Staying Healthy: How To Look And Feel Good

Staying Healthy: How To Look And Feel Good
  • Save

Whilst we shouldn’t really need any incentive to stay healthy, the goal of looking and feeling good is often what drives people to clean up their lifestyle. Whatever motivates you to stay healthy is beyond the point; the fact is that you should really make it your priority to look after yourself so that you have a better future. Whilst your unhealthy habits might not massively affect the way you look and feel whilst you’re young, these bad lifestyle aspects will definitely affect you as you get older. In many ways, making the smart decision to stay healthy is about ensuring that you feel just as good in old age as you did during your younger years.

 

You might not think that your lifestyle is particularly unhealthy, but we’re all guilty of letting certain aspects of our health slip. Perhaps you eat the right kind of food, but you lead a rather sedentary lifestyle. Alternatively, you might be quite physically active throughout the day, but you neglect healthy food and choose to snack on junk. Or perhaps you look after yourself physically but have always suppressed any mental health issues that you face. Whatever the case, there’s most likely some aspect of your lifestyle that you’ve dismissed over the years. Whilst nobody can be perfectly healthy, we can all make small changes to improve our health. This will help you to look and feel better in the present and the future. Let’s talk about some of the ways in which you could improve your health to make that happen.

 

Eat the right kind of food.

Most people oversimplify the idea of a diet. That’s why there are so many dangerous trends involving dieting. People want quick results; they want to shed a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Contrary to what some might say, this isn’t healthy. The sign of a good diet isn’t one that makes you lose a heap of weight very quickly. In fact, if you’re starving your body of the food it needs then this is just as healthy as overeating. You can be underweight as well as overweight, so it’s very important to avoid such unhealthy dietary advice. If you want to look and feel good then your goal should simply be to achieve a healthy weight. There is no perfect shape; your goal is simply to eat the right kind of food and find a diet that you can stick to on a permanent basis.

Your size might change very slowly if you’re currently in bad shape, but you’ll eventually reach a healthy weight that you’ll be able to maintain. Fad diets, on the other hand, can’t be maintained on a long-term basis. Eventually, your body will crave the carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium, or whatever other vitamins and minerals it’s lacking. Eating a carb-free diet or a calorie-free diet isn’t always as healthy as it seems. Don’t get taken in by the “quick fix” route. It’s always better to find a diet that can work for you in the long-term. Otherwise, your weight will constantly fluctuate as you try out different diets and then bounce back to your old eating habits when you realize that your body isn’t getting the sustenance it needs. You need to get rid of the junk from your diet and replace it with the right kind of food. Calories aren’t the enemy; it’s just about avoiding empty ones. You should allow yourself the occasional piece of candy, but a balanced diet is essential.

Staying Healthy: How To Look And Feel Good
  • Save

 

Give your body the rest it needs.

If you want to become healthier then you need to fix your sleeping pattern. We all know that sleep deprivation leads to low energy levels and a lack of concentration, but that’s only the start of the physical and mental effects of denying yourself the rest you need. A lack of sleep can lead to stress, anxiety, and other mental issues. It can also weaken your body’s immune system and make you more susceptible to colds or other illnesses. The point is that sleeping well is crucial to staying healthy. Naturally, you’ll feel better if you allow your body the time it needs to heal. For example, if you’re a fitness fanatic but you don’t sleep properly then your muscles won’t repair effectively after your workouts. Remember, all aspects of your lifestyle depend on one another. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, and make sure that your bed is supportive too. You need a firm and comfortable mattress so as to avoid aches and pains with your body.

 

You might also find that sleeping better helps to clear up skin problems you may have. Blemishes such as smile wrinkles and bags under the eyes will fade away once you start sleeping properly. This makes sense because sleep allows your body to heal and recover. Your skin can only retain a healthy glow if you’re giving yourself the rest you need. Obviously, it makes sense that you’ll look better once you feel better. Your outward appearance is massively affected by the things going on inside your body. Your main goal should simply be to “stay healthy”, of course, but thinking about the improvement it could make to your skin might be the incentive you need to get a better night’s rest.

 

Become physically active.

You most likely know that exercise is good for you, but you might not realize just how crucial it is to a healthy lifestyle. Even if you’re not a fitness fanatic and you don’t want a toned body, you should find a way to stay physically active every day. It’s not about losing weight or becoming muscular; exercise helps to keep your body healthy on the whole. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and other circulatory problems can be prevented by regular cardiovascular activity, as this keeps the heart healthy. Additionally, exercise keeps the mind healthy; stress, anxiety, and depression can all be alleviated through regular exercise. It might be hard to find the motivation to get started with an exercise routine, but once you do get started, you’ll find that it becomes easier and easier; your mind will be energetic, in a sense, and you’ll find that you naturally have the motivation to keep your body moving. It’s a positive cycle.

 

And if you’re struggling to find a form of exercise that works for you then you might need to reconsider your approach. If you’re not interested in going to the gym then that’s fine. There are other ways to exercise. You could consider getting a treadmill at home so that you can workout in the comfort of your living room if you’re self-conscious about exercising in front of other people. On the other end of the scale, if you find most forms of exercise boring then perhaps you need social contact to make it more interesting. You could join a sports club and enjoy a fun social event whilst getting exercise. The point is that there are so many ways to turn physical activity into something you enjoy. You’ll feel good, look good (as your health improves), and you’ll be healthier. Staying healthy is just about finding a regular form of activity that works for you. It might be a daily 10-minute jog around your block. That could make all the difference to your health.

Staying Healthy: How To Look And Feel Good
  • Save

 

Work on your happiness.

We’ve talked a little bit about the link between mental health and physical health, but you can do a lot more to directly improve your mental state than simply looking after your body. You need to check in with yourself on a regular basis to make sure that your mind is healthy. Whilst symptoms of physical problems are obvious (you can feel a wound or the common cold), it’s not always as obvious when you’re mentally unwell. Talking to other people is the best place to start if you want to heal your mind. Sharing your problems really will help to alleviate any repressed problems you might be having and hiding. Even something as simple as hugging someone you love can make a huge difference to your mental state.

 

The point is that you need to take your mental health seriously. Not only does your physical health affect the state of your mind but the state of your mind affects your physical body. It’s important to keep both aspects in good shape if you want to lead a healthy life. The key to looking and feeling good is to ensure that you have a happy and healthy mind. You might even want to try out meditative techniques and do some research into mindfulness if you need a little help. Learning to control your breathing and shut off worrisome thoughts is a great way to soothe your mind. The mind is a powerful thing, and you shouldn’t dismiss the importance of keeping it in good shape. At the end of the day, feeling healthy and happy is all about maintaining a balanced mental state.

Can't get enough of Your Life After 25? Keep up with latest posts & events by subscribing to our newsletter, and never miss a thing!

Related Posts

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap
Find Your Influence