There are so much conflicting and confusing advice and information available on what a healthy lifestyle is and how to accomplish this. It is no wonder people believe that living a healthy lifestyle is too complicated and fundamentally unrealistic.
The simple truth is that living a healthy lifestyle is not complicated at all and is very achievable.
Years ago, before life became so fast-paced and stressful and before our society was influenced by all the notions of “dieting” and “health” products, people lived much simpler lives. The people back then are no different than we are now. The rules are still the same and what worked back then will still work for us today.
What is a healthy lifestyle?
When you are living a healthy lifestyle, you are in a complete state of well-being in body, mind, and spirit. It is not just the absence of disease. A healthy lifestyle takes the whole person into consideration with everything working in harmony. This is what it is to achieve complete health and wellness.
The key to healthy living lies in the steps, actions, and strategies that one puts in place to achieve optimum health and wellness.
And these choices are made on a daily basis for good health and wellness. It is not always the easiest choices to make, but it is the choices you make that enable you to be naturally healthy, fit, energetic, strong and disease-free, which means living longer with a much better quality of life.
The components of creating a healthy lifestyle
To live a healthy way of life, all you have to do is to follow a few simple guidelines, and you will achieve consistent health and wellness.
The foundation of good health and wellness are:
- Good nutrition,
- Daily exercise,
- Avoid putting toxins into your body,
- Managing stress in positive ways,
- Adequate sleep.
There are many other lifestyle factors one can consider, but these are the biggies, and I suggest you start with them. Let’s discuss each one briefly.
Good nutrition
Your body and mind depend on a continuous supply of nutrients to keep you alive. And those nutrients come from the food we eat.
The most basic and efficient method of eating healthy is to eat real foods. Select unprocessed whole foods that closely resemble their natural form. You need to eat a varied diet to get the dozens of essential nutrients you require from protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
To get a better understanding of your nutritional requirements, you can read my blog article on The Requirements Of A Balanced Diet And Why It Matters
Daily exercise
Regular exercise is an important part of achieving lifelong weight maintenance, health, and wellness.
Exercise is fundamental to improving your:
- Fitness,
- Strength,
- Body composition,
- Heart health,
- Brain function,
- And also helps your hormones to perform optimally.
Focus on muscle strengthening exercise, such as weightlifting, along with aerobic exercise for heart health. Strengthening exercises specifically reduce blood sugar and insulin levels and improve cholesterol.
Exercise in general also assists in lowering depression as well as significantly reducing the chances of getting all kinds of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity. It also helps to get rid of excess body fat by burning more calories, not to mention the “feel good” factor that comes with being active.
With muscles especially, it is a case of “use it or lose it.” Lean muscle has multiple health benefits, so it is always good to preserve your lean muscle by exercising regularly.
Avoid putting toxins into your body
There are plenty of things around us that are toxic to our bodies. Unfortunately, most of these toxins are quite addictive, which makes it difficult for people to stay away from or kick the habit once they are hooked. The usual suspects are cigarettes, alcohol and drug abuse. Let’s just focus on alcohol for now.
Alcohol is a toxin that serves no beneficial purpose in your body, period. I know people are not going to like hearing this, but it is a fact. Your body has no storage capacity for alcohol, so it must be eliminated immediately. And while that process of elimination is taking place, most of your other essential bodily functions are put on the back burner. Find your reason for consuming alcohol and overcome it. Most people use it as an escape or coping mechanism.
If you’re able to restrict your alcohol intake to no more than two drinks once or twice a week, then it shouldn’t be a problem to form part of a healthy lifestyle.
Avoid stressing yourself too much
Our mental state, which is how we feel and think, is also very critical to our overall well-being.
The stress response is a normal part of our evolutionary fight or flight response, so the only people with zero stress are dead people. What is not normal is to consistently live with elevated stress levels, which is sadly what we are exposed to in today’s fast-paced modern world.
Although you can develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with your elevated stress levels, it would be best to find the root cause and eliminate it. It is essential to manage stress in positive ways, instead of smoking or drinking alcohol since those cause wear and tear on your body at the hormonal level.
Too much stress may increase cortisol levels, leading to harmful results for your body’s metabolism.It may increase cravings for junk food, causing belly fat as well as increase your chances of developing a variety of diseases. Studies have shown that stress is one of the leading causes of depression, which is a serious health issue today.
The good news is that there are several methods of managing stress naturally. You should simplify your life for starters and find other ways of reducing your stress. Working out, doing deep breathing techniques, meditation, taking long walks in nature and having a massage are all ways that can contribute to reducing stress.
Sleep well
Sleep is critical for general health, and several studies indicate that sleep deprivation is linked to diseases such as obesity and heart disease. It is imperative that you get enough sleep and that it is good quality sleep.
Just because you can function on a few hours sleep per night doesn’t mean it’s good for you. It is recommended that you get anything from 7-8 hours of good quality sleep each night. While that might not always be possible, you must strive to get good quality sleep on most nights.
Some practical ways to help you sleep better include:
- Avoid drinking coffee or alcohol late in the day,
- Make an effort to go to bed and wake up at relatively the same time every day,
- Avoid sleeping in artificial lighting; make sure there is complete darkness,
- Dim the lights in your house a couple of hours before going to sleep,
- Prevent the use of tech equipment like laptops, phones, and TV a couple of hours before bedtime.
Getting good quality sleep may boost your health in several ways. It reduces both physical and mental fatigue. It also lowers the likelihood of a variety of health issues.
Final words
Healthy living is about taking responsibility and consistently making smart health choices. Eating right, being physically fit, managing stress, getting enough sleep and having emotional and spiritual wellness are all part of creating a healthy lifestyle.
Everything must work in harmony to achieve wellness. Consistency is key as always. Strive to be consistent, not perfect. Some days you are going to fail,, and that is okay. Just pick yourself up and move forward positively.
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The sole purpose of the information contained in this document is to assist people in making better health and fitness choices to enhance their overall health. No health, fitness or nutrition claims are made, prescribed or diagnosed. You know your medical history and condition best. Never use any part of this information if it might be contraindicated for your medical condition, health, fitness, food intolerances and allergies you may have. Always consult your healthcare professional if in doubt before starting a new nutrition or training program.
