From the very early stages of our childhood, we have been familiar with the phrase ‘Health is Wealth’. It is a no-brainer that sound health is the most important aspect for a lively way of life. Today, we live in a world where living a healthy lifestyle is a far-fetched dream for majority of humans. According to research, healthy lifestyle leads to increased productivity at work, enhanced level of satisfaction and happiness. So why are substantial number of humans inclined towards a non-healthy lifestyle? Well, there are significant number of aspects that are causing the above question to prevail.
The young generation is obsessed with the ‘husting’ culture and we tend to prioritize our work before anything else. Competition is higher than ever and to survive in the market we are risking our survival in the earth. According to research from the American Psychological Association, Generation Z—those born anywhere from 1994-1997 depending on which expert you reference—are more likely than any previous generation to report their mental health as fair or poor. Workplace dissatisfaction, unhealthy eating habits and fears regarding their safety are causing the Generation Z member to be the most stressed generation of all time. It is a major challenge to live a healthy lifestyle in this vying world.
The paramount element of healthy lifestyle is healthy eating habits. According to multiple researches, a switch to a healthy diet improves mental health significantly. Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. But it is a disease of the brain, and researchers find that ensuring it receives the proper nutrients is a way to prevent and treat depression. According to a 2012 study, more than 50% of Americans (that were polled) felt that doing their taxes is easier than figuring out how to eat healthy. To address this aspect of healthy lifestyle, our diet should include whole foods, adequate protein, green vegetables, probiotics and good amount of water. Foods such as walnut, fish, coffee, blueberries, dark chocolate and nuts contain nutrients which are best for our brains. We need to keep our brain healthy as it is responsible for keeping our life on track.
Living a healthy lifestyle is close to impossible without regular exercise. According to calculation of health researchers, over half of all deaths from cancer might be prevented with regular exercise. Not just that, a regular exercise routine reduces inflammation, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, slows aging, triggers the growth of new brain cells, reduces dementia risks, helps to treat and prevent depression and keeps us immune from infirmities. Not all of us have started exercising but it’s never too late because, based on a new research study, older persons who have never exercised regularly have a similar ability to build muscle compared to highly trained “master athletes” of a similar age. So, if we start exercising regularly, we take a prime leap towards a healthy lifestyle.
While exploring the factors necessary for a healthy lifestyle, sleep often takes a back seat. Sleep helps us recover from the challenges we face every day and recharges us for taking on the day. A new study suggests, sleep deprivation is linked with DNA damage. Sound sleep of 6-8 hours can bring significant changes in our lifestyle. Sound sleep helps us to stick to our diet, make better financial decisions, perform at higher levels, and make us calmer and happier.
We live majority of our life working and it is important to make sure that we love our work. It is one of the major challenges humans are facing all over the world. We need to make sure we surround ourselves with resources that drive positivity inside of us. There are various ways to make the most out of our job and be more than just satisfied. If we learn to grow through discomfort. A lot of us quit because we don’t find comfort in our work but in order to compete and grow we should build our willingness to be with discomfort. Building emotional intelligence can significantly boost our mentality towards our work as employees tend to get highly demotivated due to lack of emotions management. It also builds empathy which will help in understanding the situation of conflict better as we will start analyzing the situation from the other person’s point of view. A lot of us are stuck in the jobs that are completely opposite to our goals in life. In such cases we need to realize the fact that we only have this life to do what we actually want. We have to take the risks because we will never know what’s in store for us until and unless we work for it.
A famous African proverb says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ Human beings are social creatures and healthy relationships are a pre-requisite for a healthy lifestyle. We need to constantly interact with friends, family and co-workers and be available for them, because without them our life experiences are insignificant.
Living a healthy lifestyle is all about the choices we make. It is not easy but nothing in this world worth having comes easy. If we take it one day at a time and start adapting to a healthy lifestyle, we can enhance our way of life for our self and everyone around us.