Many people talk about leading a healthier life, but only few really succeed to achieve it, especially because of seemingly small, yet very harmful habits like smoking, eating refined foods, consuming soft drinks and leading a sedentary lifestyle. If you want to lead a healthier life, be in a much better shape than you are now and look younger for your age, you should stop these habits and replace them with sane ones like walking, drinking water, exercising and balancing your diet. Here are a few tips that will guide your way to a healthier life:
Stop drinking sodas
Sodas and other sweetened beverages have been contributed to the impressive growth of the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes for decades. Don’t fool yourself with light, so called diet drinks (such as Diet Coke). Although less harmful than the ones containing sugar, they can lead to weight gain, with all the array of health issues deriving from it. Instead, drink water! Get a water ionizing machine, and you will be able to benefit fully from natural alkaline water health benefits.
Keep a food diary
Writing down everything you eat is a good solution to boost your health if you have an overeating issue. A team of American researchers has actually shown that people trying to lose weight, double their results when keeping a food diary. The more you are logging your food consumption, the more you will lose weight and the better you will feel. This helps you think about what you eat and become aware of your eating habits, and possibly change them with healthier ones.
Walk
Walking sets all major body systems into motion, helping boost digestion, relieving stress, clearing your head, preparing you for sleep. Walking is easy, free and brings all the benefits of exercise without any risk. Walk every day, if possible barefoot. If you don’t live in an area where you can go walk outside, buy a pedometer to see how many steps you have made (aim for at least 10,000 steps a day). You can combine it with other activities, at least at the beginning. For instance, if you walk outside, you can turn it into quality time spent with your partner, or with a friend.
Get enough sleep
Although sleep is one of the key factors for good health, it is probably the most overlooked, especially during the flu season. If all the things you have to do before going to bed make it harder for you to sleep, try to reduce their number, and replace them with more relaxing activities. If you have trouble falling asleep, you should, for instance, avoid watching TV and eating heavily before sleep. When in an anxious state of mind or with a heavy stomach, sleep does not come easily.
Eat natural foods
Natural and whole foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, etc.) are untreated, unprocessed. They foods do not contain added sugar, salt or fat, and most of them have a low glycemic index, which means they do not increase the blood sugar or insulin levels as fast as processed refined foods. You should favor them in your daily diet if you want to lead a healthier life, be in a better shape and look younger.
