There isn’t any shortcut to good health but it isn’t very hard either. Being healthy is a matter of choice. How you value the precious aspect of life will largely depend on your commitment to lead a healthy one by a simple set of rules. There is a common misconception that being healthier means giving up a lifestyle that you enjoy because what’s life after all if you have to deprive yourself of its pleasures ?? You couldn’t be more wrong!!!
You can be healthy and enjoy your life too because by abiding by the protocols of good health, you strengthen your body further to withstand the lifestyle you may be leading be it a hectic or stressful one. Following these 10 practical tips can help you lead a healthier life.
- Maintain a well balanced diet and get your protein
In any guide to good health, it ultimately boils down to maintaining a well balanced diet. If you love a roast potato and steak by all means do so now and then but ensure that your diet consists of the proper ratio of protein carbohydrate and healthy fats. While there are nutrition guides that will teach you how to maintain a balanced meal plan, what you should also consider is incorporating more fat burning foods into your meals.
If you are working out, ensure you get your protein because the majority end up eating a diet full of carbs and fats. Sure it’s healthy to go vegan or be a vegetarian but your body just cannot do without protein which are the essential building blocks of life. The best advice you could get is to consume foods that contain rich sources of anti oxidants, minerals, vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids.
- Look after your gut health
Recent studies have linked Alzheimer’s disease to gut bacteria. This goes to show how several diseases may be the result of poor gut health. Within two years of birth, humans develop communities of gut flora or microorganisms that co exist in a mutually beneficial environment. Unfortunately as we age such beneficial gut microbes are greatly reduced.
- Avoid unhealthy snacks
Snacking on that juicy burger, pizza and fast food may make your tongue salivate but it definitely does not benefit your body. While on the rare occasion it may be ok to indulge in your favorite food, the fact remains that unhealthy food widens your waistline and introduces a host of carcinogenic substances and free radicals into your body responsible for cancers, various disease and ageing.
Healthy snacks are a good way to satiate both your taste buds and your stomach when hungry between meals. As a vegan or a person who wants to go gluten free you can try fruits like apricots or plantain chips. If you love ice cream, indulge in banana ice cream instead. You can get a healthy dose of protein and good fats from a combo of banana and peanut butter on Ezekiel toast. Once you start Snacking healthy, you will soon find yourself preferring such foods over processed high fat snacks.
- Learn to deal with stress
Stress puts a huge damper on your physiology. The term “mind over matter” contains a lot of truth where succumbing to stress can create several problems in the areas of digestion, sleep, mood, focus and energy. Variations of stress will always be present in life. How you deal with it is more a matter of perspective and though easier said than done, there are ways and means to control and eliminate stress only if you decide to take one step forward to do so.
While some fitness experts advocate yoga and meditation to deal with stress others feel intense activity such as kickboxing workouts can work wonders too. You need to identify what type of activity sustains your personality the most. Engaging in that at least thrice a week will certainly invigorate your mid into a healthier disposition.
- Stop smoking
If you are smoking, there is only one word that you should know now. Stop. The dangers of smoking are manifold and if you want to quit, you seriously don’t need rehab or even medication or substitutes to do so. All you need is to come to terms with why you smoke and then you will find the answer is a shallow one that never really helps you. Rather than abide by the traditional belief of coaxing a habit away one step at a time. Try making a spontaneous and split decision to quit smoking that very instant. It may just work for you.
- Physical activity and rest
Indulging in exercise and rest for recovery are two faces of the same coin. Physical activity increases energy, improves your constitution and metabolism, strengthens your heart, contributes to muscle buildup and a healthy skeletal structure. Rest provides that all important phase of muscle recovery which is a continuous process of muscle protein synthesis. While exercise contributes to muscle burn and hypertrophy of muscle tissue, rest and recovery invigorates and facilitates the process where both work hand in glove for a healthier body.
Working out and eating healthy are all beneficial habits of a healthy life but rest ad adequate sleep are just as important to maintain and rejuvenate your body. Being healthy will also make you happier contributing to general well being.
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