Living a Healthy Lifestyle - Essay Example

Healthy lifestyle The ability of people to have the right mindset in their social, physical and mental in regards to healthy balanced diet and regular exercise that may keep them away from diseases may be referred to as a healthy lifestyle. Living a healthy lifestyle is individual responsibility. This is because individual’s bodies are usually like complex machines which are prone to breakdown in the case of poor care. Further, inadequate knowledge about individual’s bodies may also result into underutilization of individual’s bodies potential. It is for this matter that people needs to adopt healthy living style in order to ensure that they stay healthy and exploit the advantages that come as a result of healthy lifestyle. There are several factors that surround healthy living and these ranges from diet that individuals take in their daily lives, the amount of time they take to rest as well as the exercises that they undertake. Different perspectives have been directed towards the concept of healthy living, with some individuals suggesting that such living would be costly. In this paper, focus will be laid on the description of benefits associated with living healthy lifestyle. In a similar manner, varied perspectives shall be explored so as to reveal factors that work in support of the healthy lifestyle. The paper shall rely adversely on empirical studies, various proven media reports, statistical reports among others. First, a healthy living has the potential of ensuring that individuals are able to protect themselves against diseases that may be caused by poor lifestyle. This can majorly be realized through the types of food that people eat. There is a huge role played by diet in the image and the well-being of individuals. One may argue that they keep themselves sage in terms of images and well being by attending gym. This argument may remain illogical as long as individuals maintain poor eating habits. Typically, it is important that balance diet contain plenty of vegetables and fruits as well as enough carbohydrates that help the body with energy. By choosing the best types of food to eat, an individual can gain energy and this eventually leads to living an enjoyable life. (Caton, 5) It is also important to highlight that when individuals engage in exercise as part of healthy living, they keep their bodies relaxed, particularly the muscles and therefore keeping the individual energized. According to the World Health Organization, it is recommended that individuals spend an hour a day to get involved in moderate intensity exercise. Ordinarily, individuals usually get themselves in sedentary life either by choice or by the nature of the work they do. In circumstances like that, exercise is important since it helps a persons muscles to relax and gain strength through the simple daily exercises such as jogging, walking, or weight lifting. Statistical research has also proven that individuals who live a healthy lifestyle are able to control their body weight and maintain a good body shape. It is possible since daily exercising reduces ones calories and initiates development of stronger bones by increasing the bones intensity. Other diseases that are associated with bad health lifestyles may also be prevented including the diseases such as immunoglobulin, osteoporosis, lowering triglycerides, coronal thrombosis. Consequently, these forms evidence that choosing a healthy lifestyle increases individuals energy and reduces the chances of being infected by diseases. Secondly, living a healthy lifestyle increases the fun in an individual and improves their daily moods. Caton (p2) points that individuals living a healthy lifestyle have great moods and have fun in most of their activities. He furthers this argument by suggesting that those who chose to eat quality foods have more advantages since they are able to spend their day without any digestive complications. Researchers encourage that people should eat whole foods in order to have an easy digestion. Additionally, eating fruits, vegetables and drinking plenty of water can keep an individuals moods better since these are light foods that can easily be digested by the body. Moreover, they are rich in vitamins and minerals hence boosting the bodys appearance. (Pearsall, Robert, et al, 56) Through research, most individuals confirmed that eating well-prepared green smoothies improves their attitudes and consequently, they are able to enjoy their day maximally. (Roulier, Monte, 24) It is also important to look at living a healthy lifestyle as a way of saving money particularly in regards to medical services. Saving money is the choice that most people aspire to do. Considering the tough economic times that individuals face, what would help them save money would certainly be the choice they want to take. This is more heightened especially when such saving of the money is in relation to medical services. Through statistical reports, it has been identified that most of the people who seek medical services in all hospitals are leading an unhealthy lifestyle through consumption of unhealthy foods and lack of exercise (Troost et al. 7). Consequently, they spend most of their money paying medical bills and buying medicine, whereas, they could save on this money through adapting to living a healthy lifestyle. Caton, (5) suggests that individuals should adopt healthy lifestyle that has a long time effect of prolonging life and further reducing the cost of treatment. For instance, he points fatty foods as possible causes of heart diseases. Heart diseases attract heavy medical bills which may weigh down individuals whose income would not be able to sustain such bills. In a more interesting twist, it is amazing to realize that less fatty food and generally healthy types of food tend to be cheaper than the kind of food that other individuals would choose to take. Behavior change in regards to eating habits would go along away in helping individuals avoid unnecessary medical bills and instead use the money in a more creative and