We are all striving torwards a healthier lifestyle. On a daily basis, we are faced with decisions that impact our health, either positively or negatively. Most of the time these decisions are small tweaks to our behaviour, sort of like constant mini-decisions that we are faced with. We are constantly weighing these mini-decisions in our minds and finding the right mix that works for the life we want to live. It’s important to remember that taking this time to think about your health priorities can start at any time of the year; a good rule of thumb is to do a health priorities check-in with yourself on each change of season.

Although habits can be difficult to change, if you find the right “new habit” to replace the “old habit”, a healthy lifestyle can give you more energy, improved cognitive function and clearer thoughts, and can increase your chances of preventing declining health and reduce your risk of premature death and chronic diseases.

Here are four ways you can take to maintain a healthier lifestyle:

You Should Never Compromise On Having Sound Sleep: 

Studies show that everyone needs a good night’s sleep, about 7 to 8 hours per night. During sleep, the body goes into recharge mode. If you are not getting enough sleep and not allowing the body to fully recharge, the stress your body feels tends to build up and so does your sleep debt. This undue stress and sleep debt can cause changes in your body such as digestion issues and insomnia. Not getting sufficient sleep can cause you to constantly feel tired and reduce the efficiency of your brain. When all these things happen simultaneously, it creates a direct impact on the immune system of the body. You might not be taking sleep seriously, but it is essential for your body and also helps in strengthening the immune system and reducing stress.

Focus On Having The Right Diet: 

What you consume has a large impact on your body and plays a crucial role in determining the overall health of the body. If you eat lots of fast food and eat little to no healthy foods, your body has to work harder to keep you healthy whereas eating plenty of healthy foods improves your body’s chances of being as strong as possible. The thing to remember is that fast food is junk food. Fast food provides a load of calories but it does not provide much micronutrients for the body. Eating junk on a daily basis is linked to many chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. So what should you do? You must focus on having leafy vegetables, preferably dark green in colour, and fresh fruits to keep your body fit and healthy. Such foods are rich in vitamins and minerals that impart strength to your body. Healthy foods that have antioxidants can help repair and avoid damage that free radicals caused from your environment. You can eat mushrooms, tomato, bell pepper, and dark green vegetables like spinach, and kale and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. These are generally considered as good options to build up the immune system in the body. Your diet plan can include supplements rich in omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. Some say that natural health boosters include  ginger, gooseberries, and turmeric. Give them a try in your next meals! It’s extremely important to get reliable diet information from professionals prior to implementing them into your own routines. A great resource we like to use is Dr. Gregor’s website called https://nutritionfacts.org/, check it out one day, Dr. Gregor’s videos are packed with evidence based nutritional information.

You Must Never Skip Exercise:

Studies show that people that exercise regularly have the best chance at building up a healthy body while keeping their cardiovascular system in check. The best part is that it’s not necessary to only do vigorous exercise or "hard" workouts, the research shows that even light exercise will go a long way keeping the body strong and healthy. It’s recommended by Health Canada to be active at least 2.5 hours a week (which equals to about 20 minutes per day) to achieve health benefits. You should focus on moderate to vigorous aerobic activity throughout each week, broken into sessions of 10 minutes or more. Get stronger by adding activities that target your muscles and bones at least two days per week.

Your Focus Should Be On Maintaining A Healthy Body Weight:

You must aim for a BMI of 25 or lower, as it is the ideal Body Mass Index that every healthy person should have. If you keep a check on your weight by eating healthy food, regulating cholesterol levels, you won’t have any problems with obesity. Moreover, it will ensure that the body’s metabolism is working perfectly. By keeping your BMI within an ideal range, your immune system won’t have to work as hard to keep the rest of your body healthy. 

Summary: 

Living a healthier lifestyle is easier than it seems. Following the points highlighted above can help you improve your overall health and prevent declining health and reduce your risk of premature death and chronic diseases.