How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: 12 Effective Tips
Exercising regularly, eating nourishing foods, and reducing sugar and alcohol intake are just some of the recommendations for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Taking care of your health is arguably the most important thing you can do for yourself (and your loved ones).
Whether you’re striving to eat more fruits and vegetables or taking a daily walk, there’s no one way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
To center health and wellness in your life, try including some or all of the 12 tips we include in this article. Adopting a few of these recommendations can go a long way toward improving your physical and mental well-being.
Maintaining your weight within a healthy range can protect you against problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
But what exactly is a healthy range?
Your body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference are two measurements that can help you determine if you are a healthy weight, according to
Remember, weight isn’t just about the number on the scale. Everyone is different, so it’s best to consult a doctor to determine your healthy weight.
Our bodies need a variety of foods to give us energy and keep us functioning. This means eating a balanced diet that contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, found in fruits and vegetables (with an emphasis on leafy greens), whole grains, legumes, nuts, protein lean and low-fat dairy products, depending on the
Of course, it’s okay to treat yourself every once in a while, but it’s best if the majority of your daily meals and snacks contain some of these essential nutrients.
It’s best to eat mostly nutrient-dense foods. This means limiting highly processed foods, like packaged and frozen foods, which typically contain fewer nutrients but more calories, fat, salt and added sugars. You should also limit your consumption of soda, packaged cookies and chips, candy and sugary cereals.
If you’re having trouble giving up packaged snacks or fast food, you can try gradually replacing these processed meals and snacks with whole foods. It’s not a perfect science, and setbacks are an integral part of success.
Staying hydrated isn’t just about quenching your thirst, it also keeps your body and brain functioning. Drinking enough water can not only improve your thinking skills, but can also help:
Advice on how much water to drink per day varies, but between 8 and 13 cups per day is a good goal.
Moving your body has many health benefits, including:
- improve your mood
- giving you more energy
- build muscle
- protect your bones
- lose or maintain weight
- help you sleep better
Regular exercise can also help prevent chronic illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
You’ll want to aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, depending on the
Besides getting your heart pumping, spending less time sitting can improve your overall health.
Prolonged sitting and sedentary behavior have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, weight gain and premature death. However, regular exercise does not completely balance these effects. So it’s a good idea to exercise and take breaks throughout the day. Plus, reducing your screen time won’t hurt either.
Being in nature helps put things into perspective, but it also has proven benefits for your mental health. Not only can getting some sunshine alleviate symptoms of depression, but it can also make you feel more relaxed and focused, especially when you pay attention to your surroundings.
Getting outside can also ease feelings like worry and sadness and promote happiness, optimism and a sense of connection with the world. Sunlight is also the best source of vitamin D.
We all know sleep is important, but sleeping well is truly essential to your overall health. When you sleep, your body performs a number of essential tasks, such as:
- maintain bodily functions
- repair muscle tissue
- restore energy
- process new memories and information in the brain
When you don’t get enough sleep, you may be irritable, emotional, and have trouble concentrating. If lack of sleep becomes chronic, it can even increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.
For all these reasons, it is important that most adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.
Having a drink every now and then is totally fine, but be sure to limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day for men, depending on the
Consuming more of it could have a negative effect on your health. In case you’re curious, a drink is generally defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor like gin or vodka.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, some studies suggest that certain alcohols may have beneficial effects on health. However, more
Smoking releases harmful chemicals into your body and can damage lung tissue, heart health, and more. Not surprisingly, smoking is also the leading risk factor for lung cancer.
That’s why quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health, regardless of your age or how long you’ve been smoking. In fact, quitting smoking can extend your life expectancy by up to 10 years, depending on
Knowing that it’s better for your health to quit smoking is one thing, but in reality, achieving this can be quite difficult. The good news is that there are many resources and medications that can help you.
Multivitamins can be an important part of your routine, especially if you suffer from a nutritional deficiency due to:
- advanced age
- pregnancy
- malabsorption problems
- certain medications
Aside from that, research is still mixed on the effectiveness of multivitamins for improving health, according to Harvard’s School of Public Health. That said, taking a daily multivitamin within the recommended daily allowance probably won’t hurt you either.
When life gets busy, annual checkups and biannual dental cleanings can fall by the wayside, but these checkups are important to staying on top of your health, according to the
It’s also important to attend any health tests you need to have, such as a breast mammogram or colonoscopy. These can detect the disease at an early stage, making it easier to treat. Keeping up to date with your vaccinations can also help prevent certain infections or illnesses.
Either way, scheduling regular checkups with a doctor and dentist is a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Paying attention to your lifestyle and daily habits is the first step to making changes that can benefit your long-term health. Consider these tips a starting point for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and living your best life for as long as possible.
