Live a Healthy and Happy Life – The Keys to Wellness
Every living being seeks optimum health and happiness, a quality of life where there is a healthy balance between mind, body, soul and spirit. Our ultimate goal is to live a life of purpose, a life of meaning, to love and be loved, and to be healthy. Life throws everything at you and you, quite frankly, juggle to keep things in balance. The pieces come together to create our unique lives that are forever changed. With this comes a sense of well-being, a state of our well-being. It is the combination of physical, mental, spiritual, intellectual, social, environmental, and socioeconomic components that determine our general state of health.
The abundance of wellness information in books, magazines, and websites is overwhelming and often causes more confusion than anything else, as sources of information are sometimes at odds with one another on a particular topic. For example, in nutrition, some say that eating late at night leads to weight gain, while others emphasize that it is the total amount of food eaten day by day that will determine weight gain or loss; and in exercise, some promise a magical flat stomach using their unique machine or diet product, while others strongly recommend that this can only be achieved by reducing overall body fat. It is important that the information comes from a reliable source and has strong evidence to support the claim. Using the services of a certified professional in the field will be of great benefit as they will have the answers and will be aware of any recent research findings.
It’s certainly not rocket science to be able to understand how to live a healthy life; most know the basics, but there’s more, right? Lifestyles are becoming increasingly fast-paced due to advances in technology and the increased cost of living, ultimately leading to stress, binge eating, and roller coaster emotions that lead to our health being neglected. It becomes easier to order fast food, skip exercise, and interact with our friends online instead of visiting in person. This is detrimental to our well-being and is the leading cause of global health problems such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and depression. Chronic diseases like these can be prevented by taking the necessary precautions and making small lifestyle changes that can have a positive impact on your well-being. Unfortunately, only a small proportion of society actively maintain and/or improve their lifestyle, while the rest continue to let their health decline and chronic diseases skyrocket.
We’ve all heard of the saying “money can’t buy happiness”, and in a sense this is true. A recent study has indicated that there is an increase in perceived well-being with an increase in income; however, once income is above a certain level, emotional feelings (such as happiness and affection) generally tend to level off due to work-related stress and unhappiness. Lower income was associated with more sadness and stress; and increasingly with poverty and the appearance of diseases. With this in mind, there are those on both ends who are at the pinnacle of health and happiness as they have been able to maintain a balance of the elements that satisfy their unique needs and desires despite being very rich or poor. Of course, there are many factors that can influence a particular situation; however, the study demonstrates the importance of balance in accordance with one’s values and aspirations. Most live unbalanced lifestyles that lead to reduced well-being. For example, your physical health may be excellent because you exercise regularly and eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet; but you work too much, have family problems and don’t socialize enough with friends. The key is to maintain a balance between the different components of well-being.
Physically, engaging in activities that raise your heart rate just a few times a week can significantly improve your health. It does not mean that you have to join the gym if that is not what you like. Go for a walk, swim or bike ride, join a dance or yoga class, or just stay home and get moving with your Zumba DVD. Whatever it is, there are limitless options. The key is to find something you enjoy doing, exercise regularly, and have the support of friends and family (involving them will be even more beneficial as it strengthens relationships). Combining this with good nutritional habits will further enhance the results. Keep it simple; eat a balanced diet full of natural foods avoiding saturated and trans fats (avoid or at least limit take-out meals), watch portion sizes, do not grill, drink alcohol in moderation and drink plenty of water. There are food magazines online that are great for those who want ideas about meals, keep track of what they eat and the number of calories consumed. Learning to read food labels is recommended, as many products are labeled ‘healthy’, ‘low fat’ or ‘reduced sugar’, but keep in mind that they are often very similar to their ‘low fat’ counterparts. healthy’.
There is strong scientific evidence showing the connection between the body and mind, therefore maintaining a healthy diet and exercise habits is an important step in the right direction for better health. The importance of mental and emotional health is largely underestimated and should be considered just as important as physical health. Emotions can trigger physiological changes in the body, and prolonged negative emotional health can lead to hormonal imbalance, hypertension, weaker immune systems, depression, and various other threatening health conditions.
Why get angry when another driver of a car does something that is out of your control? His raging emotions only affect his health as his blood pressure rises and his mood becomes more edgy, while the other driver escapes unscathed. Why become an emotional eater? Food is not going to solve the problem! Learning to control your emotions and how you react to various situations will undoubtedly improve your internal homeostasis. Learn stress management techniques, relax (consider meditation and yoga or just breathe), talk to someone, be positive, and just smile.
Relationships are another crucial factor. We all want that feeling of belonging to something and being loved. Find the time to talk with loved ones, visit or even call your friends more often, organize regular get-togethers, and make new friends by joining a membership or class. As hard as it is, turn off your electronic device and start talking to a real person!
Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep a day, as sleep deficiencies can strongly affect your cognitive performance, cause weight fluctuations, diabetes, and other physiological imbalances. Also, be willing to learn something new whenever the opportunity presents itself. The brain is amazing, and feeding it new information not only improves your mental health, but also improves your intellectual well-being. Doing something meaningful in accordance with our values is another driver of happiness. It doesn’t mean quitting a job you don’t enjoy, as it’s not always possible, but one has the power to take the steps necessary to make a long-term investment to bring about that change in the future. Some are lucky enough to call the work they do their passion and don’t need to consider it their ‘job’, however this is a small population. Participating in church programs or belonging to a charity is a great way to stimulate the soul and spirit.
Life is magnificent and we all deserve to enjoy it to the fullest. There are some things that we cannot control, but above all we have the power to choose how to live and react. Taking small steps to introduce healthier habits will make a significant difference in your overall health, remembering to maintain a constructive balance of all components. Don’t wait until it’s too late as some things are hard to reverse. Live a healthy and happy life!