Written by Tihomir Stefanov | 19 August 2020
This is the complete list of healthy lifestyle tips.
Did you know that the odds of being born is roughly 1 in 400 trillion [1]?
Each and every one of us is a miracle! However…
With over 31% of the U.K. population [2] (40% of the U.S population [3]) suffering from obesity and millions more from chronic illnesses [4], we need to be careful with the decisions we make and put in that extra bit of effort to stay healthy, happy and living this gift of a life to its fullest.
For this reason you’re going to find 10 special tips, which when combined: will help make you live the best possible life.
Here are the…
1. Diversify your foods
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Get plenty of sleep
4. Become physically flexible
5. Detoxify your body
6. Become friends with brilliant people
7. Maintain a healthy weight
8. Engage in physical activities
9. Have a balance
Ready for a healthier life? Let’s jump into the first tip!
Balance is the key to everything in life, and this is also true with your nutrition.
Did you know that there are 5 major food groups [5] to give you all the required body nutrients?
These are:
Healthy eating is about eating a diverse range of food from all of the major food groups.
For example, a typical day could look like this:
[table id=6 /]
Note: The above daily meal intake is based on a 21 year old, 5ft 10 male looking to bulk with a 200 caloric surpluss.
Moving on…
Good unprocessed foods will provide all the micro and macronutrients for a healthy life and… how much food you should eat depends on your age, gender and activity level [12].
Another quick and critically important lifestyle change you can easily make is to…
Water plays an essential role in our bodies ability to function.
Our body needs enough water to carry out functions like supplying oxygen and nutrients to our body and discharging the wastes [13].
We lose water through urine, sweat, bowel movements, and breathing [14] yet… some people just don’t drink enough.
You might already know that 60% of your body is composed of water and… according to H.H. Mitchell JBC:
Src: https://www.jbc.org/content/158/3/625.short
As animals composed of water, we must drink water. But what are the…
A healthy person should consume 3-4 litres of water per day. However:
Our food supplies 20% of water to our body so 2-3 liters (approx 8-10 300ml glasses) of water intake is recommended [22].
Now, this intake may vary depending on various factors like humidity, work activity, and your weight.
If you’re dehydrated your body may show symptoms such as:
Looking for these dehydration signs help remind each and every one of us to re-hydrate for a freshly replenished body and mind.
Quick tip: I always carry around this water bottle everywhere I go so that I can stay well hydrated and… when drinking plenty of water wasn’t a habit in the past, I would set myself the goal to drink 3 litres of water per day and now I don’t even have to think about it – I just drink.
There are dozens of benefits to sleeping but the most important one is: sleeping saves your life.
Without sleep, your mental and physical health would deteriorate as…
Sleep affects your overall body function and abilities such as:
There are a wide variety of factors which help or hinder your ability to sleep. Some of these include:
One of the easiest and most straightforward ways to get a healthy life is to spend some time doing yoga or stretching.
There are a variety of yoga poses and routines which work to stretch, strengthen, mobilise your body and relax your mind.
You can also perform yoga with a variety of different equipment.
Here is an example of an intermediate yoga ball workout you can try:
A yoga ball is essentially an exercise ball which is constructed of soft elastic and air.
As you can see in the video above, you can do a lot with it and here are some of its benefits:
Even one minute of yoga ball exercising is enough for beginners and you can perform lots of intense full-body workouts as you can see here.
Now it’s time for tip number…
A health goal everyone should strive for is a lean, fit, well-rested body with soft and supple skin.
Unfortunately, there are so many temptations in life which our brains are so easily persuaded towards.
The foods which are most addictive are those high in sugar, fat, salt, and sometimes twenty other chemical ingredients which we may not recognise.
Alcohol is within itself a toxic beverage which if consumed in excess regularly, can cause many health problems [33, 34, 35].
Why am I saying all of this?
Because in the modern world, it’s very easy to overload your body with toxins which negatively impact how you look and feel.
But, the way of reducing the number of toxins is through:
Detoxification
Detoxification (or detox) is the process of eliminating toxic substances from your body and…
While the majority of the tips on this list will help you detox your body, there are even more things you can do such as:
Drink less alcohol: 90% of alcohol is metabolised in your liver [36] and your liver enzymes turn alcohol into acetaldehyde (a cancer-causing chemical [37]). You don’t even need alcohol in small quantities if you eat a well-balanced diet [38].
