How Many of These Healthy Life Tips Are You Doing?

Leading a happy and healthy life doesn't have to mean slaving away in the gym or starving yourself of the things you love.

Common sense should dictate many of the things that lead to feeling your best self all year round. By understanding the simple rules about how your body works, you can make more informed decisions about looking after it.

Educate Yourself

You’re reading this, which is a good start. But it’s worthwhile remembering that the Internet is your friend. It is a near infinite source of knowledge at your fingertips.

Dedicate a few minutes each day to learning and understanding something new, whether it be nutrition, exercise, wellbeing, sleep, or mental health. This information is readily available on YouTube, forums, articles and podcasts, by all kinds of influential people. TED Talks are a great source of knowledge on all manner of subjects.

Before you know it, you’ll have built up a wealth of knowledge that can you can use and pass on to others.

Water, Water, and More Water

Water is the reason for the existence of life itself. Every living thing needs water to survive. More than two thirds of the human body consists of water.

Every organ in your body, right down to the smallest of cells, functions more efficiently when properly hydrated. Drink about two litres a day and reap the benefits. These include healthier skin, better digestion, fat loss, and improved mood, to name but a handful.

Drinking enough water is arguably the easiest change to make, and also has some of the most desirable benefits.

Respect Sleep

Everyone needs to get enough sleep. Sleep helps keep your mind and body healthy.

Most people need 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep. If this is too difficult, it’s time to make changes to your routine.

Getting enough sleep isn’t only about total hours of sleep. It’s also important to get good quality sleep on a regular basis so you feel well rested when you wake up. Shutting down the computer and pulling yourself away from mobile phones and tablets is often all it takes to create the time and space for earlier sleep.

If you still have trouble sleeping or if you don’t feel well rested after sleeping, mention it to your doctor and get to the root of the problem.

Spot the Opportunities to Exercise

You don’t need to be in the gym for hours at a time, every day of the week to get a healthy dose of exercise.

Don’t assume you have to choose activities like running or lifting weights. Instead, pick activities that are a better match for your lifestyle, abilities, and taste. This way, you’re far more likely to stick to them.

Exercise could come from gardening, cleaning around the house, or walking to the shops. If you suffer from limited mobility, a pedal exerciser could be the perfect solution to improve circulation and muscle strength from a seated position.

We also recently put together a list of exercises that you can perform from the comfort of your chair that you could try.

Ditch the Diets and Eat Mindfully

It is the simple things that many people fail to get right, which leads to over eating and resorting to fad diets.

The first thing to know is that miracle diets don’t exist. The real secret is to make the necessary adjustments to your life to promote a healthier lifestyle. Learn that whole foods will always be better for you than processed foods. Common sense tells us that the best diet is one based on foods we’ve been eating the longest. These are foods that humans have evolved to eat and process properly.

A diet made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, fish, and eggs promotes weight control and can even reduce the risk of many major illnesses such as diabetes.

If you have even a base level of understanding about the food you eat, the exercise you do, and your bodily functions, you’ll be able to cut through the nonsense diets and misinformation and make healthy food choices quickly and confidently.