When many of us hear about health, we often think of diet and exercise. However, there is more to health than just dieting and working out to improve our figure. Our overall well-being depends on both our bodies and minds and on the daily habits we maintain to take care of ourselves. Some of these habits can benefit us, while others harm our mental and physical health. Because of this, it is necessary that we move forward with the habits that lead us to live a healthy life and make changes to take better care of ourselves.
A very important habit to keep in mind is spending quality time with quality people. Creating time for those we care about can help strengthen bonds and be very beneficial for our mental health. This includes making sure our circle of friends is filled with positive people who add to our lives, not bonds who bring negative energy. Practicing activities you like and finding hobbies you enjoy can be the best ways to find people you relate with and who enjoy the same things you do. At times, it is important to make time for the people who make our lives better, whether it’s making plans with friends or getting to know our classmates a little bit more closely. Since we often tend to get lost in the routine of studying and doing our work, developing healthy relationships with those around us can make our daily lives significantly better.
Another factor that is key to living a healthy life is having a healthy body, which includes mindful eating and exercising regularly. Some small habits that can change our overall lifestyle can be walking, getting ourselves a gym buddy, or spending some time outside. To get in the habit of doing exercise, it can be useful to try new activities to find which suits you best, since the same sports don’t work for everyone. There are apps that suggest workout routines based on different tastes. For instance, the Nike Training Club app offers a variety of workout options and helps track progress, Runtastict also tracks the progress made running, jogging, or walking and Mytraining includes workout videos, a workout tracking calendar, and a chat feature to get help from a coach. There are apps for other activities as well, such as Asana Rebel, which includes yoga routines and tracks the time spent exercising. For those who struggle to make time for exercise, sites such as acefitness.org and youtube channels like Blogilates and HASfit offer ideas for at-home workouts and routines.
Also, trading technology to devote a short time for exercise can get us to feel better about ourselves, make us more productive, and create a new healthy habit that is better for our overall health.
Aside from exercising, developing a healthy relationship with food contributes to making our lifestyles healthier. This means being mindful about the food we eat, whether or not we are getting all the nutrients and water our body needs, and making sure we are devoting time for meals, taking our time to eat lunch and not skipping breakfast.
The World Health Organization advocates for a healthy diet and nutrition, as this can prevent us from developing diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Because of this, the WHO emphasizes the need to maintain a diet that ensures the intake of all necessary nutrients, consuming a variety of foods such as fruits and vegetables, meals high in protein, and limiting the consumption of sugars, salt, and saturated trans fats as much as possible. Also, they state that calorie intake should be balanced with energy expenditure, which means that the calories we consume should be decided based on the activities we do during the day, and we should always make sure that we consume enough calories according to our own lifestyle.
Because most of us are students, sometimes we get caught in a cycle of working nonstop. However, it is crucial to take breaks and leave time for rest. Having a proper sleep schedule, making space in our lives for some quiet time, and disconnecting from our responsibilities and routines from time to time is sure to make our lifestyles healthier.
At last, the most important habit to lead a healthy lifestyle is maintaining a positive attitude towards life. It’s a human thing to have emotions, positive and negative, but focusing on the positive can have a great effect on our overall happiness. Of course, habits have to be built over time, but taking small steps in one direction can lead us to ultimately achieve what we want. A very effective way to encourage ourselves to think more positively is to practice gratitude. As a daily habit, especially in difficult times, counting the blessings we are grateful for can help us focus on the positive. Also, research has shown that the act of smiling itself can put us in a better mood. It allows our brain to let go of stress, releasing neurotransmitters that put us in a better mood. Smiling and being grateful are two ways in which we can improve our outlook on life, and practicing acts like these can benefit us greatly in the long term.
Our well being helps define the quality of our lives. Small changes in our routines, and creating new healthy habits while letting go of old ones can create the healthy routine we want to achieve. These are necessary steps toward leading a healthier life, both physically and mentally.
