Living healthy is not negotiable. When you do healthy practices, it helps to improve the quality of your life. It also prevents you from having to spend on ill health.
What is health?
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Health according to The Oxford Dictionary is defined as the state of being free from illness and injury.
What is healthy living?
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) it is a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early.
The definition tells you why you need to practice it at all times.
In this post you’ll be learning how to be healthy this 2023, the essentials for a healthy lifestyle, what you must do to live a healthy life and healthy habits.
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Reasons to keep living healthy
Here are 5 reasons why you need to be healthy:
- Your body will be strong and will also help you fight illness. It improves your lifespan by preventing or reducing the risk of chronic illnesses.
- Your body will be tuned to help you cope with stress.
- It contributes to your emotional health.
- You’ll save money because you will not have to visit the doctor or spend heavily on drugs.
- It improves your look as your skin will keep glowing.
Tips for Living Healthy
- Exercise regularly – Exercise helps to regulate your hormones and your blood pressure as well. Exercise is also very good for your mind. It also improves your brain health, helps manage weight & reduce the risk of disease. It also strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities. You can do as little as taking a 30 minutes walk daily. You can also register in a gym or register for a yoga or a dance class. OR do some home exercises using workout videos or mobile applications.
- Eat nutritious food – WHO states that “eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially produced trans-fats are essential for a healthy diet.” For a healthy diet, base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates. Eat whole foods. Eat lots of fruit and veg. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar. Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults. Get active and be a healthy weight. Do not get thirsty. Do not skip breakfast, except you’re on a fast.
- Control your weight – You control your weight by eating the right foods and doing exercises. Be sure to never skip breakfast, add proteins to your diet, drink lots of water daily and be constantly active. These help in keeping your weight in check. Also avoid processed foods and weigh yourself constantly with a weighing scale. Knowing your Body Mass Index (BMI) also helps to keep you in check. You can calculate your body mass index dividing your weight in kilograms or pounds with your height in feet or meters. Below is an image to know where you stand on the BMI chart. Calculate your BMI here.
- Get quality sleep – Stick to a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature. Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smart phones, from the bedroom. Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime. Get some exercise before sleeping as this will help you have better sleep. Also limit daytime naps so that your night rest will not be interrupted.
- Avoid smoking and alcoholic beverages – Smoking and drinking alcohol work hand in hand to increase health problems. People who smoke and drink are more at risk to have certain type of cancers especially that of the mouth and throat. They also put their consumers at risk of heart and lung diseases. Quitting smoking and taking alcohol in moderation will drastically reduce the occurrence of any of these sicknesses which will help in living healthy.
- Reduce stress – Stress can come in several forms which include physical, mental and emotional stress. To reduce stress you can get active, any form of physical activity can act as a stress reliever. Meditate. Laugh more. Connect with others. Assert yourself. Try yoga. Get enough sleep. Be positive. Have some ‘me time’. Work smart. Practice self love.
- Carry out regular health checks – Regular health checks help to identify the early signs of any health issue. It reduces the risk of getting sick. It increases the chances of treatment and cure because of early detection of health issues. It will also make you more aware of your health and body. Routine physical exams are generally recommended once a year if you’re over the age of 50, and once every 3 years if you’re younger than 50 and in good health.
Things to avoid when you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Not exercising enough
- Eating too much junk food
- Not having enough sleep
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Not drinking enough water
- Eating heavily at night
- Consuming too much salt
- Not Changing or Sanitizing Your Kitchen Sponge Frequently Enough
- Eating processed food
- Doing drugs
- Unhealthy/toxic relationships
- Excessive screen time
- Overthinking
- Overeating
- Being inactive all day
- Skipping doctors appointments
- Not speaking up about symptoms you feel on your doctors appointment
- Not maintaining a sleep routine
- Drinking alcohol just before bedtime
- Snacking late at night
- Eating hurriedly
- Having a negative attitude
- Carrying heavy things all the time
- Relying on supplements for nutrients
- Consuming excessive caffeine
- Consuming food constantly from fast food restaurants
- Living in a messy and unorganized environment
- Not managing mental stress or not giving attention to mental health
- Little or no attention to skincare
- Ignoring the benefits of reading to the brain
- Constantly being in an environment with loud noise
- Doing a job you are not feeling happy and fulfilled with
- Comparing yourself with others
- Worrying about things you can’t control
Body checks that it is important that you do regularly
- Blood Sugar Test – A blood glucose test measures the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. The test can involve a finger prick or a blood draw from your vein. Blood sugar testing requires the use of a blood sugar meter. The meter measures the amount of sugar in a small sample of blood.
- Blood Pressure Test – A blood pressure test checks if your blood pressure is healthy, or if it’s high or low. Blood pressure is the term used to describe the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body.
- Body Mass Index – Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms (or pounds) divided by the square of height in meters (or feet). A high BMI can indicate high body fatness. BMI screens for weight categories that may lead to health problems, but it does not diagnose the body fatness or health of an individual.
- Sexually Transmitted Infections Test – These tests check for any sexually transmitted disease which include HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia etc.
- Cholesterol Tests – A complete cholesterol test is done to determine whether your cholesterol is high and to estimate your risk of heart attacks.
- Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC) – A complete blood count, or CBC, is a blood test that measures many different parts and features of your blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, haemoglobin among others.
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