Think back to school. You probably weren’t given that much advice or information on how to stay healthy. Indeed, the most advice that you probably received was to eat five a day, brush your teeth and complete some exercise. The exercise of course was baked into school classes and eventually, eating healthy was slotted into the meals you could get at school. Why then, once we grow up, does staying healthy become such a struggle?
Well, there are a few reasons for this. First, we’re exposed to more dangers to our health as we get older. We can choose whether we want to drink or smoke. We can engage in sexual activity which can leave us vulnerable to various STDs, including those that impact our immune system. We have more freedom too. Once you leave home and start living a completely independent life, it’s up to you how much you exercise and how healthy you do eat. Perhaps you don’t eat healthy at all and instead live on fast food. This concept has been largely championed by classic Sitcoms such as Friends where the guys and girls were hardly ever shown cooking, instead, favouring take out. Of course, that never stopped them from having the Hollywood look.
Research healthy living, and you’ll find that the advice can get quite complicated. Should you eat gluten or avoid it completely? Is it best to go vegan and is it better to do short, intensive exercise routines or something that takes more time and is less strenuous? The situation is even more difficult when you realize that the answer is constantly changing. One minute red wine is bad for you and the next it actually helps your blood.
Despite all this though, we think once you get right down to it, living healthy can be remarkably simple so there’s no need to have fear or succumb to the issues of a poor lifestyle.
Diet Is Simple
It really is, and the first thing that you need to remember is that there’s no need to cut out anything from your diet completely. Take salt for instance. You might have noticed when you head for your cheat day for the take out that salt is no longer included in your chips. If you want salt, you have to add it yourself, which is fine, except salt is actually good for you in small quantities. It can help your bones and joints, stopping them from feeling stiff. Now, the level of salt you need for this is remarkably small, but it’s a good example of why you shouldn’t cut it completely out of your diet.
Gluten can also have certain benefits despite what the diet books may tell you. Ultimately, there’s a simple lesson to learn here. Nothing in the right amount is going to be bad for you. That means you can enjoy controlled amounts of sugar, salt, and fat without worrying that you’re going to get heart disease. Your body actually needs a little of the bad things to thrive.
As for the rest, you need to focus on nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. Special vitamins, antioxidants are found in a variety of different natural products including broccoli. They fight back against oxygenation in the body which can lead to severe issues and has been linked to various health problems, including the deterioration of grey brain matter. You can find a list of anti-oxidants online as well as information on the ones you want in your diet. Ultimately though, as long as you focus on eating natural, organic foods, you will get a fair few quite easily.
While take-outs don’t need to be cut out completely, you should also be working to make your own food as much as you can. A lot of people don’t do this because they think it takes a lot of time and effort. But it doesn’t have to, and there are lots of healthy options that are actually very fast indeed, like a stir-fry. This takes less than twenty minutes to prepare, cook and eat. Just be careful you don’t add too much sauce because this is a good way to accidentally pile on the fat.
Keeping Things Natural
Do you have a cold or the flu? Try heading to your doctor to get some meds, and the chances are they won’t give you anything. Instead, they’ll ask you to grin and bare it and tell you it will go away without medication, which honestly it probably will. More and more research emerges every year that warns about the danger of overmedication. In America, this has become an epidemic, and thankfully we haven’t reached that point in the UK. However, overusing meds can also weaken the immune system and make you more susceptible to developing a range of different illnesses, as well as the dreaded superbugs that are becoming more problematic.
As such, if you do worry about your health, you need to think about using natural options. You can, for instance, ensure a healthy heart, simply by focusing on natural supplements that can be found throughout the world. Taking natural supplements can provide the support that your body needs without putting it at more risk. Ultimately, it’s all about making sure that your body is treated like a temple and you are careful about the substances you use, even to heal it.
Exercising The Right Way
Last but not least, let’s think about exercise. Exercise is the cornerstone of any health or diet plan. You can’t lose weight and get in shape by just eating right. You need to make sure that you are also doing something to burn off the calories that you consume. However, studies have also shown the danger of intensive exercise such as running and sprinting. It can mean that you will be more likely to develop serious health issues like arthritis later in life. If you want to avoid this danger, it’s best to focus on more gentle forms of exercise that can benefit the body and the mind, such as yoga.
We hope you see now that despite the volume of information and advice, it is easier than you think to stay healthy.
