Let’s talk about health. As we all navigate through these uncertain times, one of the easiest things that we can do to survive this global pandemic is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
But what is a healthy lifestyle? I am convinced that a healthy lifestyle is not limited only to proper nutrition and physical activity. It is a holistic approach to all aspects of our lives, including such essential components as nutrition, physical activity, water balance, sleep, mental development, emotional and psychological stability, relationships, environment, development, and many other components.
Personally, I continuously find ways to improve my quality of life. This involves the purity of thoughts, motives, and attitude to my body as a whole and the conscious path to perfection of ourselves and our environment. After all, we create the “best version of ourselves.”
Looking at our body, each organ is unique. For all our organs to work harmoniously and effectively, we need to ensure its vital activity. How? Let’s start off with some good habits:
1. Hydrate the body
Why do we need it? Our body consists mainly of water – for men 70%, for women 60% of body weight. It is essential for the maintenance of life and regular physical and mental functioning. You should drink 30 ml of water per 1 kg of body weight per day. Start your day with 1 or 2 glasses of warm lemon water, which will start your entire organ system. Then, drink your daily allowance in small portions throughout the day. You can add lemon, mint, and/or berries to the water.
2. Healthy sleep
An essential element to a healthy body is sleep. Our body needs to rest and recovery. If sleep is not enough, a person will begin to experience physical discomfort, headaches, or irritability. In the deep sleep stages, the growth hormone somatotrophin is produced. This launches a comprehensive body renewal program and regulates metabolism. Sleep should not only be full, at least 7-8 hours, but also high quality: there shouldn’t be bright lights, TVs, and mobile gadgets around.
3. PN – Proper nutrition
“We are what we eat.” And indeed it is. The choice of food directly affects our health. Food is the source of building materials for our cells, tissues, and organs. It ensures the vital functions of the body, gives us energy, and even affects our mood. More often than not, being overweight results from poor eating habits, poor dietary habits, high-calorie foods, and physical inactivity. Let’s start our PN with a few simple practices: remove “garbage” from the food basket (sugar and sugar-containing products, white flour products, sausages, semi-finished meat products, fast food, sweet juices, carbonated drinks, mayonnaise, ketchup, and non-natural sauces). It is necessary to establish a food regime and eat at least 3-4 times a day, including three main meals and one or two snacks. Don’t underestimate the importance of every meal:
- The interval between meals, whether it’s breakfast, snack, lunch, or dinner, should be 3-3.5 hours.
- Keep track of the portions: the volume of each meal should be 200-250 grams.
- Your diet should include protein, fat, and carbohydrates but make a conscious effort to increase your intake of fresh vegetables and herbs. We’ll talk about that in the next post.
Such proper nutrition increases metabolism, speeds up losing weight, and provides the body with the necessary energy and nutrients.
4. Physical activity
It is one of the critical aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity improves control of body weight, bone strength, and overall quality of life. At the initial stage, 20-30 minutes of physical exercise is enough, but at least 3-4 times a week. Choose a physical activity that brings you more pleasure and do it at a time of day when you are more active – this is very important!
5. Meditation
To further heal the body from the inside, meditation is advised. People who devote at least 15 minutes a day to meditation improve their mental state. They teach how to independently generate positive emotions and get rid of or weaken negative ones.
Meditation positively affects sleep quality and metabolism, which is extremely important on the path to an ideal body. It is best to meditate when both the brain and the body are best prepared for it which is usually immediately after waking up or before bed.
Stimulate and cheer yourself up. Set goals, both small and big. Once you reach them, celebrate and reward yourself! But remember that the most valuable thing for each of us is ourselves: our path consists of a life-long road, and how you will go your way is up to you.
