dying young is all fun and games, until you start growing older. You find out it?s not so fun anymore, and wish the time would go back so you could change a thing or two. And while most of the serious illnesses hit when your body grows all old and wrinkly, the consequences of neglecting your health shows as early on as in your younger years. So what defines ?healthy?? You?ll find a lot of guidelines to a healthier lifestyle everywhere. Bottom line of all, living healthy making the most of your life. That said, here are 10 ways you can follow to maintain a healthy lifestyle:
1. Watch your diet
Watching your diet doesn?t mean starving to death. It also isn?t only directed at those wishing to lose weight. The way you feed your body and the kind of nutrients you consume make all the difference in how energized, focused, active or just the opposite your body will be. These are points to keep in mind:
- Eat more meals, less portions in each. 5 controlled meals a day is a great way to go.
- Make a variety in the kinds of food you eat, so you can give your body all of the nutrients it needs.
- Never forget your veggies and fruits.
- Don?t underestimate the power of protein.
- Cut out on junk foods, and replace saturated fats with unsaturated.
- Cut down on the salt and sugar intake.
2. Exercise
Never underestimate the effect regular exercise has on your body, mind and spirit. Not only does working out regularly make your body stronger and energized, it helps your mind stay more focused. It also lifts your spirit and puts you in a better mood overall, a result of the natural feel-good chemicals (aka. endorphins) your brain produces after regular intense sessions of exercise. Integrating exercise into your everyday life doesn?t have to be expensive or time consuming. Surely you can hit the gym if you prefer that, but you can also do a bodyweight workout at home, jog for 20-30 in the morning, or start doing yoga. Yoga is an excellent exercise to build physical and mental strength, stability and improve overall flexibility.
3. Maintain good posture
A bad posture does a lot of damage to your spine, ligaments and muscles. Putting conscious thought into your posture and how you walk, sit, carry stuff might take some time getting used to, but eventually, you?ll build up the habit. Maintaining good posture goes a long way in preserving your body. This is especially important for elevating seniors to prevent kyphosis, which is the abnormal curvature of the spine caused by Osteoporosis.
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4. Hydrate
Water constitutes around 60% of our bodies. It?s essential for all of the major and tiny processes taking place; lubrication of joints, regulating of temperature, blood flow, digestion, and even respiration. On an average, eight 8-ounce glasses of water is needed daily. Of course, if you?re following intense exercise schedule or having a more active lifestyle, more water is needed.
5. Get your beauty sleep
More than just for beauty, getting a good 7-9 hours of sleep helps you deal with stress, be more focused and increases your productivity overall. If you often feel tired, you can go here to find out what the cause may be.
Do not compromise sleep quality. A bad quality mattress can cause a lot of trouble in sleep and pain. It is advisable to invest in a good quality such as lucid mattress. You can always find a good and budget deal if you read online reviews and comparisons of different mattresses on different online sites. It will help you to choose the right quality mattress as per your requirements
6. Work smart
For the sake of your mental health and feeling as an individual, putting goals and striving hard to achieve them gives you a sense of achievement, which is a reward of itself. Working smart in this case means optimizing your time, approaching work with creativity and constantly learning and improving your methods.
7. Play hard
You can only play hard after you?ve worked hard and smart. So give yourself that needed and well-deserved break every once in a while. Make the most out of it!
8. Meditate
Whether it?s meditation, prayer or a time out from your busy life to contemplate, meditation is important to revisit your goals and make sure you?re on track.
9. Watch your social habits
It?s easy to get caught up in social gatherings and parties, picking up bad habits that are difficult to overcome afterwards. Keep track of your social habits, whether it?s drinking, smoking or any other bad habit, and think twice before picking up any. It?s always easy to start and doesn?t seem like a big deal, until you find yourself stuck in it.
10. Make it a habit
Last but not least, consistency is key. Put conscious thought into the habits you?re building, and keep at it until you no longer have to put thought into it. Change doesn?t come from a single time of trying things out, it comes as a result of consistent, persistent, effort.
Step by step, inch by inch
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can feel overwhelming at first, like it?s too much work. The secret is to take it one step at a time, and then take the next step. No one wakes up with huge fortune and success overnight. Fortunate and successful people, however, wake up everyday one step closer to their goals. So start moving, and when you feel tired, don?t quit. Just learn to take a break.