Tips for a healthy lifestyle

It is that important item on your to-do list. Every morning you wake up promising that this time you will start to lead a healthier lifestyle, but at the end of the day, stress, rushing around, bad eating habits and tiredness win the battle.

In this article we want to explain that healthy living is not complicated, just change small routines and add others into your day to day and you will feel much better both physically and mentally. We look at the tips one by one so that you can apply them to your life and improve your health and your mood. Make a note so you don’t forget any of them.

• Exercise. 

  Playing sports offers you great benefits that you probably don’t even realise. It improves yourmental well-being, self-esteem, memory and is an antidote to stress, anxiety or depression. Physical exercise causes feelings of optimism or euphoria and at the same time improves your self-esteem. You don’t need to be a professional athlete or spend the whole day in the gym. 30 minutes of exercise a day is enough, it can be from swimming to walking at a suitable pace or cycling if you prefer to practice outdoor sports. When you exercise you release dopamine, a hormone that regulates motivation and desire, and causes us to repeat behaviours that provide benefits or pleasure. Also, practicing group sports will help you improve your social relationships.

• Say goodbye to a sedentary lifestyle. 

  A sedentary lifestyle is your health’s greatest enemy. Being inactive can affect your mood, your memory, your perception, your bones, muscles and your heart, among other things. If you are inactive you may have poor blood circulation, your metabolism may be affected or even your immune system may be weakened. Being overweight and obesity are directly related to sedentary lifestyles and can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular events or depression. So, saying goodbye to a sedentary lifestyle is the first step to a healthy one. You can set realistic goals such as walking a little every day and slowly increasing the time or the intensity level.

• Eat a healthy diet. 

  A healthy and balanced diet is essential for a healthy lifestyle. And what should that diet be? It must contain a lot of fruits and vegetables as well as protein from healthy foods. Half of your daily diet should include vegetables, a quarter protein-rich food, and a quarter cereals, pulses, and starches. Three pieces of fruit and two pieces of raw vegetables a day together with about two litres of water give you the nutritional balance you need. If you find it hard to eat fruits naturally, you can have smoothies with squeezed fruits with no added sugars. It is a healthy and simple way to eat fruit every day. Always start a new diet under medical supervision and always suited to your needs and metabolism.

• Stop toxic habits. 

  Smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, eating too much sugar and processed foods, being inactive, living in polluted environments, too much work stress, isolation… Surely you can think of another toxic habit that you may have and that is affecting your health and preventing you from having a healthy lifestyle. Until you say stop these, you cannot start on the road to a better life.

• Sleep well. 

  Not getting enough sleep or rest can have devastating effects on your health. Sleep disorders are related to illnesses such as hypertension, obesity, metabolic diseases and low defences. Ideally, you should sleep an average of eight hours a day and develop healthy sleeping habits such as always going to bed at the same time, avoid looking at your mobile phone before sleeping and sleep in a room that is quiet and dark.

• Don’t forget your mind. 

  Disconnecting and keeping negative thoughts at bay is essential to combat stress or anxiety. Practices such as meditation help us to clear our minds and have a healthier lifestyle. Try to do it at least 10 minutes a day and you can also try sports like yoga that will help you connect with your inner self and forget the mental worries of the day to day.

Do you now see how you can live a healthier lifestyle? With these tips you are sure to succeed and will be on the right track. Give it a go!