Are you tired of leading an unhealthy lifestyle? Do you want a good body and go the extra mile to maintain it? Staying healthy requires hard work and diligence, and a lot of effort must be put in place to maintain a good body. Having a good body and a healthy lifestyle comes with many advantages. You are at low risk of developing diseases, and long life is assured.
Maintaining a good body includes following a nutrition plan, getting enough rest, and exercising daily. These activities are not easy to keep up with as there are distractions everywhere from work, school, and family. However, if you commit yourself to healthy living, you will find that maintaining a good body isn’t as difficult as it seems.
We acknowledge the fact that there are various aspects of our body, health and overall wellbeing that are out of our control. Nevertheless, you can focus on the things you can control and prevent yourself and your family from contracting chronic illnesses. Learn to protect and maintain a good body for yourself and your family.
Here are amazing ways to take care of and maintain a good body for yourself and your family:
1. Nutrition
Photo: A served meal
As much as this might sound easy, nutrition is a complicated topic these days. Many individuals are stuck with food allergies and intolerances that prevent them from following a healthy meal plan. Remember that what you eat is linked to what your health will be, and balanced nutrition comes with many benefits.
For a good body, you need over 40 nutrients, and these nutrients have different sources. Your meals should combine protein, veggies, carbs, dairy products and fruits. While serving your meals, maintain reasonable portion sizes. Eating what you want is easier than eating what you are forced to eat. A reasonable portion consists of a pint of ice cream, a cup of pasta, and a medium size piece of fruit.
While at this, ensure that you do not skip meals as this can make you lose control and embrace indulging. Taking snacks between your regular meals might be helpful in this case, but ensure you stick to having at least two balanced meals daily. Some individuals have eliminated certain things like sugar, fat and salt from their meals because they believe it’s a form of being healthy. Eliminating these things from your diet is a bad idea unless you are told to do so by a medical practitioner. Instead of eliminating, choose between skim or low-fat dairy to maintain your diet.
2. Stay Hydrated
What do you know about hydration? Do you know that the slightest level of dehydration can affect your mood and energy level? Doctors advise that adults drink 8oz. glasses of water daily. The water intake might be higher or lower than the recommended one depending on your size of physical activities. Research also suggests drinking water of half your weight in ounces.
Those not used to drinking lots of water might find it difficult to stay hydrated all day. You can start drinking an extra glass of water after having your regular glasses. This will lead to an increase in your energy and keep your body fit all day long. Water helps in blood circulation, regulates body temperatures, and removes toxins from the body.
As part of staying hydrated, stay away from sodas and sports drinks that have high sugar content. Instead of taking these high sugar contents, choose water-rich fruits and vegetables to snack on. Avoid too much caffeine intake as caffeine is a mildly addictive drug. It affects your sleeping habits and makes it hard for you to focus. Caffeine also affects your muscle functions and the cleansing of waste products. Start your day with a glass of water and continue the rest of the day in that manner. Do not wait until you are thirsty before drinking water.
3. Regular Exercise
There has been a misconception about exercising. Most individuals see exercise as a means of losing weight but exercise goes further than that. Exercising helps us fight diseases like depression, cancers, high blood pressure, heart disease, type diabetes and stroke. It enhances some brain chemicals that keep us happy and relaxed. Exercising helps us get better sleep, improves our sex life, and boosts our energy.
Before being committed to exercising, we come up with various types of excuses why we cannot exercise. We use our work, kids, family, time and health as excuses. However, we all have the ability to do one thing – move our bodies. Exercise is about body movement; you mustn’t go to the gym before you can exercise.
To begin your daily exercise, park your vehicle away from your destination and walk the remaining distance. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, dance in the kitchen while you cook, play tag with your children, or go for an evening walk. The goal is to get a minimum of 30 minutes of activity each day to stretch out your muscles and body. However, if you prefer going to the gym, you can draft a workout planner template to ease your workout process.
4. Avoid Smoking and Excess Alcohol
Photo: Bottles of wine
If you want to maintain a good body, avoid smoking and excess intake of alcohol. This is a very important factor in determining a healthy body, and there are countless reasons tobacco is bad for you. Smokers are liable to die young; as a smoker, you will find it difficult to change this habit. Smoking tobacco and other harmful substances cause mouth, lung and throat cancer; it also causes heart diseases.
Note that smoking kills both the smoker and non-smoker by inhaling. Smoking tobacco is a factor behind emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is not too late to quit smoking; the earlier you do this, the more you will experience long-term health benefits.
Limit your alcohol intake to prevent diseases like pancreas, throat or liver cancer. Remember that too much intake of alcohol can damage your liver; hence, specific ounces of alcohol must be consumed daily. Men should have only 2 drinks daily, while men should have only 1 drink daily. Note that one drink is equivalent to 5 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of liquor, or 12 ounces of beer.
5. Stress Management
Learning to manage stress is one way of maintaining a good body. Stress comes in different forms, and we must learn to manage it. Organisation helps in eliminating stress; keep your space clean and organised. If you feel tired or dizzy, relax, turn off the television and listen to calm music. To manage stress every day, create time to reflect and relax.
Remember that sleep is essential for stress management. Adults are required to sleep for an average of 7 to 8 hours every night. Lack of sleep affects your concentration, mood, attention, libido, ability to fight infection, judgement and memory. Lack of sleep also leads to depression, health problems, weight gain and many others.
Stay away from sleeping pills when experiencing stress from studying, writing and working. These pills are temporary and will not help you in the long run. Do some relaxing activity like reading or listening to music 30 minutes before bedtime.
6. Be Socially Involved
Social health matters greatly; it is as important as your physical health. You need to get involved with people and open your mind to meeting them. Join a sports team, religious organisation, or volunteer. These activities will improve your social life and help you get more involved with people. Do not rush into these groups. Find the one that appeals to you and be active. If you find yourself backsliding, remind yourself why you join these groups in the first place.
7. Protect Your Mental Health
Photo: Man and woman talking
Your body is unfit if your mental health is unstable. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Regardless of the type of stress you are experiencing, take the necessary steps to decrease your body’s stress. Start a skincare routine, take bubble baths, massage, walk, write a journal, visit a friend, pray or read a book.
You can also see a counsellor if you have no one to talk to or if the matter is beyond your reach. If you’re experiencing stress from taking care of a high-needs child, join a support group of parents who understands your situation. Those undergoing other forms of stress can find support groups that support people in their situation.
As part of protecting your mental health, you can take a break from the world if you feel the weight of so many things on your shoulder. Take a few minutes to sit, close your eye, breathe in and breathe out 5 times. You could dedicate a specific time of the day to relax your head in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, ways to maintain a good body and lead a healthy lifestyle. While focusing on this journey, you would encounter difficulties and be tempted to quit. But remember that you need to maintain a good body and live healthily. Visit your doctor regularly and get an insurance plan. Make time for your whole body and ensure that you are consistent.
