Have you ever seen someone and been impressed by how healthy they seem? They may not be showy about their “wiser” lifestyle, but it’s obvious that they’re in good health from their fitness, appearance, and clear physical and mental wellbeing. How does anyone become that healthy, especially with all the business that their life may entail?
Being healthy can be somewhat complicated, especially for those with a lot going on in their lives. The secret often lies in the incorporation of certain healthy habits that form a positive routine in your life. What habits are those? Well, why don’t you learn from the best? Here are 4 habits of extremely healthy people you can adopt today.
1.   They Have Healthy Bedtime Habits
People often underestimate the importance of good bedtime habits. There’s more to restorative rest than simply sleeping or napping. Healthy, positive habits surrounding your daily rest is crucial to better health, and this is something healthy people know very well and practice a lot. Here are some healthy bedtime habits to adopt:
·        Get The Right Amount Of Sleep
Extremely healthy people understand the value of rest. They know that they should balance their sleeping hours to get enough sleep without going overboard. Research shows that sleeping less than 7 hours can shorten your lifespan, so it’s best to adopt better sleep habits quickly. In addition, a lack of sleep makes you more tired, puts you at risk for many different diseases, and reduces your ability to complete daily tasks. On the flip side, too much sleep can decrease your physical activity levels, worsen symptoms of depression, and may even point to health problems.
·        Maintain A Regular Sleeping Time
It’s not uncommon for people to have trouble falling asleep, which really throws a wrench in any plans to get enough of it. But extremely healthy people have a way around this, too! They follow a science-sanctioned, tried-and-true method of going to bed at the same time every day – even on weekends. This allows your body’s internal clock to line up with a schedule, making it easier to fall asleep when night falls. This also helps to reduce feelings of exhaustion while improving memory and focus the following day.
·        Turn Off Devices An Hour Before Bedtime
A lot of people stay on their phones or laptops even as they’re trying to sleep, or perhaps have the TV on until right before they decide to hit the sake. Healthy people don’t do this because the light from such devices affects their ability to fall asleep! Artificial light can send a message to the brain that it’s still daytime and that it’s time to be alert and awake. This kind of constant exposure can reduce positive thinking, lead to constant poor sleep, increase mental disorder risk, and even increase your risks for cancer! It’s best to switch off your devices an hour before bed and spend that time reading or relaxing instead.
2.   They Prioritize Their Mental Health
While pursuing physical health, extremely healthy people don’t neglect their mental wellbeing. A healthy mind makes a healthy body and vice versa, so healthy individuals learn to prioritize their mental health and consider any emotional or psychological problems as valid and worthy of aid as physical problems. Here are some ways to adopt this healthy habit into your life:
·        Avoid Excessive Anxiety and Stress
Yes, stress and anxiety aren’t always avoidable, and they’re a part of life in many ways. But that doesn’t mean you should excessively expose yourself to them! Individuals who experience these feelings, especially on a chronic or disorderly level, have a significantly higher risk of serious diseases and premature death, say studies. Learning to manage stress and anxiety is something all healthy people have to do if they want to maintain their levels of health.
·        Put Happiness First
It’s great to be selfless and caring of others, but you shouldn’t forget that at the end of the day, you need to prioritize yourself sometimes before you can be of any help to others. Your happiness and positive thinking are so important that being happy can increase your lifespan, according to studies! That’s why healthy people often seem happy – they put effort into making sure that their mental wellbeing is a priority.
·        Meditate
In the same vein as easing stress, healthy people often meditate in order to boost their wellbeing. There are many different kinds of meditation, allowing you to easily find ones that will work for you. Research indicates that those who meditate experience higher levels of positive thinking reduced stress and anxiety, and lower risks of depression.
