We all had one of those days where you suddenly decide to take a huge lifestyle change for the better. However, living life with healthy habits does not necessarily require significant changes. As long as there is consistency in your practices, you should be good to go!
There are many ways you can start improving your overall health and quality of life. First, try simple practices that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine, so keeping them going should not be a hassle. Even when you are in a rush or living a hectic lifestyle, you can always spare a few minutes to accommodate these habits into your daily regime.
Here we list a couple of activities and practices you can include in your day. If these steps are implemented daily, they become habits that could lead to an overall positive effect on your health.
1. Drink More Water
Source: Unsplash.com – @Engin Akyurt
You might have heard the saying, “drink eight glasses of water per day.” Yet, a lot of individuals tend to ignore this rule. Some even calculate their total liquid intake, which includes soda, coffee, alcohol, and other beverages.
However, your body is not made up of beers or carbonated drinks. Depending on the age, your body consists of 60% water- and there are multiple benefits of consuming sufficient water. One of the few examples is that it keeps our skin hydrated, energises our muscles, keeps our kidneys healthy, and controls our calorie intake.
It is also crucial to remember to keep your water clean. Hence, installing a purified water drinking system in your home is the way to go in maintaining the well-being of yourself and your loved ones. Furthermore, water quality is crucial as contaminated water sources cause many illnesses and might put you at health risk.
2. Installing an Air Purifier
With the significant increase in air pollution, concerns about its impact on our health have arisen. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air can be five times more polluted than outdoor air. In addition, since indoor air is less circulated, air pollutants are more likely to thrive inside.
But you don’t need to worry; air purifiers can refresh stale air for the occupants. Additionally, quality air purifiers are produced to ensure that indoor air pollutants are removed from your home, guaranteeing the health of the individuals in the household.
Installing an air purifier will eliminate a lot of airborne particulate matter circulating in your home environment. Removing these indoor air pollutants will keep you healthy in the long run as it reduces the risk of possible respiratory diseases, neurological issues, and symptoms in people living with asthma.
3. Constantly Apply Sunscreen
The skin is the body’s largest organ. Hence, taking care of your skin is vital as it protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. One way to protect your skin is by applying sunscreen to minimise your skin’s exposure to damaging UV rays.
It is crucial to keep in mind that, even during cloudy days or when you stay inside, your skin is still susceptible to the adverse effects of UV rays. Thus, it is important to still apply sunscreen even on days you are not stepping outside to protect yourself from skin cancer, premature ageing, and skin discolouration.
Also, it is advised that one should apply sunscreen every two hours for comprehensive protection. Incorporate the habit of using sunblock every morning and throughout the day in your skincare routine to help protect your skin. This will reduce the possibility of sunburn, skin cancer, inflammation, skin discolouration, and prevent the signs of ageing.
4. Incorporate a Healthy Diet
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A healthy diet is a requirement for good health and overall well-being, as it increases life expectancy and reduces the risks of chronic non-communicable diseases. This includes cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes. It is also important to highlight that 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented by your life choices and practising a healthy diet.
Additionally, consuming a balanced healthy diet means taking less salt, sugars, as well as saturated and industrially produced trans-fats. So, what does a healthy balanced diet looks like? A healthy diet includes eating lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grain foods and protein, and limiting highly processed foods.
Experts recommend preparing your food at home to not only save cost but also avoid processed food. Try to make an eating plan weekly to schedule your diet so you would not feel overwhelmed when cooking at home. In addition, you can get a microwave to try out some new simple healthy recipes to keep things interesting in the kitchen.
5. Do Not Forget to Work Out
According to Active Health, adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical exercise every week. The unfortunate reality, though, is that the majority of individuals do not follow this benchmark.
Achieving this goal should not be too hard or impossible. You can consider doing more of what you are already doing. For example, if you are already working once a week, try to increase it slowly to two or three times a week. The more, the better! Second, pick an activity that you think you will enjoy and start doing it. For instance, you can start taking swimming classes, Pilates, yoga, or any other activities that you think will suit your interest.
6. Getting Enough Sleep
An adult’s recommended sleep is six to eight hours per night. Experts have suggested that individuals who sleep less than seven hours are more at risk by 12% of dying prematurely. This shows how sleep severely affects your health and influences life expectancy.
However, it is also vital to note that oversleeping is also dangerous. This is because those who sleep more than eight to nine hours regularly are 30% more likely to die prematurely. Hence, the conclusion is that going to bed at a time allows you to sleep from six to eight hours. Once your alarm clock rings, wake up and be ready to start the day instead of hitting the snooze button and returning to bed.
There are a lot of benefits to practising a healthy lifestyle. You will not only feel good physically but also mentally. Living life healthily will definitely aid you as you grow older, reducing the risk of various diseases. It also does not hurt that practising a healthy lifestyle will save you money, considering that you will face lower premiums if your health is at an optimal state.
It is important to remember to take the first step in leading a healthy lifestyle. Then, start small and build your way up by being consistent with these practices. Over time, these actions will turn into habits that will ensure your well-being in the long run.
