Whether you’re young or old, it’s easy to put “healthy living” low on the priority list. That doesn’t mean you live unhealthily, as such, but that you don’t prioritize a perfect dental hygiene routine or a 3-hour gym workout every day.
Most of us are too busy to devote our lives to being a fitness or healthy-eating fanatic. However, living healthily doesn’t have to take up all your time or energy. There are ways to improve your existing routine to live a better life.
Instead of thinking about how healthy your body and mind might be today, think about tomorrow. Whilst you’re young, unhealthy habits tend to hide their true colors. However, as you get older, you might start to see the unfortunate consequences of living an unhealthy lifestyle. You need to think ahead to safeguard your health far into the future. It’s time to start thinking beyond the present. The following pieces of advice should help you to do more today to stay healthy tomorrow.
Fix your diet.
The meaning of a “diet” seems to have been lost on many of us. It’s the fault of the media for perpetuating unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of what it takes to attain a healthy body. It’s the fault of food companies for advertising too much of the wrong kind of food. In any case, the most important thing you need to accept is that a diet is permanent. A diet is not something you try for a few weeks to lose some weight (before bouncing back to your original unhealthy diet). It’s important to realize that starving yourself on a diet of nothing but fruit and vegetables isn’t the way to become healthy; you need a full and varied diet if you’re going to stick to it in the long term. Otherwise, you’ll end up growing hungry and craving more food (junk food, for that matter).
A healthy diet requires four things: moderation, variety, balance, and consistency. Moderation is important because too many of any single food group is bad for you – your body needs variety when it comes to your diet. But you also need a healthy balance of all the right nutrients and vitamins. Finally, the most important thing is that your diet remains consistent. A fluctuating diet leads to a fluctuating weight. That’s both unhealthy and disorientating for your body. You need to fix your diet by keeping it full and ensuring you get all the sustenance you need, calcium, iron, protein, carbohydrates, and so on.
Keep your body moving.
It’s no surprise to see this on the list. To have a healthy future, you really need to keep your body moving. Maintaining a healthy weight isn’t the only reason to exercise, however. Staying physically active will help to ensure that your heart remains healthy, for one thing; this is something that you’ll want to ensure for the future because you’ll want to keep your body strong as you age.
Additionally, staying physically active will keep your mind healthy. You don’t have to exercise excessively; keeping your body moving a little bit on a regular basis is more than enough to remain healthy. You could start jogging around your local area, for example. A ten-minute jog daily could really make you healthier overall. You could even work out at home if you don’t have time to leave the house after work. Again, it’s all about doing more in the present to stay healthy in the future.
Work on a healthier sleeping routine.
So many of us are sleep-deprived in this age of business and endless deadlines. Productivity is often prioritized over the basic human necessity of rest. We’d rather squeeze more activities and chores into our busy days rather than waste our time sleeping. But sleeping well is a crucial element of a healthy routine. The amount of rest you get affects your body in more ways than simply improving your concentration and level of energy. The amount of sleep you get affects your mental health; getting a good night’s sleep can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. In the long-term, this will more you mentally and physically healthier.
However, you need to think not only about sleeping for long enough every evening but also sleeping well. An eight-hour sleep isn’t sufficient if you’re sleeping in an uncomfortable position or on a bed that’s unsupportive. You might want to check out this side-by-side comparison by Betterbed that compares the benefits of some of the highest-quality mattresses on the market. It’s important to not only have luxury and comfort in your bed but a level of firmness that ensures your body is allowed the rest and recovery it needs every night. You don’t want to wake up with aches and pains or with the feeling of being sleep-deprived. Again, sleeping healthily is about far more than setting your alarm so that you get enough sleep; you need an excellent quality of sleep.
Cut out unhealthy habits.
One of the best changes you could make to your life today to have a healthier future is to cut out unhealthy habits. As discussed in the pointer earlier about a healthy diet, moderation is often the key. A little bit of junk food is fine but too much is unhealthy, for example. Of course, there’s a limit to this. When it comes to smoking, you should avoid this habit if you want to have a healthier future. The risk of lung cancer and other physical health problems are obvious reasons to avoid smoking but there’s also the effect this drug has on your mental health.
Keep your mind healthy.
Finally, as briefly mentioned throughout this article, you shouldn’t neglect your mental health. Whilst we can’t see damage to our minds in the same way as we can see damage to our bodies, that doesn’t make the importance of a healthy mental state any less than the importance of a healthy physical state. You need to work towards keeping your mind healthy to ensure you have a better today and tomorrow. The simple act of talking to friends and family can make the world of difference when you’re experiencing mental struggles, so make sure you keep your loved ones close throughout your life.
