A HEALTHY LIFE IS BUILT ON A SET OF HEALTHY HABITS. In this section, we will look at some essential healthy habits that will help you make better food choices. Consider how the following aspects of one's lifestyle affect one's health and well-being: family, friends, an intimacy, a sense of a community, spirituality, a recreation, time in nature, fulfilling work or a career, a service, a play, and laughter. In addition to the Habits For Health we will discuss here, all of these are important to cultivate: breathing, a movement, water, and sleep.
Water:
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The body is made up of 60 to 70 percent water. Water is essential for human survival because it helps the body hydrate, detoxify, maintain alertness, regulate a body temperature, and protect and support joints and organs. With improved a hydration, symptoms such as a fatigue, the mental fogginess, headaches, and dry skin can be improved and often resolved.
The average adult loses about 1.5 liters of urine per a day. Breathing, sweating, and bowel movements all contribute to the loss of an additional liter of water. Food, particularly watery fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and the watermelon, can provide about 20% of a total fluid intake.
While there is no hard and fast rule for how much water a person needs, the amount and color of your urine is a simple way to determine if you are properly hydrated. Following the first morning's urine, the urine should be clear and plentiful for the rest of the day. A more specific recommendation is based on body size: as previously stated, drink half your body weight in pounds in ounces per day. If you weigh 70 Kg, you should drink 3,5 Litters of water per day. With exercise, pregnancy, and illness,More water is required during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Consider drinking an additional eight ounces for every 30 minutes of exercise.
Every human being requires access to safe drinking water. City water systems will make drinking water safe for consumption, but they frequently include chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride. Furthermore, very small amounts of pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceutical medications, and harmful minerals such as lead can find their way into drinking water. Keep in mind that bottled water is more expensive and contributes to landfill waste without necessarily making your water safer. Bottled water may or may not have come from the tap. Furthermore, plastic bottles can contribute to the chemical BPA leaching into drinking water.
We recommend obtaining information about your city's drinking water, which includes background information on where the water is sourced and the amount of mineral content, including chlorine and fluoride. Consider purchasing a home water filtration system to help reduce some of the potentially harmful exposures found in drinking water.
Sleep:
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Sleep is necessary for good health. The body recovers from the stresses of the day while sleeping. The immune system becomes active in order to help the body fight infections and detoxify. Most adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, while children and teenagers may require 10 to 14 hours. Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder that lasts at least one month and is characterized by difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, causing clinically significant distress or impairing normal daytime functioning.
Insomnia affects up to 30% of the population in the United States.
People tend to report more insomnia as they get older, though it appears to be related to poor health in older people rather than the aging process. Poor sleep is not an excuse for getting older.
Chronic insomnia has also been linked to weight gain.
The ability to lose and maintain weight loss is influenced by the quality and quantity of sleep. Sleep deprivation causes an increase in ghrelin, a hormone that increases cravings for sweet carbohydrates. It also causes an increase in the stress hormone cortisol, which affects blood sugar balance and can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain over time. It will be difficult to achieve your weight loss goals unless you optimize this important habit.
Those who are battling to achieve optimal, restorative Take note of the following strategies for sleeping:
Create a routine based on your sleep and wake cycles: to reap the most health benefits. Go to bed at the same time every night, preferably before midnight, and get up at the same time every morning.
Sleep in a dimly lit room: Melatonin is a hormone that promotes restful sleep and is activated by the brain during the night. Sleep in a completely dark room (use a sleep mask or black out curtain if necessary) and avoid all artificial lights and electronics at least one hour before bed to promote healthy melatonin production. In addition, spend at least 15 to 20 minutes per day in bright, natural light.
After noon, avoid all caffeine. Some people may need to avoid all caffeine, whereas others may need to cut back by 10 a.m., for example. Caffeine's effects can last up to 20 hours in some people. Caffeine can be found in sodas, energy drinks, black or green tea, chocolate, and some over-the-counter medications.
Stay away from alcohol: A glass of wine or a beer may help you sleep at first, but alcohol actually interferes with your brain's ability to enter deeper levels of restorative sleep. Furthermore, alcohol contributes to excessive caloric intake.
Only use the bed for sleeping and intimacy. A bed is not a suitable substitute for the office.
There are a number of natural medicine tools available to help with healthy sleep. Herbal medicine, a homeopathy, nutritional supplements are (including amino acid therapies to promote an optimal neurotransmitter function in the brain), and a lifestyle counseling may be among these tools. Do not put off dealing with insomnia for too long. Every night, you need and deserve to catch some Z's. Your body and a mind rely on it.
Breathing:
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When we consider how important breathing is to our survival, it is surprising how little emphasis we place on the quality of our breathing and its impact on a healthy lifestyle. The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide during breathing is one way the body detoxifies. Stress can be reduced and blood pressure can be maintained by focusing on deep, quality breaths (diaphragmatic breathing). Deep breathing is actually very simple.
Find a quiet spot to sit or lie down, whichever is more comfortable for you. Place one hand on the stomach. Begin by exhaling completely through your nose or mouth. Then, for a count of five, take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold your breath for another second. Exhale for a count of five, then wait one second before repeating the cycle. Breathe for several minutes in this rhythm. Try to increase your daily focused breathing practice to ten minutes.
Simply taking a few deep breaths during times of stress is an effective stress-reduction technique. Deep, mindful breathing before meals and before going to bed can help with digestion and a more restful night's sleep.
Movement:
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A daily movement habit, like healthy eating, is essential for overall well-being. There are numerous obstacles to incorporating movement into our lives in today's fast-paced, technologically-driven world. Many adults sit at their desks all day at work. When physical education classes and recesses are shortened or eliminated, students are forced to sit all day at school. With a few exceptions, technology (TV, computers, tablets, and smart phones) also promotes a sedentary lifestyle. So, until local and federal educational policy changes are implemented, and corporate wellness programs for working adults become the norm, it will be up to individuals and families to ensure that everyone is physically active. A workout at the gym, on the other hand, will not solve everything. We are not just promoting exercise; we are also combating sitting disease in our society. The act of sitting for long periods of time is now recognized as a risk factor for disease, regardless of how much exercise you get in a day. Long periods of physical inactivity (rather than simply a lack of exercise) increase the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity, according to a growing body of research.
Those most at risk sit for eight or more hours per day, and women are more vulnerable than men. Each hour spent watching television is associated with an 18% increase in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Within one hour of sitting, metabolic changes such as increased triglyceride levels and decreased HDL levels (both of which increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease) as well as decreased carbohydrate metabolism may occur.