“Health is Wealth” – we all talk it, but only a few follow the rules & routines to stay healthy. Staying healthy requires you to ditch junk foods and bad habits. Indulging yourself in spicy and fried items once in a blue moon is not going to harm you, but having these on your platter every day will do you no good. Avoiding exercises, keeping yourself confined to cushy jobs or figurative comfort of your home, and doing nothing to manage stress produce harmful effects on your health over time.
To sum it up, you can stay in fine fettle by giving a healthy twist to your damn-care lifestyle. Here are some simple things we need to do to have a healthy body:
Eat Slowly
Slow eating sensitizes your brain to the feel of ‘fullness’, thereby preventing you from overeating and putting on excessive weight. Moreover, with slow eating, you can make healthy choices as you have more time to think about what should go inside.
Eat Fruits, Ditch Drinks
If you prefer orange juice, eat an orange. Even 100% fruit juice, which comes in bottles, undergoes chemical processing that fails to retain the original qualities of the nutrients. Actual fruits are rich in potassium, folic acid, fiber and vitamin, whereas fruit juice is also low in sodium, fat, and calories.
Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Most of us take more than what we actually need. It harms our body in many ways by adding calories but no nutritional value. It can also cause your blood sugar to soar and then dip, leaving you hungry, tired, and irritatingly moody.
Eat Lots of Greens
Spinach, broccolini, collards, kale etc. are some nutrition-rich leafy green vegetables. They are rich in fiber but low in calories. These green vegetables are good for your health.
Cut down on Your Fat Intake
Not all fats are bad, but trans-fats are definitely not good. Trans-fat causes cholesterol to jump up and clog the heart arteries. You should keep a tab on your trans-fat intake. Baked items and frozen pizza are high in trans-fat. Don’t cut down on good fat found in whole eggs, fish, nuts or dairy products. As long as your diet is balanced and healthy, there is no harm in taking fat-rich foods. High-fat dairy items are far effective than low fat when it comes to losing weight because fat satiates your hunger much quicker than carbohydrates and protein.
Enjoy Your Drink
Yes, you have guessed right – it’s alcohol we’re talking about. There are several adverse effects of alcohol only if you don’t take it in moderation. But a little amount of it is good for your cardio health – it reduces your stress and improves your sex life.
Stay Active
Exercise is important to improve your physical and mental health. It does not require you to visit a gym or take part in the New York Marathon. You can do fitness exercises, walk in a park, do gardening or enjoy other activities to stay active. Brisk walk, regular running with friends and participating in local sports are the best examples of what you could love doing and what could also help you stay active and fit.
Manage Stress
Stress is a menace to your health, both physically and mentally. A little stress is though helpful as it makes you more creative and competitive. But heavy stress gnaws you from within, increases your blood pressure and sugar and complicates your existing health issues. Uncontrolled stress is linked to heart problems as well. So, steal some time off your crammed schedule and meditate for a few minutes to calm your nerves and accept the changes and challenges easily.
Go Outside
Sunlight is a great source of Vitamin D. Therefore, it’s important to go outside early in the morning and enjoy some sunlight. Americans don’t have enough of sunlight that benefits cell function and overall health. However, don’t stay long in the sun and make sure to apply sunscreen on the exposed areas of your skin as even mild sunlight contains UV rays that might cause skin cancer.
Socialize
Staying confined to the comfort of fortress that you lovingly call your home is not always good. Hanging out with friends is equally important as spending time with family. Communicate with your friends even if you have a few or don’t see them very often. Socializing with people you know or love being with makes you happier and it certainly benefits your health and creative firepower.
Have Sex
Healthy and happy sex life is good for your brain and heart health. Stay safe by using condoms and get rested for STDs regularly. It’s important for you to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases and prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Dance
Doing the tango with your partner is a nice way to make the bonding stronger and better. In fact, any dance form keeps your brain cells active and energetic. You will enjoy fun from such head-to-toe movements without realizing that you’re actually exercising.
Take a Break
Even when you are at work, take some time off every hour to stand up, stretch yourself and walk around. It gives you some relief from work pressure, recharges your brain, stimulates your creative zeal, promotes your productivity, energizes your body and benefits your overall health. It even works towards preventing and controlling certain diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Catch Some Z’s
Failing to catch an adequate amount of sleep can backfire your efforts to maintain good health. Lack of good sleep is strongly related to heart problems, obesity, depression and mood swings. An adult should sleep for 7-9 hours at night to wake up relaxed, recharged and relieved.
So, you see that taking care of your health is not very challenging only if you’re ready to accommodate a few changes in your daily routine and tenacious to stick to it.