The only way to a healthy lifestyle does not necessarily pass through a gymnasium or through a diet of only salad leaves. Living a healthy life is more about making healthy choices in your day to day life than it is about anything else. The best way to lead a healthy lifestyle is to make small changes in your daily routine and habits viz. taking stairs instead of elevators, drinking an extra glass of water or simply increasing your fruit intake by one fruit.
Here are 14 trusted and time tested healthy habits on how to live a healthy life:
1. Stretch
Mornings are the best times to stretch the body with some forward bends and pushups. It is advised to spend some time stretching your body in the morning through yoga as it assists the mind in focusing on the finer aspects during the day and also improves adrenaline circulation in the body.
2. Walk 10,000 Steps A Day
Walking is one of the best exercises that you can undertake to elevate your mood, challenge your heart and also reduce cravings for food. One must strive to reach a target of 10,000 steps each day and include a brisk 30 min walk.
3. Floss
You may think that taking care of your teeth and gums is only beneficial for your mouth, however, researches have revealed that uncared for gums can spread bacteria to the blood and cause inflammation and coronary artery disease too.
4. Get Some Omega 3
If you are not an avid fish eater or a pure vegetarian, you can still get some Omega 3 from plants or opt for a supplement such as algae based omega 3 supplement. For those who are fond of fish, there is nothing that can substitute cold water fish such as Salmon, Herring and Mackarel. They help the body to maintain a high level of good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol.
5. Drink Cold Water
A lot of us confuse between hunger and thirst resulting in snacking when the only requirement was a glass of water. It is recommended to have a lot of cold water as it quenches thirst and helps your body feel full keeping the body at its full operating capacity.
6. Break Your Multivitamin In Half
You must have a steady dose of multivitamins each day. That's because normal nutrition is not going to provide your daily recommended vitamins. For such a steady supply, it is recommended that you divide your dose of multivitamins into one half with breakfast and the other half with dinner. Avoid taking Vitamin B right before bed as it can disturb your sleep. In case your multivitamin has less than 1,000 IU of Vitamin D, you must take a supplement with it as well. What you also need to ensure is that the Vitamin D that you are taking is D3 as it is the most easily absorbed form of Vitamin D.
7. Kick The Sugar Habit
White sugar has almost no nutritional value and its over consumption raises chances of you being obese, getting into depression or even having a heart disease. If you are a victim of snacks cravings, carry carrots, nuts and apples with you to be prepared for such a craving. Avoid having energy bars or drinks as they do not provide sustained energy like whole foods. You want to keep a balanced diet with nutritional value.
8. Make Television Work For You
If you cannot avoid watching TV, it is better to do so while walking on the treadmill or while working out with dumbbells.
9. Have A Good Nights Sleep
Getting less than seven to eight hours of sleep can raise the levels of Cortisol, a stress hormone that is hugely responsible for weight gain and depression. Do make sure that your television and computer are switched off before you slip into deep slumber as their bright light fools your body into staying awake.
10. Give Yourself Bonuses
Give yourself festival bonuses from time to time. Get a colonoscopy done on a Christmas or a full body cancer scan on the New Year and you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. It is recommended that you get regular tests done to avoid the possibility of a disease going unnoticed.
11. Quit Smoking
Smoking is one of the greatest evils that you can pick up. Some people have a false notion that quitting it may make them gain weight which is not true. There have been instances of people picking up some weight initially but that is only a temporary phenomenon. To successfully quit cigarettes, it is recommended to get help from your doctor, family and friends. A doctor is the best person to tailor an approach for you to quit this deadly habit. You may also like to alter your routine to avoid smoking. Try to eat more vegetables and less meat as vegetarian food makes a cigarette taste worse. If possible replace coffee with a glass of milk to stifle those cravings.
12. Exercise Your Brain
All of us believe that exercising benefits our hearts but little do we know that our brain also benefits from exercising. Many of you would wonder as to how does physical exercise effect brain health? The answer is simple. Such exercises help the body to fight stress building up in the brain that causes oxidative damage resulting in an unhealthy state of mind. A regular and moderate exercise such as 30 minutes of walk helps to fight ageing effects on the brain. All exercises such as walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics etc. are beneficial for the brain. Ballroom dancing can be another good exercise for recreation of the mind.
13. Be Positive and Laugh as Much as Possible
Have a positive attitude and always try to see the glass half-full. People with a positive attitude have less health issues than those with a negative one. It is good to find something to laugh at daily to give your feel-good hormones a daily dose of positivity.
14. Do Good
Many of you may not concur on this issue, but one way to remain healthy mentally is to do good to someone in need. An act of generosity can assist you to fight stress in your life making you feel good about yourself.
These are some excellent tips on how to be healthy. Getting the proper nutrition combined with some of these healthy habits, will get you healthy in no time!
About the Author
The owner of The Cool Confident.
http://www.coolconfident.com
Article Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Health-Is-Wealth-Tips-To-Live-A-Healthy-Life/8223322/
