Essential Building Blocks For A Healthy Life

Let's be honest, we often don’t take care of ourselves as well as we should. It’s difficult these days when we have busy schedules, family responsibilities, and work life. Many times when faced with the choice between doing what we need to care for ourselves and convenience, it's not easy to always make the right choice.

However, maintaining our health should come first, before our daily responsibilities and even before our work. The truth is that if we aren’t healthy, we cannot be successful in both home and work life.

Obtaining the correct amount of exercise truly benefits nearly all aspects of our health. Regular exercise helps control weight, will improve mental health, the likelihood of a long healthy life, and the strength of your bones and muscles.

As a goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. If you are trying to lose weight, maintain weight loss or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. It's important to remember that even small amounts of physical activity are very helpful and accumulated activity throughout the day will add up to provide a positive health benefit.

Tip: Take part in an exercise program at work or get a gym membership at a nearby gym. Park a little farther from your destination and choose to walk. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.

Resting is equally important as working out because it's an important part of the total process needed to build strength, endurance, and muscle. Working out breaks your body tissues down while resting days allow your muscles, nerves, bones, and connective tissue time to rebuild.

Relaxation for your mind is equally important. While there are no specific guidelines for the amount of relaxation a person should incorporate into their lifestyle, making time to unwind and enjoy life is a critical part of maintaining good health. Deep relaxation, like meditation, when practiced regularly will not only relieve stress and anxiety but also is shown to improve mood.

Tip: After a hard workout, cooling down properly will aid in circulation and prevent blood pooling and swelling, which can contribute to soreness later. Take the time to stretch and rehydrate. Be sure to carve out time in your day to rest, meditate, or simply focus on proper breathing.

Good nutrition is also a significant part of leading a healthy lifestyle. When you combine physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases, and promote better overall health.

Our bodies must be fed with proper nutrition in order to maintain it's optimal performance. Diets should be brimming with mostly whole foods like vegetables, fruit, seeds, and protein sources from dairy, meats, eggs, fish, or soy products. With this balanced diet of approximately 50% good carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 20% good fats, we give our bodies an excellent chance of being healthy and strong.

Tip : Cooking at home will give you more control over ingredients and portion sizes, so aim to cook at home more often than eating out. Keep healthy snack options readily available to easily have when hungry.

Taking good care of your body and mind can strongly impact how healthy we are in general and how well we cope with change. Exercising, relaxing and getting enough rest and proper nutrition will help you be more productive and enjoy life to the fullest. Taking good care of yourself may require a little extra time and effort, but it’s worth it.

Self-maintenance is critical to your overall success because it allows you to go further, get more done and most importantly, be healthy and happy while doing it.

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