How to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle is a definition of active life with a healthy body and healthy mind. Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean drastic changes. Making gradual small changes to your daily routine can have a big impact.

What is a Healthy Lifestyle ?

A healthy person doesn't smoke, tries to maintain a healthy weight, eats healthy foods with plenty of fruits, vegetables and fiber and, of course, exercises on a regular basis. A healthy person also knows how to manage stress and gets good quality sleep each night. The good thing is that you don't have to change everything at the same time. In fact, the trick to healthy living is making small changes by taking more steps each day. One thing you can do right now to make your lifestyle healthier is to move more.

"Today is your day to start fresh, to eat right, to train hard, to live healthy, to be proud."

Benefits of Physical Activity

The bottom line is that exercise is movement. You can start by doing small activities each day. Whether it’s walking around the block or taking pets for a walk, that movement is exercise and every time you move more than you normally do, it counts. Other benefits are :

• Enhances self-esteem

• Helps maintain flexibility as you age

• Improves joint stability

• Improves memory in elderly people

• Improves mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

• Increases and improves range of motion

• Maintains bone mass

• Prevents osteoporosis and fractures

• Reduces stress

• Reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes

How to Increase Physical Activity

You can start the process of being healthy now by adding a little more activity to your life.

• Reduce Screen Time

Schedule time when you turn off the gadget, TV, or computer. Once a week, turn off all screens and do something a little more physical with your family. Play games, take a walk, do almost anything that will be more active than sitting on the couch. This can also serve as good quality time with the family.

• Increase Daily Steps

You can look for small ways to walk more by taking a walk around the block, taking the dog for an extra outing each day, or walking on your treadmill for five minutes before getting ready for work. When you're on the phone, pace around or even do some cleaning while gabbing. This is a great way to stay moving while doing something you enjoy.

• Do Some Chores

Get housework done and increase daily movement at the same time. Working in the garden, doing the laundry , sweeping the floor—these kinds of activities may not be vigorous exercise, but they can keep you moving while getting your house in order.

• Increase Awareness

Make a list of all the physical activities you do on a typical day. If you find that the bulk of your time is spent sitting, make another list of all the ways you could move more—getting up each hour to stretch or walk, walk the stairs at work, etc.

How to Maintain a Healthy Diet ?

"You don't have to be extreme, just consistent"

Eating a healthy diet is another part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only can a nutritious diet help with weight management but it can also improve your health and quality of life as you get older. You can start to make smaller changes every day because making too many changes at once can backfire. Going on a restrictive diet may make you crave the very foods you're trying to avoid.​

Another approach is to look for ways to make smaller changes each day. Just a few ideas for changing how you eat include:

• Cut back on sugary beverages.

It's easy to consume excess sugar and calories in the beverages that you drink. Sugary sodas, sweetened teas, juice drinks, and high-calorie coffee drinks can easily eat up your daily recommended allowance of added sugars. Consider drinking plain water or water flavored with fresh fruit or herbs. It's a great way to stay hydrated and still get a burst of flavor. You can start by not added sugar or can be substituted with natural sweeteners (low calorie sugar, honey, monk fruit extract, yacon syrup)

• Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy.

Switching to skim milk or fat-free yogurt is another simple way to eat fewer calories without having to change too much in your diet.

• Eat more fruit

Add some fruit into your breakfast, salad, dinners, or make it a dessert. The fruit is also a great snack after work or school to keep you going for dinner.

• Make some substitutions.

Look through your cabinets or fridge and pick three foods you eat every day. Write down the nutritional content and, the next time you're at the grocery store, find lower-calorie substitutes for just those three items.

• Sneak in more veggies.

You can start to add some veggies into your food each time you eat. Keep pre-cut, canned, or frozen veggies ready for quick snacks.

• Try a healthy salad dressing.

By eating something lighter, you'll automatically eat fewer calories. You can also put the dressing on the side and dip, or even try making your own dressing.

A word from Fitwise

Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean drastic changes. You may adapt to change better when it doesn't require you to overhaul your entire life. Just pick one thing and work on that one thing every day, letting the rest of your life and habits stay the same. You may be surprised that those small changes really can make a difference.