Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is the practice of behaviours such as healthy eating, physical activity, no smoking, getting enough rest and not using alcohol wrongly, to prevent diseases. These behaviours are mutually inclusive and not exclusive of one another. They are practiced collectively and not individually to get better results. This simply means while we eat healthily, we should also stay active, use alcohol safely, get enough sleep, and not smoke among other healthy lifestyle behaviours.
Physical Activity
Staying active or performing physical activity does not only mean exercising in a gym, playing a sport, or jogging, as some are likely to assume. In truth, exercising is only part of being active because being active means doing anything that makes you move your body. Therefore, physical activity includes household chores like cooking, washing, and house cleaning. It also includes walking, brisk walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, running, playing any sport, doing aerobic exercises or using cardiovascular equipment. Read more from here.
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating describes a good habit of eating healthy diets regularly. A good eating habit is one which involves regularly eating at least three meals a day without frequently skipping meals. A healthy diet is one that is made up of a variety of foods in their right amounts. Including a variety of foods in their right amounts is key here because it is the variety of foods in their right amount that provide the body with the different nutrients it needs to function.
A food contains at least one nutrient but not all nutrients needed by the body. Again, the food may contain an amount of the nutrient but may not have the right amount needed by the body. Additionally, the nutrient(s) may be present but may not easily be available for use by the body. This goes to show that every food can be chosen to make a healthy diet as each food provides at least one nutrient needed by the body. No food should be eliminated from the diet based on it being bad. Food should rather be included in the diet based on whether it is the right amount to be eaten.
Let me however add that foods may be eliminated based on grounds of faith, belief, intolerance, allergies or a health professional’s request. Should you ever find yourself in such a situation, it is advisable you find out the nutrient(s) you might be missing and ask your health professional how to compensate for the missing nutrients. Read more from here
Getting Enough sleep
A good sleep is determined by the number of hours one sleeps in any 24-hour period. The exact amount needed varies depending on the age of the person. Read more from here.
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Written and reviewed by: Irene Danquah, ANutr
Last page review: 23/12/2021
Next page review: 31/12/2024