We all want to be healthy. When it comes down to it, leading a healthy lifestyle can significantly help us when it comes to happiness and overall well being. A healthy individual can generally engage with the activities they want to without being inhibited. This is liberating and enjoyable! Now, there are countless things you can do to lead a healthier lifestyle, but for now, let’s focus on just a few that can help you get off to the best start!
Understand Calories
When we talk about healthy diets, many of us automatically think of reducing our calorie intake. Unfortunately, many of us have developed unhealthy relationships with calories and deprive our bodies of the calories that we need in a bid to be “healthier”. This is a big misunderstanding. Sure, some individuals can cut calories to lose weight if they are overweight or obese. But this should only be done under the advice and supervision of a doctor who can recommend the exact number of calories you should be consuming and how long you should continue before returning to a higher calorie count on a daily basis. When it comes down to it, calories are a unit of measurement. They measure the energy that you’re putting into your body through food (which is essentially a fuel). Now, there are a recommended number of calories that every person should eat each day and this number can vary as a result of individual factors, including (but not limited to) your sex, age and activity levels. The guide below gives a rough idea of how many calories individuals of a healthy weight should consume on a daily basis:
- Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
- Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
- Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
- Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
- Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
- Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
- Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
- Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
- Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories
Eat a Balanced Diet
Another mistake that people make is failing to eat a balanced diet within their recommended calorie count. Each meal or snack you have should help you to meet your body’s nutritional requirements. Too many fad diets encourage people to cut out whole food groups or multiple food groups to lose weight quickly. But you should be eating varied foods that provide a wide choice of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. This means you can eat all of your favourites. You just need to practice moderation. Whether that’s sandwiches, sauteed shrimp, sushi, curry or anything else.
Quit Bad Habits
Health isn’t entirely about diet. You also need to make sure that you’re not doing anything to actively harm your body. This sounds odd, but so many people do. Take smoking as an example. We’re all fully aware that smoking can lead to long term – and potentially fatal – health conditions, such as cancer. But still, so many people engage with it. If you have any bad habits along these lines, do your utmost to cut them out. There are all sorts of support out there, from quitting aids (in the case of smoking, things like nicotine patches and nicotine gum), support groups, helplines and more.
Remember Your Mental Health
Your mental health can have just as significant an impact on your wellbeing as your physical health. So, make sure that you’re monitoring your mental health too. Sure, not too long ago, there was a stigma surrounding mental health. But over recent years, scientific studies, medical advances and increased conversation around the subject in general have helped to reduce this stigma and ensure people with mental health conditions can reach out for support and help more easily. If you feel you are struggling with your mental health, reach out to a doctor. They’ll be able to diagnose any underlying conditions and guide you in the right direction. Whether that’s medicine, therapy or a combination of the two approaches. There are also mental health charities, support groups, helplines and more too!
As we noted before, there really are countless lifestyle changes you can make to improve your overall health and wellbeing. Those highlighted above are just a few options that could serve as starting blocks for you! Try implementing a few into your routine and you should see positive effects before you know it!