5 healthy habits that are not very difficult to achieve

Now-a-days doing ‘some’ stuff to make ourselves healthy is more important than not doing certain things to prevent us from harm. As in old times people were rarely physically unfit and lived long happy lives because the jobs they had committed to; usually farming and other manual industrial labor kept them fit and well-toned; and not doing particular activities kept them out of trouble as they had little or no knowledge about it.

5 healthy habits that are not very difficult to achieve

However, today most of the work is mechanized or is electronically brought about. Owing to this state of affairs in our daily lives, as I have said before, it is crucial that we have that get-up-and-go sort of attitude to keep those calories burning, blood flowing and heart pumping for as long as we can make it.

People tend to rev themselves up and put on tracksuits and trainers, join expensive gyms and huff themselves out in a week, which, after a total loss of motivation takes them nowhere far than their original state of fitness. Moreover, physical fitness has different meaning for different people, some take it for granted some go to a decent level and few take it to the extremes. Keeping this in mind, I have compiled a few ideas that may help people maintain fitness as a habit and not take stress when they take a few extra calories.

1.         Good healthy relations
Robert Waldinger, the 4th generation head of one of the most longest yet successful study titled as, “The Harvard Study of Adult Development” explains what are the secrets to staying happy till the day you kick the bucket.

The program has researched 724 men for over 75 years starting in the year 1938 which were a group of children and teenagers from random families. Youngster work hard sacrificing their health, money and even families in the pursuit of fame and wealth. The result from the research? Good relations equals happier healthier life. The research shows that people who throughout their lives had been content with what they had achieved and aspired to be grateful were the ones who lived a long healthy life. They in their old age experienced better memory retention, self-efficiency and a happy family. The long and short is that good relations help maintain sound mind in a sound body with a longer life span.

2.         A balanced diet
Although eating healthy food right out of the fields is not possible for most of the population of the world today as our forefathers used to do. This time instead of doing something, it’s better to let go and control our urges. Here’s what I want to inculcate: most of the food products are processed and contain a lot of saturated fats and chemical compounds for preservation, a sturdy look or long lasting smell. These include variants of cheese, meat, breads etc. Not only this, but the generations of this era prefer eating a Big Mac over a bowl of red beans freshly baked in the oven. The diet we ought to intake should include a ‘portion’ of these eatables acceptable once or twice a month; and, although it sounds ironic but a lion’s share of vegetables and legumes. The vege’s are primary sources necessary minerals and vitamins which in turn are crucial for hormone development which are responsible for our mood swings, sleeplessness, indigestion etc. if not taken in an appropriate amount. Next comes the meat, more specifically lean meat. A little less than the vegetable ratio. It is good for eyes, hair and a good immune system. And then comes the carbs and fats. Both have massive amounts of energy, Carbs are readily utilized whereas fats have a storing function. Eating more than necessary amounts of fats and carbs causes obesity, high cholesterol, blood pressure diabetes etc. which is not something anyone would want at any time in his/her life.
The long and short: You become what you eat.

3.         No overthinking
Most of us fall victim to some degree of overthinking: heavily weighing every single option before making a move, focusing on minute details of a situation and ignoring the big picture, or choking under pressure when doing something we already know we’re good at. If you are one of those people who start a random web search and end up diagnosing yourself with a disease you’ve never heard before or end up listening to something that you don’t have the aptitude to understand, you are a classical overthinker. Psychologist Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Ph.D. says our brains are truly hardwired for overthinking. All of the memories, thoughts, and emotions stored in our brains are woven together in networks of connections.This spiderweb of associations definitely increases our capacity to think, but it also makes us susceptible to overthinking.

A study from UC Santa Barbara suggests that thinking too much about a situation impedes our judgment and performance. In a study, researchers observed the functions of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which supports two kinds of long-term memory: explicit memory, where you actively recall information and consciously use sensory processes to perform tasks, and implicit memory, where you unconsciously rely on previous experiences to perform tasks. When researchers disrupted the functions of parts of participants’ prefrontal cortexes associated with explicit memory, they found that the decision-making process actually improved in accuracy. Participants were shown kaleidoscopic images for one minute and given a break for one minute. They were then given memory tests with two different kaleidoscopic images and told to distinguish images they previously saw from the ones they were currently looking at.

The results? When conscious processes of explicit memory were disrupted in the prefrontal cortex, participants remembered images better. The decision-making process became more accurate when participants simply guessed and didn’t actively think through their decision. 

To increase your peace of mind there are some steps that are very simple to follow:
a.         Whatever you deem as your most important task, complete it as early as possible.
b.         Let go of the things you can’t control.
c.         Don’t gather many aims. Over ambition is dangerous.
d.         Work out
e.         Be realistic and slow down. Whenever you go into deep unwanted, speak out ‘Stop’ and bring yourself back.
4.         Physical exertion
If you are the type of person who thinks that you’re going to die anyways, why not die without all that running and jumping instead spending time eating or with family or instead watching a movie; bear in mind that exercise affects you in all possible ways there are, whether it’s your job or senses, your Sudoku skills or your temper, your sex life and even your digestion. It is essential to indulge the body to some physical exertion at least twice or thrice a day if it is highly intense. Else it is also recommended to just walk a mile or so every day as it enables the muscles to stretch and improves the flow of blood. Moreover, if the nutrition is the key factors that determines the amount, intensity and frequency of workouts. An obese person should surely be committed more to exercise than a person with normal BMI.  

5.         A Good night’s sleep
There is something known as the ‘Circadian cycle’ which is actually the way blood flows through the human body, this in turn controls the timing of various activities that hormones in are body are responsible for. When we don’t sleep in time this causes us to wake up late hence not able to properly get ready for the day and so on. Moreover, this leads to unwanted coffee dosage, a low temperament, laziness all this and more only due to Circadian shift. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

Following are some tips to improve your sleep:
a.         Follow the same routine everyday even on weekends.
b.         Spend quiet time an hour before sleep.
c.         Don’t go to bed too stuffed or hungry.
d.         Get the right temperature comfort (according to the climate). 

Post Author

Abeer Chaudhry

Aeronautical engineer (To-be), Writer, fitness freak and somewhat of a photographer!

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