When you see photos of people on social networks who lead a healthy lifestyle, do you want to imitate them? It is not as difficult as you think. This article will help you with practical tips to become a better version of yourself. What needs to be done to be healthy?
1. Drink more water
The first advice is obvious to everyone, but this is the basis of health and well-being. Some people may need more due to fluid loss in the body, due to activity, ambient temperature, and other factors. Or vice versa – less.
Try to drink two cups of water immediately after waking up, restoring the body to lead a healthy lifestyle. Remember to bring a bottle of water with you wherever you go. In more detail about how much water you need to drink per day , I wrote in a separate article.
2. Wash your hands
Everyone has known since childhood that it is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, public places, before eating, and so on. But researchers in the US and UK say only 12% of people wash their hands before eating. Think about whether you are in this percentage?
In these cases, you should definitely wash your hands:
- Before, during and after cooking;
- Before eating food;
- After using the toilet;
- After visiting public places (transport, shopping centers, metro and so on).
Of course, you will get huge benefits from clean hands:
- The likelihood of infection in the eyes decreases;
- The likelihood of diarrhea and E. coli is reduced;
- Less likely to get any disease.
3. Floss
Dental floss helps remove bacteria and food debris where the brush cannot reach. This prevents tooth decay, and its presence over time leads to serious tooth damage .
Everyone knows that it is necessary to clean the oral cavity 2 times a day. But how many times a day do you need to use dental floss? Dentists believe that the thread can be applied 1-2 times a day. This is enough to prevent the spread of bacteria.
4. Observe sleep mode
Some famous actors and businessmen spend only 5 hours sleeping, others from 8 to 12 hours. The question arises: how much do you need for sleep in order to be healthy and productive? Unfortunately, no one knows. It all depends on you.
Experiment: go to bed at different times and devote a different number of hours to sleep, and after waking up, write down your feelings in a notebook. You can try multiphase schemes, single-phase, Uberman cycle or include daytime sleep in your schedule.
5. Try to track your nutrition
Tracking your food intake throughout the day can make a difference. Download a special application that counts calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and tracks the number of steps . But be honest with yourself and write down absolutely everything that you ate there. Even night cookies.
At the end of the week, analyze the nutrition. You may be horrified at how many harmful products enter the body. The next time you want to dig up a bar of chocolate, stop at one piece or replace it with some fruit.
6. Exercise in a good mood
Sports should not be taken as an obligation. If you start exercises in a bad mood, then next time you will be too lazy to start them. Try first making light workloads a part of your daily life:
- go to work on foot, and if the distance is too big, then get a couple of stops earlier or park a few blocks to the office;
- instead of spending hours on the couch watching TV shows, walk your dog, take a jog in the park or just walk along the street with a friend or loved one;
- do short morning or evening exercises to your favorite music.
7. Do not lead a sedentary lifestyle
The longer you sit, the faster your chances of dying. That sounds scary. Researchers at the Canadian Institute of Fitness found that people who have a sedentary lifestyle are really prone to death soon.
Even if you play sports, but sit a lot at the computer, you are still at risk. So get out of the chair and take a walk. For every 25 minutes, statics should have 5 minutes of activity. Everything is simple.
8. Plan meals and prepare healthy foods.
When it is known in advance what will happen for breakfast, lunch and dinner, an extra cookie or chocolate will not get into your mouth. There are several advantages to self-cooking:
- Saving time and money;
- Prevention of unhealthy snacks;
- Ssimplified calculation of calories and BZHU (proteins, fats and carbohydrates);
- You will learn how to cook many healthy and delicious dishes.
In order to minimize the time spent on cooking, you can choose 1 day, purchase food and make preparations for the week ahead.
9. Love yourself
There is a close relationship between mental health and physical. Therefore, when you think positively, accept yourself, praise, the condition of the body improves.
But the human body also has an amazing ability: under certain conditions, it heals wounds, resists diseases and even copes with viruses faster. How? The answer is simple – the peptide hormone of the brain oxytocin. If you love yourself , others, be in high spirits, and not think about bad, then your body will be in good shape.
10. Check your health regularly
People are used to thinking that when they feel good, they lead a healthy lifestyle. But it’s not always the case. It’s hard to say that you don’t have a shortage of anything if you don’t pass the tests.
A blood test for specific diseases will never hurt. After that, you may feel a little exhausted and tired, but at least you will know your level of health. If you take at least general tests every 6 months or a year, then this will be enough to detect some shortcomings and potential dangers. Do not forget to regularly visit the dentist, gynecologist, urologist, cardiologist and so on. Spend a week visiting doctors so you don’t have to worry about anything all year.
11. Build a healthy relationship
If you want to lead a healthy lifestyle, you should not spend most of the time with people who do not support this trend. The solution seems to be simple, but not quite.
You will have to reduce the amount of time you spend with acquaintances or friends who have bad habits. And, accordingly, acquire new comrades who share your views. Try to find them in the communities on Facebook or Vkontakte, get acquainted, make an appointment. Sign up for bloggers who focus on fitness and healthy living.
12. Get rid of bad habits
Smoking , drinking alcohol or overeating are all bad habits. The most important thing is not just to get rid of them, but also to replace them with healthy ones.
First, determine why and under what circumstances you first encountered this habit. You need to decide what events make you stick to bad habits. Once this has been done, proceed with the replacement. If you smoke because of the need for communication, replace the cigarette with coffee and go with colleagues at the break for it. It is not easy, but possible.
