Good health does not simply mean not suffering from disease. Good health is a state in which we are in healthy and normal physical, mental, emotional and social health. A healthy lifestyle can involve hundreds of aspects, which is why it is not a diet that we maintain for a certain period or a year of regular gym visits.
A healthy lifestyle is a mindset, a system of hundreds of beneficial habits to integrate into our lives and just as many harmful ones to avoid. Our bodies are like complex machines that need good food, plenty of activity and water, positive thoughts and healthy connections to the world around us to function properly.
Even if just one mechanism in this complex machine is not working properly the whole system will suffer, then we are talking about diseases. In this article, we will talk more about what a healthy lifestyle means and what healthy habits to adopt to maintain good health and state of mind.
Healthy lifestyle - what is the definition?
Everyone associates the phrase "healthy lifestyle" into something different. Yes, here we are talking about healthy habits and habits to take care of our good physical, mental and emotional health. The thing is that everyone understands usefulness differently, everyone has their own point of view.
The multitude of opinions and advice online that pass before our eyes on a daily basis doesn't help either. They are often contradictory and have no scientific rationale behind them. Last but not least, each organism is different and unique, different people may need different healthy habits based on the specificity of each organism.
Healthy living is often characterised by definitions such as 'balanced living', which we achieve on the basis of well-considered choices. The most accurate definition of a healthy lifestyle is the steps we take and the strategies we implement to achieve optimal health.
Healthy living and its different aspects
As we have already clarified, a healthy lifestyle is not something specific, it means many things, hundreds of components that work for optimal physical, mental, emotional and social health. The components of healthy lifestyles and habits include:
For physical health:
A balanced diet that includes all food groups Proper nutrition according to individual body needs Physical activity Getting enough rest Healthy and appropriate methods for dealing with stress
For mental health:
- Giving and receiving forgiveness
- Giving and receiving love and compassion
- Meeting the needs to be happy and to have fun
- Creating meaningful connections with ourselves and others
For emotional health:
- An attitude of support
- Positive thoughts and world view
- Positive self-image
For spiritual health:
Inner peace and harmony
Freedom of creativity
Trust in one's own knowledge
A healthy lifestyle - why is it important?
A healthy lifestyle and attitude towards ourselves is a valuable resource for reducing problems, illnesses and the impact they have over our health.
This lifestyle also helps us to recover faster, deal successfully with occasions of stress, and significantly improve our quality of life. More and more studies and research indicate that a healthy lifestyle plays a really key role in our health and being happy and satisfied.
The way we eat, how active we are, whether we take synthetic substances, whether we smoke, whether we drink enough water, whether we get enough sleep - all these factors have a huge impact and influence over our health, affecting our life expectancy and also how long we will live without developing chronic disease.
Almost all health problems can be avoided or treated by acquiring a number of healthy habits.
Healthy living and healthy eating
One of the main and most influential components of a healthy lifestyle is our diet. It is a misconception that so-called dieting, i.e. a way of eating with restrictions and limitations, is a healthy way of eating. In fact, a healthy diet is a balanced one.
A healthy diet is one where every bite on the plate provides beneficial nutrients to the body and mind. This is why we talk about a balanced diet, not a restrictive one.
A healthy lifestyle and physical activity
Physical activity plays an equally important role in our health. It is what we need the "dumbbell" of the healthy food we eat for. Being active enough for our gender, age and individual body needs is important not only for physical health, but also for mental and emotional health.
Getting enough physical activity not only helps us maintain healthy limits in terms of how much we weigh, it helps us sleep better, protects us from heart and neurological disease, and has been shown to extend life.
A healthy lifestyle is a set of many habits designed to maintain each person's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and protect against disease. By knowing what the basic components of this lifestyle are, we can begin to successfully implement healthy habits into our daily lives.