Maintaining personal fitness is just one part of an overall healthy lifestyle. There are several other major contributors to your physical, emotional, and mental well-being that can help you enjoy a long and healthy life. The following four topics are suggestions to help you achieve a happy, healthy lifestyle.
Be Mindful of What You Eat
The words healthy and food tend to make people think of vegetables or dieting. But try looking at eating healthy through a different lens: be mindful of what you eat. Try to eat a variety of foods. Our bodies require many different nutrients to be healthy, so eating only a couple types of food won’t provide you with all those necessary nutrients. Branch out and try a little bit of everything.
Another mindful eating recommendation is eating unsaturated fats rather than saturated fats. You could try eating fish two to three times a week and even cooking your food differently by boiling, steaming, or baking your food rather than frying it. You could also use vegetable-based oils. Overall, be mindful of what you eat, eat regularly, and control your portion sizes.
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle. People who don’t get the proper amount or type of sleep have bigger appetites and eat more calories, so sleep is linked with maintaining a healthy weight. Good sleep also improves concentration and productivity as well as immune function.
To achieve better quality sleep, reduce screen time at least an hour before going to bed and set your home HVAC system to a cooler temperature. Your mind and body will then be able to relax and sleep more restfully, providing you with those much-needed sleep benefits.
Work on Your Social Relationships
Another important aspect of leading a healthy life is taking care of your social relationships. Your social life is connected to your physical health. People at risk for physical health issues include both older people who have limited mobility and can’t spend time with friends and younger people who feel isolated. Work to improve your meaningful, long-term relationships as well as the new ones. Staying socially connected will help you achieve better emotional, mental, and physical health, so make your social life a priority.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Your indoor air quality also contributes to staying healthy. There are simple things you can do to improve your indoor air quality, including installing air purifying devices in your HVAC system and growing houseplants. Air purifying devices will help filter and sanitize the air and remove biological growth. They help reduce the number of allergens and other dirty air particles so you can breathe easier and stay healthy. Many houseplants also act as air filters, removing volatile organic compounds from your home and releasing oxygen. Maintaining clean, purified air will help your home be a healthy environment for you and your family.
Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally: be mindful of what you eat, get good sleep, keep and make new friends, and clean up your indoor air quality. Blend those parts of your life with a daily fitness regimen and you’re off to a great start living a long and healthy life.
Nickida
Nickida is a first-generation Trinidadian American wife and mother of four. She enjoys sharing recipes from her childhood growing up in Trinidad with her readers. Nickida has a son with Autism and shares posts around traveling with a child with special needs to help other families like her own. She loves television, movies and is a true 80's baby.
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