Though we all have our own perception for anything and everything that we do/see/hear, but HEALTHY LIFESTYLE is something in the world to which all of us can agree to a single ideology.
A healthy lifestyle means maintaining a healthy living by inculcating the habits and routines that improve one’s overall health and wellbeing. We need to understand the fact that even small healthy lifestyle changes can add-up and compound into a better quality of life.
A healthy lifestyle helps you a lot in staying fit all your life. But, we all know staying fit throughout life isn’t that easy to accomplish. We will require considerable time to exercise, to practice yoga, or to prepare a healthy diet. But finding that time amidst a busy schedule is definitely going to work and pay in the longer run.
It’s never too late to do anything, so is to live a healthy lifestyle. Now you might wonder or be confused as to start where, and how to lead a healthy lifestyle! To know more and educate yourself, keep reading.
Drink Water
It is very important to keep yourself hydrated so that you give fuel to all the organs in your body which is the primary way to lead a healthy lifestyle. By just keeping yourself hdrated you could easily have a better skin and clean gut. It also prevents you from various diseases that are caused due to dehydration. On an average, a man is expected to drink 8 glasses of water or 3 litres of water. But this might change according to your age, weight, gender, climate you live in, physical activity involved etcetra. If at all you have any doubts regarding the amount of water to intake consult your pediatrician.
Physical Activity
Physical activity could be anything that includes exercise, jogging, walking, yoga etcetera. Make sure you have a physical activity daily so that you burn off the fat and calories that are accumulated on daily basis. This doesn’t mean you have to join the gym to work out or find a park to walk or jog, your home is more than enough to do workouts. Just find a 6 feet place where you can stretch your hands and legs to do workouts and walk or jog on the terrace or around your house.
As an adult, it is expected to do at least 5 hours of workout per week to keep yourself fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. It is always good to maintain at least 10,000 steps a day which is considered to be an active day.
Balanced Nutritional Diet
One of the most important steps in maintaining a healthy lifestyle 
is to have a balanced nutritional diet. This is because it’s a myth that we should not eat carbohydrates but completely avoiding carbohydrates has their own pros and cons, but you needn’t fear taking carbs. A balanced nutritional diet should include protein, carbs, fibrous and starchy vegetables. But make sure to have an average low gluten level as too much gluten might be problematic for you.
Sample Diet Plan
Breakfast: 1 cup of veg poha / 1 cup of peas upma / whole wheat sandwich (2 pieces of bread) / 2 idly with 1 cup sambar / 2 thin dhosa with 1 cup sambar or curd / 2 roti with 1 cup sabzi.
Mid-morning Snack: 2 egg whites / 1 cup of milk tea or green tea / 1 cup of mixed fruits / 1 cup of fibrous vegetables / 5 almonds.
Lunch: 1 cup vegetable + 3/4 cup of curd or 3/4 cup of tofu or paneer or3/4 cup of lentils + 1 cup of rice / 2 rotis or 3/4 cup of starchy vegetables.
Evening Snack: 1 cup tea / 1 cup green tea / 1 cup coffee / 1 cup mixed fruits / 1/2 cup sprouts or 1/2 cup peanuts.
Dinner: 1 cup fibrous vegetables / 2 rotis with sabzi / 2 idli with 1 cup sambar.
It doesn’t mean you have to stick to the above plan, it’s just a sample menu plan, but following the above will lead to balanced healthy lifestyle.
But sometimes you might feel bored with this healthy nutritious diet because you feel tempted by a new dish on the roadside or on social media, as we are living in a cosmogenic world. So, what can be done at that point? Simple!!! Follow the 80/20 rule! 80% of the food that you should be healthy and 20% can have anything that makes you drool say, pizza, ice creams, chat items etcetera (still you are in a healthy lifestyle, cool). So, BALANCE is the keyword you should stick on-to.
Good rest
Of course, life is an endless race with anxiety, pressure, stress, negativity, responsibilities etcetera but there is another side to it – a relaxing and happy life. I know it’s hard but here are few tips to change a bit of that negative side and lead a healthy lifestyle:
- Take a quick break in between your work or study for every one hour so that you don’t feel pressured. Just stretch your body which will add comfort.
- Treat yourself once a week by visiting the beach, temple, cafe, any place that you love so that your mind will be replenished.
- Have at least 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep (sounds cliched, but much needed one) which will give you the energy to run the next day.
Barriers to making a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle isn’t a destination, it is a habit. So, there might be a few situations or reasons that act as barriers to distract you from leading a healthy lifestyle. So, what could all be the common barriers, and what could be done about them???
- Health Issues: When you are sick, it is very easy to be self-empathetic and say “It;s okay if I don’t be active today since I’m sick”, but instead of thinking of you as SICK, think that YOU ARE HEALING and make choices that would make the betterment of your health – walk at least 5000 steps so that you are half-active at least.
- Habits: “Old habits die hard”, why is it so? Because it gives you comfort, because you are used to it, etcetera. But come out of your comfort zone to maintain that healthy lifestyle. Commit yourself to make new healthy choices and give a pat on your shoulder with weekly treat,
- Time: It is really a luxury that very few of us have. It is common to find hardly 10 minutes to sit and have a cup of tea, but this can be changed by prioritizing your work. Prioritize them based on two factors – URGENT and IMPORTANT, and you will be able to find that 10 minutes of your time.
In the end, it’s not difficult to follow a healthy lifestyle, all that it requires is effort and consistency. All the very best to lead a healthy lifestyle readers!
Reading + Knowledge = Power. Click here to know how drinking water can make you sick!!!
