Healthy living is a lifestyle. It’s not something you can just start and stop when things get busy or your motivation wanes. Successfully incorporating these core principles into your life will result in better health and wellness overall.
1. Healthy eating
The first core principle of a healthy lifestyle is mindful eating.
A balanced diet is one that contains all the nutrients you need to be healthy and maintain proper weight. It also helps protect against certain types of disease, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
A balanced diet includes
Plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
Lean sources of protein (fish, poultry, beans) or unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds)
2. Mindfulness
A healthy lifestyle is an essential part of life, and mindfulness can help you get there.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully aware of what you’re doing in the moment. It’s being aware of your body, mind and surroundings without judgment or criticism.
You can practice mindfulness by focusing on an activity that requires your full attention—like washing dishes or walking outside—and noticing how it feels. You can also try meditating for a few minutes every day. Focus on breathing deeply and let go of any thoughts that come into your head; once they pass, return to focusing on your breath until the meditation ends.
3. Exercise
Exercising is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle and can help you live longer, feel better, and even lose weight.
Exercise is any activity that causes your body to exert energy. This includes walking, running, lifting weights, swimming—you name it! The key is to find an activity that you enjoy doing because if you don’t enjoy it then you will have trouble sticking with it long term. You should aim for at least 30 minutes per day of moderate exercise or 20 minutes per day of vigorous exercise like jogging or playing sports.
Start slowly by choosing one type of exercise and do it every day until it becomes part of your routine. Then add another type until you are doing all three types regularly each week: aerobic (cardio), anaerobic (strength training), and flexibility exercises like yoga or Pilates can all be beneficial depending on what kind of goals you have in mind (weight loss vs toning up).
4. Sleep
We need adequate sleep to function normally. Get in at least 8 hours of quality sleep. Being well rested reduces stress levels, promotes healing of muscles and rejuvenates u
5. Happiness
Happiness is a choice and a decision.
The truth is that you can choose to be happy, regardless of what happens in your life. Happiness isn’t something that will just happen to you without any effort on your part. If happiness is something you want in your life, then it’s up to you to make some changes that will help bring it about.
In order for happiness to be an unshakable constant in our lives, we must make choices that lead us down the path toward it. Choosing this path means making decisions based upon what makes us feel good and not those which are motivated by our fears or emotions (i.e., “I’ll eat this because I feel guilty about eating healthy”).
6. Drinking Water
A healthy diet and lifestyle is about more than just what you eat. It’s also about the water you drink. Drinking water helps flush toxins from your body, helps keep your skin looking young, keeps your kidneys working properly and helps you lose weight by helping to decrease bloating.
7. Laughter
Laughter is a powerful healer. It helps us to combat stress and anxiety, and it can even help you to avoid certain illnesses. Laughter can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, increase your energy level, improve your mood and even strengthen bones!
Just like with everything else in life, there’s no one specific way that laughter has to be used in order for it to be effective. Find some humor in everyday situations or create something funny yourself if needed. You don’t need any special props or people around you; just find something that makes you laugh out loud (or chuckle quietly) on your own time whenever possible!
8. Organization & planning
Planning is important.
Planning helps you achieve goals.
Planning helps you stay on track.
Planning helps you be more efficient.
Planning helps you be more productive and effective, which leads to success!
9. Self-discipline
Self-discipline is a skill that can be developed, but it’s not easy to do. It requires you to make a very conscious choice each day. You must choose to develop this habit and practice it regularly.
You have total control over your behavior and responses in any given situation when you have self-discipline. Your ability to use self-discipline will determine how successful you are in life, especially when it comes down to making healthy choices like eating well or exercising regularly.
10. Hobbies & Interests
Hobbies are a great way to spend your free time and provide an outlet for creativity. There are several hobbies that can be done at home, such as painting or writing, or you may want to explore something more active like running or yoga.
It’s important to keep in mind that hobbies can be an investment of both money and time—but they don’t have to be! In fact, some of the most rewarding hobby activities are completely free (e.g., reading). It’s also important to remember that hobbies don’t have to be solitary activities: they can bring friends together while still allowing each person their own space (e.g., going on hikes).
There are many more principles of a healthy lifestyle, but these 10 are a great place to start. When you’re making decisions about your health and wellness, try to keep these core principles in mind.