There are several factors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. While it’s not always easy to stick to these factors every second of the day, the secret is all about balance.
Read on to discover ten healthy lifestyle facts, tips and advice. It’s time to support your body and give it the treatment it deserves.
1.Eat A Balanced Diet
Maintaining a balanced diet will help to give your body the vitamins it needs to function normally. The trick here is all about variety – aim to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, high fibre foods, protein foods, dairy, and unsaturated fats. For more information, check out the NHS Eat Well guide.
2.Consider Supplements
As you might have guessed, vitamins play a crucial role in a healthy lifestyle. But, while the majority of vitamins can be sourced through foods, there might be times or situations when you aren’t getting enough.
If you feel as though your diet can’t support your vitamin requirements, taking daily multivitamins can help. Multivitamins contain a whole host of vitamins that support your body’s normal function, ensuring you’re getting exactly what you need.
3.Limit Alcohol Consumption
Cutting down on alcohol is always a wise move when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Over consumption of alcohol can lead to many serious health concerns. It is not only highly calorific, but also alters your perception, leading to mental and behavioural disorders.
If you need more information regarding the effects of alcohol, take a look at the NHS Alcohol Support guide.
4.Avoid Tobacco
There are many reasons as to why smoking is bad for your health. One of the main concerns relates to your lungs – most people find that their lung capacity improves by 10% within just 9 months of giving up smoking! (NHS, 2018).
5.Stay Active
Staying active is another key component of a healthy lifestyle. You should aim to complete at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, whether that be through brisk walking or a gym visit. Anything that raises your heart rate is considered to be ‘good enough’ exercise.
6.Use Contraception
Many people often ignore the importance of safe sex, particularly when thinking about a healthy lifestyle. However, this shouldn’t be the case.
Using contraception will protect you and your partner from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Failure to detect STDs like HIV, for example, can lead to serious health complications further down the line.
With the above in mind, always use a condom (and ideally one other form of contraception) when having sex.
7.Cover Your Mouth When Coughing Or Sneezing
To prevent the spread of germs and protect those around you, always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. This should ideally be done with a tissue, but in a worst case scenario, prevent the spread of droplets by sheltering with your elbow ditch.
8.Wash Your Hands Often
If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that hand washing is crucial. Wash your hands with warm soap and water regularly, especially after coughing, sneezing, or touching public surfaces.
If you do not have access to soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that contains alcohol, instead. This will help to prevent the spread of germs.
9.Talk About Your Worries
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you are dealing with massive amounts of stress or feel your mental health taking a toll, don’t be afraid to speak to someone. Whether a close friend or therapist, talking will help to relieve your mind of its worries.
10.Sleep Well
Sleep is yet another important contribution to a healthy lifestyle. A poor sleep routine can leave you feeling groggy, resulting in low moods and a lack of concentration.
Aim to get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. You can achieve this by sticking to a sleep schedule and creating a calming environment to stay in. The NHS have a great guide on how to get to sleep if you need further support.
With the above ten tips in mind, you should be well on your way to paving a healthier lifestyle.
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