3.   They Incorporate Simple Exercise Into Daily Activities
Exercise doesn’t always have to be about running marathons, sweating it out at the gym, and taking aside dedicated time to work out. Healthy people know the value of adding physical activity to their lives by incorporating it into their everyday activities. Here are some habits that healthy people engage in that allow them to get more simple daily exercise:
·        Walk During Breaktime
Breaktimes are a fairly common procedure in schools, workplaces, and even personal self-employed schedules. For the most part, they may be used to eat, relax, or relieve stress. HEalthy people are likely to use any extra time they have during these breaks to go for a bit of a walk. Even five or ten minutes of walking is good enough for them, and it helps them feel less stressed, less anxious, and more positive for the rest of the day. On top of all that, they also still get the benefits of mild exercise, so it’s a win-win all around.
·        Use A Standing Desk
People sit more and more every day, and that’s not healthy for the human body at all! A lot of sitting increases your risk of multiple diseases and can shorten your lifespan, according to research. Many office workers sit for a whopping 15 hours daily! That’s why healthy people try to stand instead of sit, sometimes by using ergonomic standing desks. If it’s within your means to get one, give one a try. You might even be more productive than usual!
·        Take The Stairs
If you are able-bodied, taking the stairs is a wonderful way to add some surprisingly intense exercise to your daily life. Studies have shown that taking the stairs is actually faster than taking an elevator when you take waiting time into account, so you can’t use productivity as an excuse. Better yet, climbing stairs can improve your longevity, especially if you lead a relatively sedentary life. So take those stairs and you’ll see why healthy people do!
4.   They Have Good Eating Habits
Eating healthily isn’t about counting calories, going on diets, or meticulously recording your macros. In fact, it isn’t even just about the specific foods that you eat or avoid. Healthy people know that nutrition is a complex subject and do their best to formulate healthy eating habits that keep them fit and alert. Here are some eating habits that you can learn from healthy individuals:
·        Eat Whole Foods and Avoid Processed Foods
No one can deny the convenience of processed foods. They have a long shelf life, they tend to come in easy-to-carry packages, and they often taste great thanks to all their additives. But they also don’t have the necessary nutrients for your body and they may even increase your risk of developing chronic diseases, according to research. Whole foods, like brown rice, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and fresh meats, are all better options that provide you with vitamins, minerals, and other components crucial to healthy living. Healthy people do their best to avoid junk and processed meals, and you should too.
·        Don’t Overeat
Overeating means you’re taking in more calories than your body needs and can burn off, forcing it to store the excess as fat, potentially clogging up the passageways within your body. Numerous studies have shown how overeating leads to many different disease risks, often with the association of reduced lifespans. While you absolutely should never starve yourself or deprive yourself of food, it’s a good idea to follow in the footsteps of healthy individuals who eat balanced portions and make sure to neither over- nor undereat.
·        Eat While Seated
People eat on the go as they rush around in the hustle and bustle of their daily lives all the time. But eating while moving stops your mind and body from being able to properly process its signals of hunger and satiety. Studies indicate that you eat more when you’re walking as you eat, even if you don’t need to eat that much. This is why healthy people save the walking for other times and sit down when they consume food.
·        Keep Healthy Snack Options Available
Hunger is a powerful thing. All your hard work in ensuring a healthy diet is likely to go out the window once you’re feeling peckish and there’s nothing around you but junk food. Your body needs to eat when it’s hungry, so it’s going to reach for whatever it can. Healthy people make sure that the snacks available to them are healthy in order to avoid the cravings that studies say can often make unhealthier options more appealing. They fill their cupboards with wholesome snacks and keep the junk food far away!
·        Do Some Mindful Eating
Mindful eating refers to the act of focusing on the food (and drinks) you consume while you consume them instead of allowing your mind to wander. It means focusing on what you’re eating – the flavors, textures, smells, colors, what you like about them, and more – and appreciating every aspect. Healthy people do this by chewing slowly and focusing on how their body feels as they eat. This means they notice when they get full and don’t eat too much or too little. Research has even found that mindful eating has positive effects on weight loss efforts!
Final Thoughts On Some Habits Of Extremely Healthy People You Can Adopt Today
If you want to be healthy, why not take a leaf out of the books of those who already are? It’s not as easy to be healthy as it often seems, and that’s why it’s admirable for someone to be very clearly healthy, as they must put a lot of effort into achieving this result.