In today’s fast-paced world, people often forget to take care of their health. If you neglect your health for a long period of time, it starts to reflect negatively on your appearance, work, and behavior. While it can be difficult to form healthy habits and maintain them with a busy schedule, it is not exactly impossible. In fact, you can start by making small changes in your daily activities to transition into a healthier lifestyle.
For a healthy lifestyle, it is recommended that you eat a balanced diet on a regular basis. Consume a variety of food items that include vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. Try to eat at least 5 servings (400 grams) of fruits and vegetables daily, especially the seasonal ones. If you are not a vegetarian, consider including fatty fish in the diet, as the omega-3 fatty acids are good for your health. If you aren’t getting enough nutrition from your everyday meals, you can consult a nutritionist who may suggest some of the best daily supplements for men and women.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, it may soon start affecting your health negatively. If you can spare some time every day for physical exercises, it can help you stay more active and boost your mood. Exercise also helps you manage your weight and reduces the risk of several health conditions. If your job requires you to sit in one place for 8-10 hours, consider taking a 5-minute break every 30 minutes. If you cannot do that, you can set up a standing desk and shuffle from one side to the other if you work on the computer. If your workplace is on a higher floor in the building, take the stairs instead of the elevator.
When you do not get enough sleep at night, you may feel low on energy and find it hard to concentrate on the work the next morning. Over a period of time, insufficient sleep can affect your health and lead to some serious health conditions. While going to bed on time is important, you need to take some measures to improve the overall quality of your sleep.
Keep the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.
Train your brain and body to fall asleep on time by sticking to a consistent schedule.
Limit caffeine intake as well as afternoon naps
Avoid screentime before bed
Exercise regularly and avoid alcohol before sleep
With a wide variety of beverages available today, water seems so boring when compared to other beverages. However, your body needs an adequate amount of water to perform a number of crucial tasks, starting from supporting your brain functions to regulating your body temperature. As your body constantly loses water through sweat, breath, and urine throughout the day, you need to stay hydrated to remain fit and healthy. Talk to a nutritionist to figure out how much water your body needs based on your weight, age, gender, and other factors. Carry a bottle of water with you. Also, snack on hydrating food, such as cucumbers, watermelon, celery, strawberries, etc.
Stress is the root cause of numerous illnesses - starting from migraines to cardiovascular diseases. If you have a stressful job, try to finish your day’s work before reaching home so that your family time is not consumed by your work. Use your non-working hours to destress by doing activities you love. You can watch a movie with your family or friends, go for long walks, spend time with your pet, read a book, listen to music, take a bubble bath, work in the garden, etc. If something is stressing you for quite some time, you can talk to people who care about you.
Parting Thoughts
It takes about a couple of months to form a new habit. However, you may require even less time if you start enjoying the journey to a healthier lifestyle. As you practice these measures, get a health check-up done every once in a while to ensure you are moving in the right direction.
