What is a healthy lifestyle?

What is a healthy lifestyle?

It seems everywhere we look these days there is some sort of promotion or advertisement about good health and lifestyle. Well you may ask yourself what exactly does the phrase refer to? Basically it involves having the right mindset, good healthy balanced diet and regular exercise.. We don’t have to join the gym or become vegetarians, but achieving a healthy lifestyle is simple and it’s entirely our own responsibility. Our bodys are like complex machines, without the right care they breakdown, without the right knowledge they can’t be used to there full potential.

Diet

Diet plays a huge role in our self image & wellbeing. Its pointless working hours in the gym or a sports field and then eating a poor diet (eg. burgers, fries etc). A typical balanced diet consists of plenty of fruit and vegetables, enough carbohydrates for your energy expenditure, low intake of fats, sugars & salt (less than 6g a day), protein which we get from soya, milk or meat, it is responsible for the rebuilding of muscle tissue so vegetarian or not, its still important to eat some source of protein. Plenty of wholegrain foods high in fibre are a must especially for breakfast (wholemeal bread, oats etc) and a great way to start the day. Water is the next requirement (75ml per kg bodyweight) roughly about 8 glasses/ adult, drank regularly throughout the day. Always read the labels of foods as they are important guidelines as to what is in the products. Avoid processed foods as they often contain many additives and are often packed with salt.

Rest

A lot of us forget the body needs time to recuperate, well we should all ideally be getting 8 hrs sleep a night and preferably getting to bed before midnight. Without adequate rest we can become tired, demotivated and stressed.

Exercise

The World Health Organization recommends an hour a day of moderate intensity exercise (brisk walking, cycling etc). Now some of us do have hectic lifestyles where we are on our feet most of the day keeping active, others have more sedentary lifestyles, sometimes by career but often by choice. It’s up to us to take part in some sort of activity if not doing so already. The sound of the word exercise can be off putting for many, often thought of as too much of a chore, well becoming active can be fun and rewarding and once your body is in a routine, you’ll never regret the thought of exercise. The benefits are endless for all ages,

• Reduces the risks of chronic diseases.

• Improves blood cholesterol levels.

• Prevents bone loss.

• Manages your weight.

• Boosts energy levels.

• Releases tension.

• Form of socialising.

• Increases strength.

• Prevents and manages hypertension.

Those are just some examples of what a difference you’ll make to your health with regular exercise. So instead of the car think about walking or cycling the distance(realistic of course), take up a hobby or sport that keeps you active, instead of the lift take the stairs and so on. When it comes to the kids try and encourage them to go outdoors, whether it’s playing touch, game of soccer or heading to the local pool for a swim, at least they’re away from the TV or games console and they’ll thank you for it when they’re older. Children lead by our examples so make sure whatever you preach you practice.

Chris McGorman MLC.