development oriented activities. Living a healthy lifestyle leads to a better sleep of the individual. (Graham, Candida, et al, 12) There is a direct correlation between eating well and obtaining good sleep. Usually, individuals tend to forget that their bodies need to recuperate. It is critical that people spend at least 8 hours a day to rest. When individuals don’t get enough rest, they are prone to be tired, distressed as well as being demotivated. In its wholeness, studies indicate that those individuals who get good sleep are able to achieve many things including meeting their targets at work places or successfully grasping concepts in class. (Graham, Candida, et al, 12) One of the ways through which studies have examined sleep is by suggesting that healthy behaviors like exercising assist individuals to relax better and hence leading to a refreshed mind, which in the end leads to a better sleep (Caton 2). Additionally, sleeping adequately is a requirement while an individual chooses to live a healthy lifestyle. Further studies also reveal that through research, most individuals who have confirmed to sleep for fewer hours have a hard time during the day since they have a dull mood and as a result, they are not able to have fun and concentrate on their daily activities. (Verhaeghe, Nick, et al, 23). Another important aspect of living a healthy lifestyle is that it is advantageous to all individuals since it improves on their confidence, charisma, and self-esteem. Media reports and other researchers have proved that eating healthy foods and keeping fit leads to a healthy body, perfect health and improve on the body shape and appearance. This as a result improves individuals comfort and confidence while addressing others in the end since they are sure that they look presentable in all cases (Roulier, 3). Additionally, since their health is good, they are able to have a high self-esteem. Research argues that most people holding top positions in the work place always exercise living a healthy lifestyle that boosts their self-esteem and increase their confidence while addressing other people. (Caton, Sue, 13) Most of them prefer to exercise in the afternoons after work, drink plenty of water during the day, avoid fatty foods, and prefer to jog early in the morning before they go to work. Additionally, the people who chose to live a good and healthy life are attractive and are irresistible to other people since they are able to perfect on their weight, size, among other physical appearances (Roulier 2). Henceforth, this essay encourages people to live a healthy lifestyle if they hope to be attractive, confident and have self-esteem while communicating with other people. Lastly, living a good and healthy lifestyle reduces individual stress. Graham et al. (4) notes that eating healthy food reduces the stress of individuals, additionally; exercising a lot also relaxes the mind of individuals. A relaxed mind leads to a healthy life whereby individuals are able to think critically and analyze situations with much ease hence reducing the chances of having stress. Once an individuals stress reduces, he, or she can have an improved health too. (Graham et al. 4) It is advisable to live a healthy life since stress is known to cause many negative effects on the life of individuals such as breaking of marriages, complicated health problems among many others (Pearsall et al. 7). Further, living a stress free life can be possible through adapting to living a better and healthy lifestyle, which in the long run enables an individual live a better life and achieve great success in the end. In summation, it is important to realize that advantages associated with the healthy living are overwhelming and as such should be the roadmap upon which individuals live. Based on the critical reviews of the studies advanced in the previous sections, indeed it is the choice that everyone should endeavor to take. People have made their lives to be so busy, with everybody wanting to have all their concerns including school, family, leisure and work fit in a limited amount of time. Compounding the need to save money, the need to avoid diseases and the aspiration of being successful in whatever individuals do and the fact that all these concepts relate to healthy living, it is beyond doubt that integrating healthy living in the lives of individuals across all classes presents a better future for the largest population. Lifestyle diseases like obesity would be avoided and government would seek to focus economy development on other sectors like education and wealth creation rather than treating lifestyle diseases. The fact that adoption of healthy living surrounds behavior change presents a better opportunity for the education sectors to use behavior modification strategies among children and students to enable them translate lessons they learn in schools into their daily lives. Works Cited Caton, Sue. "Healthy Lifestyles For Adults With Intellectual Disability: Knowledge, Barriers, And Facilitators*." Journal Of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 37.3 (2012): 248- 259. Graham, Candida, et al. "Healthy Living? By Whose Standards? Engaging Mental Health Service Recipients To Understand Their Perspectives Of, And Barriers To, Healthy Living." Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal 36.3 (2013): 215-218. Print. Pearsall, Robert, et al. "Understanding The Problems Developing A Healthy Living Programme In Patients With Serious Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study." BMC Psychiatry 14.1 (2014): 1-17. Roulier, Monte. "Place-Based Practices Shape The Healthy Communities Movement." National Civic Review 103.1 (2014): 4-8. Troost, Jonathan P., et al. "Temporal And Regional Trends In The Prevalence Of Healthy Lifestyle Characteristics: United States, 1994-2007." American Journal Of Public Health 102.7 (2012): 1392-1998. Print. Verhaeghe, Nick, et al. "Health Promotion In Mental Health Care: Perceptions From Patients And Mental Health Nurses." Journal Of Clinical Nursing 22.11/12 (2013): 1569-1578. Read More