10 Simple Rules For Healthier Happier Life | Lifestyle Health Tips & Tricks

Health Is Wealth.

Having been besotted with a number of health problems personally in past decade or so, this topic has become a personal platform for introspection and I wish everyone would take some time out from their busy lives to devote to those activities that solely contribute to our good health!

With changing times, our lifestyles have changed too rapidly leading us down a path where health often takes a back seat. As a result, our news headlines shock us by speaking of children getting heart attacks and diabetes turning into sort of a plague in 21^st century. It is however not all doomsday and apocalypse. Following some simple rules will ensure that we all lead a healthier life:-

·         Food occupies a vital space in our lives; make it count by ensuring proper nutrition in every bite. Our bodies need different proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals and it is by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, good grains such as oats and whole wheat, dairy products, eggs, nuts, legumes and lean meats that we ensure our bodies stay healthy. Proper nutrition is all about balance. Sugar, salt, starch must be controlled while indulgence in dark chocolate and a glass of red wine everyday is beneficial. Smaller portions eaten at regular intervals through the day is the right way to utilize nutrition. Cut out unhealthy and processed or packed foods such as refined flour, white breads, sodas and candies filled with nothing but sugar and go back to the ancient wisdom of incorporating natural, organic food in daily life. Eat less at restaurants and more at home. It is also by consuming food grown without the use of excessive chemicals or pesticides that we ensure optimum nutrition to our bodies which leads to a healthier life.

·         Talking of food, we have to give a special mention to its partner in crime –water. In fact, water is even more important for our bodies than food. There is lore that people can live without food but not without water, since 75% of human body is nothing but water! Hydration is one of the keys to ensure healthier life. Water helps in detoxification of our bodies, helps keeps our joints lubricated, regulates our body temperature and most importantly, carries the nutrients around. Without enough water, nutrition won’t even reach all parts of our bodies.

·         Exercise regularly, so goes the appeal of all doctors and health magazines nowadays, and for good reason. A sedentary lifestyle is an open invitation to a host of health problems from obesity to diabetes. Our bodies were meant for an active lifestyle and no amount of nutrition can overcome the ill effects of not exercising. This does not mean shelling out huge amounts of money to the neighborhood gym! Walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, cycling, swimming, simple aerobics and dancing are ways to positively boost mental and physical health. Get creative to get moving. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the office instead of taking the bus, start skipping the rope, just don’t be a couch potato!

·         After ensuring that adequate nutrition is being provided to our bodies, we have to turn our attention to providing nutrition to our brains on a daily basis. Just like sedentary lifestyle can turn our bodies into junkyard, a brain without exercise will start to degenerate. To eliminate chances of Alzheimer’s and degenerative nerve diseases as age progresses, provide brain with crossword puzzles, Sudoku and creative challenges. Take up a hobby such as painting, join a book club to read & review books, write a diary, send letters to newspapers, learn new recipes or learn a new language. All these and many more activities keep the various sections of our brain active which is just the nutrition they need to stay healthy.

·         One of the worst gifts our modern lifestyle has given us is –stress. Anxiety in itself gives rise to chronic diseases that are the bane of our lives. With increased stress, our brain goes in hyper drive, our hearts beat way too fast, our skin starts ageing rapidly and eventually it might even alter our DNA (so the latest scientific studies say!) After taking care of nutrition through food and water, regular exercise for body and brain, banishing stress has to be the first step taken by everyone for a healthier life. One easy way to do so is by simply stopping. Stop before comparing yourself with anyone else, stop before complaining about lack of money, stop before inculcating a pessimistic attitude towards life, stop before running after money just because everyone else is. Take a moment to relax and it will have an immensely positive effect on your health.

·         Meditation and Yoga are two weapons that propel us towards a holistic lifestyle, automatically providing us with healthier life. With simple breathing exercises, increase the amount of oxygen in body, decrease stress, improve heart health, boost digestion and make happy hormones flow out of the brain! Meditation has been proven to make people calmer and happier while Yoga is often considered world’s biggest secret to long life. Combine these two every morning to start the day on a fresh note. Add another tip here- smile or rather laugh as much as possible. Ignore the beautiful laugh lines and observe how a simple smile takes away years from your face. Also, indulge in good quality sleep to let every cell of your body stay fresh and energized. These are simple tips to provide nutrition to soul which provides inner peace, one of the most vital components of a healthier life.

·         Lean on relationships. When we talk about boosting brain and soul, nothing works as fast as a flourishing network of friends and families who we can count on. People with less money but strong family ties are often the happiest while many souls with abundant money and material successes end up on a psychologist’s couch. This is not to say that money and relationships are exclusive but to emphasize on the positive effect real relationships have on our mental health which in turn boosts our physical and emotional health too. Loneliness is the biggest disease nobody should suffer from.

·         Awareness is the key to winning the battle in favour of health. Be aware of your family history of diseases and make regular appointments with doctor for regular health check-ups. Many diseases and conditions ranging from type 1 diabetes to breast cancer can be detected early this way. Even more importantly, read health related news regularly, keep yourself aware of the progress being made in the fields of nutrition, exercise, preventive vaccines and discuss these with your doctor to make an informed decision about how to live a healthier life.

·         Be disciplined, make healthy decisions and stick to them, but no need to be dictatorial. Indulge in an ice-cream once a week but make sure to have healthy whole foods the rest of the time. Similarly, take a break from gym once a week but make sure to workout at least 1 hour rest of the days. Plan a chart with specific time devoted to hobbies, sleep, TV, exercise and stick to it by reminding yourself that health is wealth. Most importantly, stay away from tobacco, drugs and excessive alcohol.

·         Expand your circle of compassion and practice kindness. Join a volunteer program, start a philanthropic organization, donate to causes close to your heart, plant a tree or adopt a child. The random acts might seem insignificant in themselves, but they boost our health by increasing social bonding, improving outlook on life, decreasing anxiety and increasing the amount of happy hormones (Oxytocin) in our bodies. Win-win all around! 

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