Effective methods for a long and healthy life

Boosting your health and well-being is vital as it can reduce the likeliness of getting sick and increase your lifespan. While most experts offer different health tips for adults that could confuse most, here we discuss the healthy way of life and how you can incorporate healthy choices into your routine.

What is a Healthy Lifestyle?

A healthy lifestyle is how you live to feel good emotionally, physically, and mentally. Leading a healthy life could vary from person to person. What works for one could be a little more difficult for someone else. After all, each individual is unique and has different health requirements. So, while you get to decide what healthy living means to you, it all comes down to some basics, like eating healthy and having a more active lifestyle. Since being healthy is different for every individual, you can not judge whether or not an individual is healthy just by their physical appearance.

Why is a Healthy Lifestyle Important?

Living a healthy life is important for anyone who wants to feel their best and stay healthier as they grow older. Your version of how to live a healthy life depends on your specific goals.

Taking care of your body and mind makes you feel your best and seize every possibility life throws you. Identifying why you want to switch to a healthy way of life can keep you motivated once you learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, adopting healthy habits protects you from serious health problems like obesity and diabetes. Habits like eating healthy and regular physical exercise can manage your weight and can provide you with more energy for regular day-to-day tasks.

Adopting a healthy way of living helps you make positive changes in your mind and body and accomplish things you never thought you could do. Hence, small changes in your lifestyle can lead to long-term dedication even when the road ahead looks too harsh.

Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle

The importance of a healthy lifestyle doesn't lie solely in losing weight. Although it may seem a little restrictive, it helps you live your life to the fullest. Once you know how to keep your body healthy, age becomes just a number, whether 18 or 80. Other benefits of a healthy lifestyle include

• Lengthen your lifespan: Stay healthier for longer
• Maintain a good mood: Regular exercise lifts your mood and helps you feel better
• Save money: Apart from the money you save on medicines, you also save money that would otherwise be spent on smoking, drinking, or unhealthy food.
• Avoid pain and diseases: Living a healthy lifestyle lowers your risk of developing many illnesses

Tips on How to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

The following are a few science-based, simple health tips for everyday living that help you understand how to live a healthy life:

Avoid Sugary Drinks

Sodas, packaged fruit drinks, and sweetened teas are often the primary sources of sugar in your diet. Researchers have found that these sugar-sweetened beverages can increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, even in people who do not have excess body fat. These drinks can also harm children and can contribute to childhood obesity and other diseases like type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and high blood pressure. For a healthy way of living, replace these with:

• Unsweetened teas
• Water
• Coffee

Include More Nuts and Seeds in Your Diet

Nuts and seeds are incredibly nutritious and packed with fibre, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Including nuts and seeds in your diet can help you lose weight while being a healthy source of fats.

Stay Away From Ultra Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods like snack cakes, fast foods, frozen meals, packaged chips and cookies are all significantly modified from their original form. These foods also contain highly refined oils, salt, sugar, preservatives, artificial colours, sweeteners, and flavours.

Because of their high palatability, these foods are easily over-eaten, leading to excessive calorie consumption and weight gain.

Sip on Coffee

Coffee is a highly controversial drink but has many health benefits. Coffee is rich in antioxidants, and research links an increased coffee intake to longevity and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and many more.

Coffee and other caffeine items should be consumed in moderation, as excessive caffeine intake has also been associated with heart palpitations and insomnia. Moreover, pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake or avoid it altogether as it is linked to low birth weight.

Consume Fatty Fish

Another healthy way of living includes adding fatty fish like salmon to your diet. These fish are excellent sources of quality protein, healthy fat, and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.

Promote Gut Health

Your gut microbiota. i.e., bacteria in the gut play an essential role in your overall health. Any disruption in this bacteria can cause chronic diseases like obesity and digestive problems. One of the best ways of improving your gut health is by including fermented foods like yoghurt, dosa, idli, etc. Probiotic supplements and an increase in fibre can also help improve gut health.

Hydrate

As your body primarily comprises water, staying hydrated is an essential but often overlooked health marker. Staying hydrated ensures that the body maintains its optimal functioning and maintains the volume of blood you need. Always remember, if you are feeling thirsty, you are already showing symptoms of dehydration.

Check for Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D plays a vital role in the body; if you do not spend too much time in the sunlight, you may have low levels of Vitamin D. While vitamin D deficiency doesn't cause any severe health issues, maintaining adequate levels helps improve your bone strength, reduce symptoms of depression, lower the risk of cancer, and improve your immune system. Getting tested for Vitamin D levels and supplementation to improve your levels can help you develop a healthy way of living.

Eat More Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and prebiotic fibres with potent health effects. Research shows that individuals who consume more vegetables and fruits live longer than those without and are at lower risk for obesity, heart disease, and many other illnesses.

Eat Enough Proteins

Proteins are vital for healthy living and are the raw materials your body needs to repair your tissues and cells and create new ones. Higher protein intake can boost your metabolic rate and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Proteins in your evening meal also reduce cravings and late-night urges to snack.

Change Your Oil

Refined oils are highly processed and are easily converted to trans fats. Hence, switching to healthier cooking oils like extra virgin olive oil can help lower the risk of death due to heart attacks and strokes. These oils have heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties.

Reduce Refined Carbs

While carbs are one of the significant nutrients the body needs, not all carbs have the same nutritional value. Refined carbs that have been highly processed do not have any fibre and are relatively low in nutrition.

