Living a Healthy Lifestyle: The 3 Cornerstones
A healthy lifestyle is a way of living that keeps you feeling good, both physically and mentally. It's not just about avoiding sickness, but about taking care of your body and mind every day so that you can prevent problems from happening in the first place.
This means making choices that are good for you. The top three ways to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle are to eat a balanced diet, get regular exercise and to sleep enough. These three key points build a foundation on which you can feel good every day.
Eating a balanced diet
What we eat fuels how we feel. It also is what gives us energy to live our best, happiest life during the day. What we eat also impacts everything else about us, including how we sleep, our gut health and even our mental health.
One of the best ways to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet is to add more fruits and vegetables to your meals. Fruits and veggies are great for you in many ways. They're packed with nutrients and vitamins that can help you feel great and stay healthy.
Here are three key ways these fruits and veggies keep you healthy.
1. They boost your immune system.
Fruits and veggies contain antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that help your body fight off infections and illnesses. This means that if you eat plenty of fruits and veggies, you might be less likely to get sick and more likely to recover faster if you do catch something.
2. They help you maintain a happy, healthy gut:
Fruits and vegetables are high in fibre, which is great for your digestive system. Eating enough fiber can help keep you regular and prevent constipation. It can also promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut, which can improve your overall gut health.
3. Key to maintaining a healthy weight:
Fruits and veggies are low in calories and high in nutrients and fibre, which means they can help you feel full without overloading on calories. If you make fruits and veggies a big part of your diet, you might find that you naturally eat fewer high-calorie foods, which can help you maintain a healthy weight over time.
On the flip side, highly processed foods contain much more additives like sugars, chemicals and preservatives. Limiting how much processed foods you eat keeps your system healthy.
Top tips for eating a balanced diet:
Add a portion of fruit or vegetable to each meal
Shop on the outside of the grocery store as much as possible
Make as much of your food from scratch as possible
Drink lots of water
Eat enough food in a day
Exercise regularly
Our bodies are made to move. Most people think about exercise as going to the gym multiple times a week, of high-intensity workouts or lifting weights. But this is not what we mean when we say to exercise regularly. Exercise, at the end of the day, is about getting your body moving.
Walking is an incredible and underrated form of exercise
Spending time outdoors with friends is a great way to move your body.
Walking is low-impact for those with bad joints or body aches and pains. Anyone at any fitness level or age can go for a walk. It’s a great way to explore your neighbourhood. Walking also gets you out into the fresh air and sunlight, another huge benefit for your health. It’s something you can do anywhere you are. You can do it alone or with friends or family.
If you have a hard time getting out for a walk, we recommend:
Listening to music, a podcast or audiobook while you walk
Drive to a forest, park or trail for your walks
Go on 2-3 shorter walks instead of a long walk. Lunchtime and after dinner are great times for walks.
Here are 4 ways to easily incorporate exercise into your lifestyle.
1. Start with small steps:
If you're new to exercise, start with small steps like taking a 10-minute walk every day. As you get more comfortable, gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts. This can help you avoid injury and make exercise feel more manageable.
2. Find activities you enjoy:
Exercise doesn't have to be a chore! Find activities that you enjoy, such as dancing, hiking, swimming, or playing a sport. If you enjoy what you're doing, you're more likely to stick with it and make it a regular part of your routine.
3. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine:
Look for opportunities to incorporate exercise into your daily routine, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking to the grocery store instead of driving. Small changes like these can add up over time and help you stay active throughout the day.
4. Make it social:
Exercise can be a great way to socialize and connect with others. Consider joining a fitness class, sports team, or running group to make exercise a fun and social activity. Plus, having a workout buddy or support system can help keep you motivated and accountable.e of the most underrated forms of exercise out there.
Get enough sleep
We cannot stress enough how important sleep is for your health. Our bodies heal while we sleep. It’s what helps us process our emotions, balance hormones and convert experiences into memories. Everything from the function to your immune system to the quality of your mental health is determined by your sleep.
Our best resources for improving your sleep quality are:
Three cornerstones of a healthy life
Managing stress, limiting drugs and alcohol, having healthy relationships and practising other aspects of wellness all contribute to a healthy lifestyle, too. But these three key points - diet, exercise and sleep - are the cornerstones of a healthy life.
When you adopt a healthy lifestyle, you're not just taking care of your body; you're also taking care of your mind and emotions. It's all about balance and taking care of yourself in a holistic way. By doing this, you can help yourself live a longer, happier life.