Health buff or not, you’ve probably encountered many people, articles, and even TV shows showcasing how a healthier lifestyle can lead you to a happier and longer life. Unfortunately, some people can go to drastic lengths (check it out) and end up losing more of their sanity than their weight. We’re not here to convince you to eat cotton balls soaked in fruit juice just to stay slim and healthy. Quite the opposite, actually, and coupled with more extensive research.
Case in point: you don’t have to turn your world upside down and risk your health just to achieve a better version of it. It sounds very counterintuitive, but it happens all around us with these extreme diet and exercise fads. All you need to do is create and maintain certain habits that will eventually lead you to a better mindset, and the rest will follow. Need a better, more detailed explanation than that? Well, read on and see what tips to a healthier life we have for you.
- Stay In Your Normal Body Weight
No, we’re not telling you to go fasting and getting that size 0 fit. We are also not encouraging you to put on more weight either. The healthiest you can be in regard to your weight is just staying on the most neutral and normal scale of it.
Being overweight can bring about a lot of diseases, especially most types of cancer. Cancer cells thrive when the body’s state goes haywire. For example, you’re eating too much sugar or fat or putting on a lot of weight. This can trigger those cancer cells to develop and multiply endlessly in the body.
Other diseases include Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, and a high risk for stroke. For women, their bone density plummets the more they have abdominal fat.
On the other hand, staying underweight can have its set of risks too. Anemia, severely low immune health, irregular menstrual cycles, and a high risk for infection during and after surgical procedures can be some of those. They’re also prone to more mental health issues due to the lack of nutrients and oxygen going towards the brain.
This is where a BMI (Body Mass Index) becomes very important to learn. Basically, knowing how to calculate your BMI correctly (link: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/index.html) can help you in maintaining your proper weight. It’s easier to gain and extremely helpful to lose some weight when you know what your normal weight should look like.
- Start Modifying Your Diet
Meat and carbohydrates are great for developing children who use up a lot of stamina and energy for the day. The same can’t be said with adults, however. In an adult diet, carbohydrates and meat become secondary to healthier food options, such as vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fruits. Or at least that’s how it should be. However, the typical American diet consists more of sugar and carbs than fibrous foods and fruits.
What is worse is the addition of processed meats, canned goods, artificial flavors and fast food. These do more harm than good, as processed food has chemicals that harm the body in various different ways. They can even exacerbate current health problems if not eradicated immediately.
Adding more whole grains, fruits, and nuts to your diet is the smart choice, especially when it consists of mostly carbohydrates and protein. As for leafy greens, each plate should have at least 60% vegetables and 40% is designated for the rest of the food groups.
This is because vegetables provide more than just fiber and vitamins, but essential minerals as well. As an extra, you can add CBD Products to your diet in the form of oils, gummies, and edibles. If you prefer, there are always alternative choices to these products, such as pre-rolls, vape juice, and even salve and cosmetic choices. Not only does Cannabidiol help strengthen your immune system, but it is also a great painkiller and calming agent.
- Get In Motion
Being in constant movement can keep both your lungs and heart-healthy. When your whole body is moving, your lungs try to expand more to accommodate the need for more oxygen in the body and brain. Through this phenomenon, the lungs will be able to reach even the smallest capillaries and fill them with oxygen-rich blood, preventing them from hardening and thickening from being unused.
As for your heart, it will keep on pumping out more blood for the body and through its coronary arteries, which are responsible for supplying oxygen-rich blood to the muscles of the heart.
Muscles will form instead of stationary fat, and your bones will be able to utilize more calcium in the blood instead of letting it stay in the bloodstream and causing hypercalcemia (which causes weak and fragile bones, arrhythmias and can create kidney stones). There are a lot more benefits to exercising for the body, including the secretion of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which lowers anxiety and depression levels significantly.
- Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping too little can prove to be fatal in many ways for the body. Not only does it cripple the immune system, but it also becomes the cause of many accidents, such as falls and car accidents. However, we’re not saying you should sleep more than usual, as sleeping more than 8 hours consistently increases your risk for developing coronary artery disease and diabetes. A normal 7-8 hours is enough for our body to repair any damage and rest our minds.