One of the biggest mistakes you can make in life is not taking care of your health. You neglect your health every time you skip physical activity and don’t eat a nutritious meal.
It’s up to you to avoid a wide range of health problems. Healthy habits can protect you from mood disorders like depression, from blood sugar problems like diabetes, and from heart problems like cardiovascular disease.
The good news is that by adopting the right health habits, you can prevent all sorts of serious illnesses.
Here are some things you should do and shouldn’t do to stay healthy:
Things You Should Do
1. Exercise regularly.
Although you may have a busy day every day, you still need to find time for regular exercise.
Exercise will increase your energy levels and boost your immune system. People who run, swim, lift weights, or sign up for Pure Barre classes will likely experience a fundamental transformation in their moods, attitudes, energy, and well-being over time.
Naturally, if you haven’t exercised in a while, you need to start slowly. It may take some time before you can do the type of exercise that radically improves your strength, boosts your endurance, and increases your energy.
Walk instead of drive. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Do simple things throughout the day to ease into a more active lifestyle.
According to an eight-year longitudinal study conducted by The American Council on Exercise people who walk for half-an-hour a day significantly reduce their chances of a premature death.
2. Eat a balanced diet.
Besides exercising regularly, you need to eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains and lean meats (or non-meat protein substitutes).
The purpose of a diet is to give you the nutrients you need to fuel your brain and body. The best way to control your weight and stay in good shape is to reduce your quantity of calorie-dense foods.
3. Reduce stress and improve your moods.
Frequently occurring bad moods do more than ruin your relationships and day. They also disrupt your body’s homeostatic balance. High stress compromises your health.
Eating right and exercising regularly will boost endorphin levels, the brain chemicals that help you feel relaxed, carefree, and happy.
Spending more social time with other people will also improve your moods by increasing your level of serotonin. Hang out with family and friends. Volunteer. Join a club. Participate in communal events.
Things You Shouldn’t Do
1. Don’t cheat on your diet.
Although you may have designed an excellent eating plan, you may not always follow it. This isn’t because you lack self-discipline or will-power but because you’ve allowed yourself to get overly hungry.
Skipping breakfast and rushing off to work, for example, sets you up for intense food cravings later on in the morning. As a result, you’ll succumb to temptations. You might drink sugary beverages like fruit juices and sodas. And you might even substitute the lean meats you brought with you for lunch with a meal from a fast food restaurant.
2. Don’t skip your annual checkup.
When your health improves, the idea of scheduling your annual physical exam might seem unnecessary.
But it’s important that a doctor check your weight, blood pressure, and heartbeat, as well as take a blood and urine sample, to make sure that you have no undetected health problems.
3. Don’t skimp on your sleep.
Once you become more active, you might decide to sleep less so that you can get more done.
Insufficient sleep can do far more than merely make you feel tired and cranky the next day. It can cause a cascade of health problems. If you don’t get enough sleep or experience poor quality sleep, you’re lowering your life expectancy, increasing your risk of heart disease, and raising your blood pressure.
Getting a good’s night rest is as simple as going to bed at the same time every night and sleeping for as long as you need to wake up refreshed.
You can improve the quality of your sleep by eliminating caffeine drinks before bedtime and by improving your sleeping environment. Before you go to bed, turn off all electronics, keep the temperature cool, and make the room dark.
In conclusion, remember that good health is never an accident. It’s always the result of healthy habits. By taking care of your mental, emotional, and physical health, you’ll enjoy a wonderful sense of well-being all the time.