Excessive indulgence in these carbs can harm your health. Research shows that individuals with a diet high in refined carbs like processed corn, added sugars, and white flour are more likely to overeat, gain weight, and develop chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiac disorders. Thus, a healthy way of living is replacing refined grains with fibre-rich options like whole wheat flour, oats, and brown rice.

Avoid Trans Fats

Artificial or manufactured trans fats have been linked to inflammation and heart diseases. Removing these from your diet can help reduce your risk of developing these diseases. Most countries like Canada, the United States, Latvia, and Slovenia have already limited or banned products that contain artificial trans fats, making it easier for you to adopt a healthy way of living. However, India is yet to make these changes. The removal of trans fat from food is believed to be able to prevent up to 17 million deaths.

Add Herbs and Spices to Your Food

Many herbs and spices are available; while these are excellent flavour enhancers, they also have several health benefits. For example, adding spices like turmeric and ginger to your food can help improve your overall health due to their potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Eat the Whole Egg

Eggs are one of the best sources of proteins, and despite the back and forth that goes on about how healthy eggs are, do not fall prey to the myth of eggs not being good for you because of their cholesterol content. Many studies have concluded that eggs have a minimal effect on your cholesterol levels but are excellent sources of proteins and nutrients. It is also believed that eggs do not have any association with an increased risk of heart disease.

Keep Track of Your Food Intake

Maintaining a food diary and counting your calories by weighing your food helps give you a better understanding of your protein, fibre, and other nutritional intake. This is especially helpful if you are trying to manage or reduce weight. However, it is essential to consult a specialist before starting any calorie-deficient diet, as the wrong strategy could lead to eating disorders or deficient consumption of calories. Ensure you are consuming more quality nutrients as opposed to quantity.

Don't Fall For Fad Diets

Most restrictive and Fad diets do not work long-term, and such diets can lead to an increased risk of future weight gain. This is a result of the lowering of your metabolic rate due to overly restrictive diets. These diets can also alter your hunger and satiety hormones, making you hungrier and craving foods high in calories, fats, and sugars.

Instead of fad diets, learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle by giving more importance to nourishing your body rather than depriving it of nutrition. Choosing whole foods over processed options helps to keep you fuller, thus aiding in weight loss naturally.

Sleep Well

Poor sleep drives insulin resistance, which can disrupt your appetite. It also reduces your mental and physical performance. Poor sleep is also known to be a risk factor for weight gain and obesity, as those who do not get enough sleep tend to make food choices that are higher in fats and sugars and can lead to unwanted weight gain.

Limit Exposure to Bright Light Before Bed

Exposure to bright lights, especially those with blue wavelengths, can disrupt the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. You can also reduce your exposure to blue light by wearing blue light-blocking glasses when using the computer or other digital screens for a long. It is best to avoid using your phone or watching television for 30 minutes or an hour before going to bed.

Move More

Exercise, whether aerobic exercises or cardio, exercise is one of the best ways to maintain good physical and mental health and lead a healthy life. Cardio helps to effectively reduce belly fat and the fat that builds around vital organs of the body. Getting rid of this harmful fat can also help you improve your metabolic health.

Don't Forget The Weights

Along with cardio, you must practice strength or resistance training to strengthen your muscles and improve your overall body composition. Lifting weights also helps to improve your metabolic health and better your insulin sensitivity. This makes managing your blood sugar levels easier and improves your metabolic rate, so you burn more calories even at rest. Beginners learning to live a healthy lifestyle can start with exercises that use their body weight or resistance bands and get similar results.

Stop Smoking or Using Drugs

Smoking and using harmful drugs have many ill effects on your health. Cutting back and eventually stopping can help you reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Several resources allow you to take the required types to stop these habits and learn how to live a healthy life.

Drink in Moderation

Enjoying a celebratory drink occasionally is okay, but ensure you do not go overboard, as it can seriously affect your health.

Nurture Social Relationships

Social relationships like those with friends, family, and loved ones are very important for your mental and physical well-being. Research has shown that individuals who have a close-knit group of friends and family are healthier and live longer than those who do not.

Meditate

Stress, no matter how little, can hurt your health. It shows adverse effects such as altering your blood sugar levels, making you more susceptible to sicknesses, increased weight, uneven fat distribution, and making bad food choices. Hence, one of the best tips for living a healthy lifestyle is to reduce stress as much as possible.

Meditation is an excellent way to stress management and improve your overall health. A study recently showed that individuals who suffered from chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure experienced lower inflammation and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels when they meditated compared to a control group that didn't. The meditated participants also showed signs of better mental health and physical wellness.

While this is an extensive list, and it may not be realistic to try and adopt all of these changes in a day, it is advised to at least incorporate one or two of these tips into your daily routine. Do add more as and when you start getting comfortable with the previous changes. Getting preventive tests and health checkups can also help you keep track of your health and get the required treatment as soon as you notice the first signs of a disease.

Conclusion

How to live a healthy life differs from person to person. Finding your meaning and learning how to maintain good health is essential. Improving your eating habits and lifestyle helps you extend your lifespan and live a happy and healthy life. Social interactions and focusing on yourself are also significant when you want to be mentally and physically fit. Moreover, proactive steps like getting regular health checkups and diagnostic tests can also help you diagnose a health issue early, thus improving the effectiveness of your treatment. With dedicated packages based on age and gender, Metropolis Labs offers you a list of tests, so you don't have to worry about which tests are needed, when, or how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Book your appointment today!