A balanced diet, regular exercise, proper hydration: which of the healthy habits on the list do you have? Being healthy and in good condition is often evident in everyday, mundane behavior.
The key is knowing what your body and mind want, working towards a balance in their utilization and beginning to change your habits so that your physical and psychological perspectives are improved as well as the quality of your life.
The necessity for healthy habits in a person’s routine
Several chronic diseases and conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type II diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, develop due to the bad habits we exercise throughout our lives.
As the saying goes, “thinking too much is a disease” – a good routine can elevate some of the mental illnesses, like depression, chronic stress and anxiety disorders.
Definitely, poor care of one’s health is one of the contributing factors to the diseases. There are other factors too, nonetheless, and no doubt developing a culture of healthy living is among them.
As well, this initiative allows you to benefit from several physical and mental health advantages, such as:
- improved sleep;
- increased disposition;
- longevity;
- good mood;
- good self-esteem.
List of healthy habits to include in your routine
Considering the importance of having a more balanced routine and conscious practices that are good for your health, all that’s left now is to discover what needs to be part of your daily routine.
Below, check out the list of healthy habits that can bring several benefits to your physical and mental health!
Do physical activities
Keeping your body moving helps your body function properly and prevents several chronic diseases. Not to mention that it is a useful practice for weight control, energy expenditure, improving physical fitness and increasing energy.
The best part is that you can move more in your daily life without having to make much effort. This is the power of physical activities such as walking more, using the stairs, avoiding sitting for long periods of time, carrying groceries, among others.
Just by committing to being more active each day, you can help your health. But there is always room for improvement. In this case, it is a good idea to choose a physical exercise that you like to practice regularly, such as:
- bodybuilding;
- race;
- dance;
- yoga or pilates;
- martial arts.
Have a balanced diet
It also says a lot about the health if what you consume daily. That is why anybody desirous of having a healthy lifestyle will focus on a proper diet.
A great step toward bettering your eating habits is crafting a weekly meal plan using more natural and minimally processed ingredients. Moreover, the meals should be as diverse as possible. It will be beneficial to enlist a dietitian’s help in drafting this eating regimen.
After all, nutrients such as carbs, proteins, and vitamins can be obtained from the different parts of food. This way, the body will be able to sustain itself and ward off sickness as well as boost its immunity.
Be mindful of your mental health
And it is not only the body that requires the care. Irrespective of how tirelessly you take care of your body, if the brain is not healthy, the entire body suffers due to the process that is termed as somatization.
That is why deliberately making your mind healthy is a component of the balanced routine. It is often suggested for individuals that are even free of psychiatric disorders to undergo this therapy.
Furthermore, it is advisable to practice relaxation techniques that would help ease the stress thought of from time to time especially when preparing to go to bed. The same applies for having good moments with loved ones, time to relax and engage in enjoyable activities such as hobbies and interact socially.
Drink water adequately
It helps eliminate various toxins and keeps your organs functioning properly. For this reason, an important tip is to always carry a bottle of water with you.
Ideally, a person should take 35 ml of liquid for every kilo of body weight. Hence, someone who weighs 70 kg should take, on average, 2.5 liters of water per day to keep his or her body hydrated.
If it’s hard to drink pure water, you can use water with lemon and/or ginger. In addition, teas and natural juices are other supplements that may help hydration, but the tool for hydration is mainly water.
Avoid alcohol and cigarette consumption
To maintain good physical and mental health, one is required to avoid those factors that create stress for the body. Among these are alcohol and tobacco, which together form a powerful inflammatory and addictive arsenal, as well as being detrimental to health, more so in the long run.
Alcoholism has harmful health impacts in the liver, cardiovascular systems, and immunity. At the same time, smoking cigarettes raises the risk for diseases to the respiratory organs. And then, of course, quite a few other physical and psychical disorders caused also as a result of chronic substances use listed above.
This is why it is good to reduce or even avoid alcohol and cigarette use during the life cycle. This will allow the body to remove all substances that can prevent the body from functioning correctly.
Apart from this roster of health protecting practices, one should be geared up for medical supervision and regular examinations. This allows you to understand the status of your health and what is more crucial, for example, whether there is the need for certain nutrient supplementation in the event of a shortfall.
