Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle

One thing that you all need to know, and that I am sure is a reason that many of you are here is that although not all illnesses are preventable, it is a fact that a large proportion of deaths, particularly those from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, can be avoided. In addition many chronic diseases can also be avoided. Both of these things can be achieved by having a healthy lifestyle. Can there be anything more important?

To those of you going through illness right now, you have my sympathies. I know how hard a time like this can be. I do hope you are getting great support from others. I know I have a lot of doctors to thank for part of my recovery but, and this is a big but, much of my recovery wasn't me relying exclusively on the care I was getting from the highly trained health professionals and doctors but it was down to me making big changes in my lifestyle.

You owe it to yourself to create a lifestyle that is going to best support you and ultimately help you recuperate. A healthy lifestyle can help bring about dramatic improvements as well as ensuring things don't get worse. 

To those of you who have no health worries in the slightest, do everything you can to ensure things stay as they are and your best way of preventing problems in the future is by having a healthy lifestyle today. 

Every one of you has your own motivations for wanting to start building your own healthy lifestyle. I'm sure we all want to live a long, happy and healthy life where we are always full of energy and vitality, free from disease and illness. 

There are plenty more reasons why having a healthy lifestyle is a good idea. 

A healthy lifestyle has an incredible number of benefits, for example:

• Reduces the incidence and impact of health problems 
• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes 
• Reduction in probability of virtually all diseases 
• Increase the length of one's life 
• Improve joint stability and flexibility 
• Increase overall strength and stamina 
• Maintain bone density 
• Prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures 
• Improve sense of wellness and mood 
• Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression 
• Improve self-esteem 
• Improved self-confidence 
• Improve sharpness and clarity of mind
• Improve memory in elderly people 
• Reduce stress 
• IMPROVES OUR QUALITY OF LIFE

What Is A Healthy lifestyle

The starting point for this guide has to be to define exactly what is meant by the term a "healthy lifestyle.' To do this let's first look at the two words separately.

First we will define HEALTH.

The world health organisation in 1946 defined health as: "A complete state of mental, physical and social well-being not merely the absence of disease."

According to Merriam-Webster the definition of health is: "the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit."

My favourite definition is from the free dictionary: "A relative state in which one is able to function well physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually in order to express the full range of one's unique potentialities within the environment in which one is living." 

Now let's look at the word LIFESTYLE. It is defined as "the way in which a person lives."

The American heritage dictionary of the english language defines lifestyle as: "A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group."

Dictionary.com says it is "the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group."

Wikipedia defines a lifestyle as the way a person lives: "this includes patterns of social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress. A lifestyle typically also reflects an individual's attitudes, values or worldview. A healthy lifestyle is generally characterized as a balanced life in which one makes wise choices."

A final definition of lifestyle is: "the aggregation of decisions by individuals which affect their health, and over which they more or less have control."

That's a whole lot of definitions but nowhere does any website (which I could find at the time of writing this guide) actually define the term "healthy lifestyle." So in the beginners guide spirit I have coined my own simple healthy lifestyle definition in one (easy to understand) sentence.

"A healthy lifestyle is making the best daily life choices to preserve good health and well-being, lowering the risk of being seriously ill or dying early."

Larry Lewis

Yes you did read that right. The risk of not having a healthy lifestyle is death. You may think I'm over exaggerating but it's so important to live a healthy lifestyle yet so many of us choose unhealthy lifestyle choices every day. We have the mindset of "it will never happen to me" but over time living an unhealthy lifestyle will catch up with all of us"

With that said, let's move on to the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and how you can start making positive changes to your current lifestyle.

What Causes A Headache - (10 Most Common Headache Triggers)

There are a few common (and unexpected) things you can learn to avoid to prevent pain in the future.

1- Anxiety: Stress can take a toll on you. Breathe, relax & take a stroll.

2- Glare: Brightness from your computer screen, sunlight or overhead lights can make things painful. Turn it down & try adding a desk lamp.

3- Noise: It is not just loud, repetitive sounds. Even lower level on continuous noise can hurt. Calming music & headphones may help.

4- Eating + Sleeping Patterns: Eat when you are hungry. Sleep enough (not too much or too little), & do not sleep in an odd position in a cold room – it can make your muscles spasm.

5- Medication: Some prescription medications may have the potential to trigger a headache. If you notice an increase, talk to your doctor.

6- Physical Activity: Take it easy in the gym. Pushing too hard can result in an exertional headache from the swelling of blood vessels in your head, neck & scalp.

7- Lack of Physical Activity: Even though over-exertion can increase your risk for headaches, staying sedentary does not help either. As with most things in life, moderation is key. Talk to your doctor before beginning or revising any exercise regimen.

8- Posture: Your mom was right! Sit up straight to keep blood flowing (and move around when you can if you spend extended periods of time bent over a desk).

9- Hormones: When estrogen levels drop (especially right before your period), you may be more likely to get a headache. Keep track of your cycle & plan when you can.

10- Food Sensitivities: Food & drink release neurotransmitters, which can cause headaches in some people. Triggers include aspartame, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, cheese & more.