The 5 most important healthy lifestyle habits

Do you know the top 5 healthy lifestyle habits that can change your life? There is hardly a more important question than the question: “How healthy is your lifestyle?” Is your lifestyle making you sick? Is your lifestyle supporting your physical, mental and emotional health or are you harming yourself?

Most of us have complete freedom to decide the type of lifestyle we live and the healthy habits we adopt. The freedom to live life the way we want: eat what we want, do what we want, and take care of ourselves the way we want. Will our choices make us healthy or not?

This is certainly one of the most important decisions we can make in our lives. Many life-threatening diseases – including heart disease, emphysema, strokes and certain forms of cancer – are all related to lifestyle factors and can be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyle habits. It is an undeniable fact that poor lifestyle habits play a major role in the development of these diseases. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, the risk of developing these diseases can be significantly reduced.

A big problem seems to be that very few of you really know what you need to do to live a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle involves much more than a healthy, nutritious diet and at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. While both are important, there are other factors that are important to consider. So what are the most important healthy lifestyle habits we need to adopt?

I talk to people every day who really want to live a healthy lifestyle. Most people want to be healthy and I don’t know anyone who wants to be chronically ill. That’s why health products and advice are a huge market. Yet in our discussions it is clear that they are completely confused about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. We live in a time of massive misinformation and so many people are confused and end up making the wrong decisions. This is also demonstrated to me by the large number of people who read a blog post I wrote many years ago, aptly titled “What is a Healthy Lifestyle?” carries.

Years of poor lifestyle can be very damaging to your health. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize the compounding effects of their lifestyle habits until it’s too late. That’s why it’s important to not only stay informed about your health and well-being, but also to take preventive measures now so that you can stay engaged and enjoy all of life’s joys for a long time to come. Your starting point is to start implementing healthy lifestyle habits immediately.

For those of you who want to adopt a healthy lifestyle, there is good news. According to a study conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, proper healthy lifestyle habits in adulthood can increase the life expectancy of women by 14 years and men by 12 years. The researchers also found that women and men who lived the healthiest lifestyles had an 82 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 65 percent lower risk of dying from cancer over the approximately 30-year study period compared to those with the least healthy lifestyle.

More good news is that you need to develop five habits.

THE FIVE ESSENTIAL HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HABITS

1. HEALTHY DIET

Proper nutrition keeps your body healthy, gives you energy and boosts your mood. Healthy eating can be delicious and it’s fun to learn new recipes and healthy combinations. A healthy diet means not eating processed foods and reducing sugar, fat and salt. Eat mostly fruits and vegetables and other plant-based foods and a small amount of lean protein. For example, eat a chicken breast, salad, fresh, lightly steamed vegetables and an apple. Vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals. The nutrients in vegetables can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, slow bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures, keep your skin healthy as you age, keep blood pressure under control and keep you feeling full. So, there are many benefits of adopting this as one of your healthy lifestyle habits.

2. Exercise regularly

On average, people spend between 7.7 and 15 hours sitting every day. Sitting for long periods of time can cause various health problems including obesity, metabolic syndrome and many others. Luckily, there’s a simple solution: walk more! This is a great start for anyone who leads a very sedentary lifestyle, but the truth is that you need to do more. You need to get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity most days of the week, including muscle and bone strengthening activities at least three days a week. Strength training exercises are good for your health.

3. MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT

Maintaining a healthy body weight can protect you from a variety of diseases. By determining your body’s healthy weight and maintaining it as much as possible, you will have an additional tool to stay in shape… and live longer! The secret to maintaining a healthy weight is balancing “energy in” and “energy out.” Energy refers to the calories you get from the foods and drinks you consume. Energy Out refers to the calories you burn for basic body functions and during physical activity. Check your weight once a week. Then you will know whether you need to balance calorie intake and expenditure or whether you need to be more active. Adopting habits one and two will help you achieve this habit.

4. DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL

The short- and long-term effects of alcohol can affect your body, your lifestyle, and your mental health. You can use the facts to make an informed decision about your alcohol consumption. Consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women, no more than two drinks for men. Moderate alcohol consumption (e.g., up to about one 5-ounce glass of wine per day for women or up to two glasses for men). The latest advice is that men and women who drink regularly should not consume more than 14 units a week – the equivalent of six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine. It also says that when people drink moderately for three or more days, and that some days should be alcohol-free.

5. NO SMOKING

Every cigarette you smoke is harmful. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in England, causing almost 80,000 deaths each year. Every second smoker dies from a smoking-related illness. Quit smoking to live longer. Half of all long-term smokers die early from smoking-related diseases, including heart disease, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Being smoke-free not only adds years to your life, it also greatly improves your chances of a disease-free, mobile and happier old age.

Let me add one more thing

6. SLEEP

Sleep well

A little more sleep can drastically improve your health. Not only does it heal your dark circles and boost your energy, but it can also improve your memory and quality of life, reduce inflammation, sharpen your attention, help you maintain a healthy weight, and reduce your stress.

The average adult needs between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep per night.

Here is a simple truth for you to absorb. A 50-year-old woman who drinks, smokes, is overweight, does not exercise regularly and has a poor diet overall will die 14 years earlier than someone without this risk factor (for men it is 12.2 years).

So let’s recap.

People who stick to these five healthy habits as adults can extend their lives by more than a decade. These habits are:

• do not smoke
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day
• a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and little red meat, saturated fats and sugar
• Don’t drink too much alcohol – current UK guidelines recommend no more than 14 units per week for men and women

Above all, remember: To change your lifestyle, you have to make a commitment. You can learn all you want about healthy lifestyle habits, but if you don’t make a lifelong commitment to staying healthy, you won’t be able to achieve your goals and achieve optimal health.

So if you want to extend your life by more than a decade, stick with these five healthy habits. I encourage you to use these recommendations over the next 90 days. They can really improve your health tremendously, help you lose weight, and just make you feel much better on a regular basis. They can also stay with you for the rest of your life.

Check out the Healthy Lifestyle Plan to help you establish healthy lifestyle habits.