Being healthy is complicated—or NOT. It all depends on how you go about it.
While advertisements would like you to believe that to be healthy you must do this and that and God knows what not, all that is not really true. Following time-tested rules is still the best answer to the question ‘how to be healthy’.
Shared ahead are five proven rules to good health.
1. Stop Putting Toxic Things Into Your Body
Many things are absolutely toxic to the body, and so should be avoided.
The list includes common suspects like alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. In case you’ve got a problem with any of these, you must sort that out first before thinking of changing diet and getting regular exercise.
In moderation, alcohol is fine. (In fact, some studies have linked intake of red wine in moderation with reduced risk of heart disease.)
The same is not true for cigarettes as well as abusive drugs, both of which should be avoided completely.
The menace of disease-promoting foods, however, is far much greater. They are the primary factor for the sharp rise in obesity seen in the past few decades. If you want health, cut down on your intake of such foods. There are absolutely no two ways about it.
Processed foods have been engineered to be as rewarding as possible (in other words, they are addictive in nature). Because of this, you’ll need motivation, discipline, and perseverance to reduce or stop their intake.
2. Lift Weights
Exercise for improving your physique or for the health benefits it provides, but the important thing is you must EXERCISE.
Yes, if you exercise, your appearance and attractiveness quotient will improve. These benefits, however, just the tip of the iceberg. The real benefits of regular exercise are good physical and mental health.
Studies show lifting weights reduces your risk to diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. It helps reduce the blood sugar levels, improve cholesterol, and reduce triglycerides.
Lifting weights are also linked with improved level of testosterone as well as growth hormone, both of which are crucial for overall wellbeing.
It (as do other form of exercises) helps in wading off and management of several health conditions like depression, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and several others.
Regular exercise when combined with healthy diet helps shed extra fat. When you exercise, not only you burn more calories, but your metabolism also improves.
Gym is not the only place where you can exercise. Outdoors is just as good, probably even better, because you then can also get Vitamin D in healthy amounts.
If you wish, you can also start on an indoor fitness program, too. There are many good fitness programs available for free online and you can easily find one that is suitable for you.
In case you have not worked out in ages or have a health condition, consult a doctor or a health professional before starting an exercise program.
3. Sleep Well
Some believe four or six hours of sleep is adequate. Research, however, points otherwise, stating adults who sleep for fewer hours than seven in the night have more difficulty in concentrating and experience more mood problems than those who enjoy a seven to nine hours of sleep.
Prolonged sleep deprivation can cause much more harm than poor concentration and bad mood. It is associated with an increased risk to depression, obesity, and heart disease. Poor sleep on a regular basis can also make you more prone to depression and other mood disorders.
In case you find it difficult to initiate sleep or stay asleep or have a sleep problem like apnea, you should consult a doctor. Sleep apnea in most cases is very much treatable. However, if left unaddressed, it can have serious and life-shortening consequences: heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other ailments.
You might also want to follow these tips:
- Don’t drink coffee at least six hours before sleeping.
- Maintain a sleep schedule (that is, sleeping and waking up at the same hours every day).
- Avoid artificial light while sleeping; instead sleep in complete darkness.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin B6, which helps the body to produce melatonin and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that regulate sleep. Fish (tuna, salmon, halibut, etc.), pistachio nuts, and raw garlic are some foods that provide vitamin B6 in abundance
4. Avoid Excess Stress
Excess stress affects not only your mental but also physical health. It leads to more cortisol in the body, and increased cortisol level is harmful in more ways than one.
Increased cortisol level affects metabolism, makes you crave for unhealthy processed foods, and leads to accumulation of fat around the abdominal area, which in turn is linked with various diseases, including heart disease.
While a completely stress-free life is a dream that many have but only few achieve, the following tips can be used by anyone and everyone to keep stress under check:
- Exercise regularly. When you exercise, endorphins are released, and when endorphins are present in high levels, we feel fewer negative effects of stress.
- Do a few minutes of deep breathing and/or meditation every day. Both help reduce negative emotions and improve stress management skills.
- Consult a psychologist. If burdens of daily life are becoming are stressing you out, seek professional advice and help.
A lifestyle change, and not a fancy new diet or exercise program, works best to improve health. Being healthy require continuous effort. So keep things simple and stay committed to the cause for life.