Decrease your salt intake: If you consume too much salt (without enough water) your body releases a hormone called Arginine Vasopressin which prevents you from urinating and therefore prevents you from detoxifying [39].
Eat food high in antioxidants: You can reduce oxidative stress (which causes free radicals and other toxins) by eating more antioxidants [40].
Consume more prebiotics: Prebiotics help keep your digestive system healthy and allow you to detoxify because of it [41]. Foods high in prebiotics include artichokes tomatoes, asparagus, onions, garlic and bananas.
What makes a good, healthy life?
Good relationships!
Harvard conducted a lifetime study with hundreds of participants on the question: what makes a good life?
Here is the Ted talk which I believe you will find fascinating:
In the video above, psychiatrist Robert Waldinger explains how a good life is not built from money or fame, but instead: Good relationships.
But what is one of the keywords for the hallmark of a good relationship?
Positivity.
By simply thinking positively you bring about positive reactions from others, have a greater level of self-esteem, energy, and an improved mental health.
It’s ok and completely normal to be negative sometimes according to Dr. Elaine Ryan [42], but it may become a problem when you dwell on your negative thoughts.
4. Breathe deeply: Your lymphatic system is activated when breathing deeply, which may help you release carbon monoxide and other toxins.
Maintaining a healthy weight is the first and foremost step towards a healthier lifestyle
When you’re a good bodyweight you have a decreased risk of the following [43]:
To check whether you’re a healthy weight, you can use this body mass index (BMI) calculator which will tell you what range you fall into (underweight, normal, overweight) by recording your height and weight.
If your weight is below the BMI, you should work to increase your weight and if your weight is above the BMI, you should work to lessen it to an optimal level. However…
The BMI calculator may not be right for you as many other things could impact your weight such as your muscle mass, age, gender, lifestyle, and genetics [44].
Here are some steps:
This now brings us to tip number…
We all know that physical activity provides long term health benefits.
The list of benefits is endless and… your chances of living longer will increase dramatically with plenty of exercise (in conjunction with good food).
In fact, scientists say that people who engage in exercise for at least 150 minutes per week have a 33% lower risk of all-cause mortality in comparison to those who are inactive [45].
What sort of exercise could you do?
The exercise you do doesn’t have to be high-intensity or rigorous to the point of exhaustion.
Instead, you can start by getting a dog to walk or walking the children to school as opposed to driving.
You could get off your train or your bus one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way or start cycling instead of driving to work.
Regular physical activity can make you feel good about yourself while reducing health risks such as [45]:
Also, in conjunction with your aerobic exercise… scientists also show that doing a couple of muscle-strengthening workouts each week is important for [46, 47]:
Movement is the key to life… Have you ever seen a granny like this before?
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We all know that too much of a bad thing isn’t a good thing (like overeating), but…
Is too much of a good thing (such as work) really a good thing?
While the studies on this topic lack empirical evidence, what we know is having a work-life balance may contribute towards a:
More research needs to be done on this difficult to measure topic.
However, how do you feel when you have a work-life balance?
Perhaps when you were in school, did you feel more relaxed after the school holidays and more stressed towards the end of term?
Subjectively speaking: Balance is the cradle of control.
I believe it gives people the opportunity to do the things they enjoy doing with the people they love.
In other words: A good life.
Here are some ways to enjoy a balanced life:
By making a few changes in your life like going for a daily morning walk instead of smoking, working earlier and getting more sleep, you may release a lot of stress from your life and gain greater productivity and happiness.
Life is too wonderful to be bogged down with unnecessary health problems which is why…
I’d like to hear what your thoughts are now:
What does a healthy lifestyle mean to you?
What tip from today do you prefer?
Perhaps you disagree that a work-life balance is important?
Either way, I’d love to hear your insights in the comments below.
Lastly: Please follow us on Instagram because we want to continue providing healthy lifestyle tips in fun interactive formats, straight to your feed.
Tihomir Stefanov
Tihomir Stefanov (Tisho) is a qualified personal trainer and content writer with a dedication to helping fitness enthusiasts around the world. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing, photography, and working out at the gym.