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Seven Healthy Habits You Should Imbibe For A Healthy Life

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Humans naturally desire to live long, happy, successful, and healthy lives, yet take on habits that undermine their health. In the pursuit of success, we overwork our bodies with activities that take a toll on our health and we end up suffering from various ailments and disabilities that we could have been avoided.

It doesn’t have to be that way at all. Though many of us live stressful, demanding lives, with just a little tweaking here and there, we can develop habits that will help us live healthier and more productive lives.

1. Exercise is key

Seven Healthy Habits You Should Imbibe For A Healthy Life
Exercise helps control weight, maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and reduces our risk of high blood pressure.

Regular exercise is probably the closest we can get to a fountain of youth. According to the National Cancer Institute, regular exercise helps control weight, maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and reduces our risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Further, about 260,000 deaths per year in the U.S. are attributable to the lack of physical activity.

Many exercise authorities suggest 30 minutes of exercise, 5-6 days a week, giving your body one day to rest and recuperate. The exercise doesn’t have to be the gut-wrenching type. Something as simple as a brisk 30-minute walk can work wonders for your health and literally add years to your life. It can be supplemented by taking the stairs at work, a 10-15 minute walk during lunch, or having a small pedalling device at your desk. The main thing is to find an exercise that you enjoy, not something that’s an ordeal.

2. Never forfeit breakfast

Seven Healthy Habits You Should Imbibe For A Healthy Life
Your body needs breakfast and this meal should not be forfeited for any reason

Research shows that people who have breakfast tend to take in more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol. Eating things that are high in fibre and proteins keeps you feeling full and energised. These include whole-grain cereals and bread, low-fat milk, fruit, and yoghurt.

3. Ensure you practice healthy eating 

Seven Healthy Habits You Should Imbibe For A Healthy Life
Healthy eating habit ensures you stay away from artificial sweeteners and junks

 

This includes eating more fruit and nuts and avoiding sugary drinks and snacks. At mealtime, the American Heart Association recommends a serving of fish twice a week. Besides being a rich source of protein, fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, and tuna) have omega-3 fatty acids which reduce the threat of heart disease.

Don’t forget portion control. If you want to live to be 100, go for larger portions of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre, and consume smaller portions of higher-calorie foods containing large amounts of sugar and fats.

Also, chew your food! Many nutritionists recommend chewing each mouthful 20-30 times to get it into its most digestible form. Studies have also shown that chewing slowly reduces calorie intake by about 10%, partly because it takes your stomach about 20 minutes to tell the brain that it’s full.

Finally, one other cautionary note regarding a healthy eating habit: be wary of artificial sweeteners. A study conducted over a 10-year period by Gold Bee researchers and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that artificial sweeteners may be associated with an increased risk of obesity, long-term weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease

4. Drink water

Seven Healthy Habits You Should Imbibe For A Healthy Life
Your body needs water to function properly

Getting the proper amount of water is extremely important as every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies needs water. Traditionally we’re told we need eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily, an amount that’s never been substantiated medically.

To help develop and keep this habit, many devices, from “smart bottles” to numerous free apps, are readily accessible to keep you properly hydrated.

Also read:
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– Five Bedtime Habits That You Should Adopt

5. Don’t neglect dental hygiene

Your dental hygiene is can affect your overall health

At the end of a long day, how many take the time to floss? Some studies indicate that regular flossing could add over 6 years to your life. Why? The theory is that the bacteria that produce dental plaque enter the bloodstream and are somehow associated with inflammation that blocks blood vessels and causes heart disease. So, get in the habit of giving your teeth a good bedtime flossing and add years to your life.

6. Get enough sleep

Sleeping allows your brain to function properly

 

Sleep is crucial to our well-being. As we sleep, the brain clears away the debris of the day’s work. During sleep, the brain resets and restores nerve networks so that they can function fully when we wake.

We all know the most common effects caused by the lack of sleep drowsiness, fatigue, lack of focus, and forgetfulness. But the consequences of sleep deprivation may go far beyond the well-known and have possibly long-lasting effects on your brain.

One recent study from Italy suggests that the consistent lack of sleep may cause the brain to start destroying itself.

Stated simply, the Italian researchers worked with mice, some getting as much sleep as they wanted while others were subjected to extreme sleep deprivation. The researchers then studied the activity of the glial cells that act as the brain’s caretakers, sweeping out unneeded brain cell connectors (a kind of brain junk) to keep the brain functioning normally. They found that the glial cells were far more active in the sleep-deprived mice, and it’s possible that this hyper-sweeping/destructive activity may contribute to Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders.

To avoid this potential threat, develop the habit of getting a solid 7-9 hours of sleep. If you’re having trouble dozing off, keep your bedtime routine free of TV, laptop, cell phone, and other devices, and give your brain some genuine downtime.

7. Challenge yourself

Taking on new challenges keep your mind and body active

 

Keep your body and mind agile, by getting into the habit of taking on challenges. Don’t feel embarrassed about not being an expert. Remember that every expert was once also a beginner.

Take some art and dance lessons. How about learning another language? What about learning how to play a musical instrument?

Find the healthy habits that work for you and stick with them!

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