We all have different images of our perfect healthy lifestyle. For some, it's focused more on the physical aspects and for others, it's mental ones. But no matter which you are more focused on they are both equally as important, and we have carefully selected these 5 habits to back up all of the different aspects needed for the 'perfect' healthy lifestyle.
Reading
The first habit on our list is reading. Reading helps us to calm the mind as it takes away all of our intrusive negative thoughts by transporting us to other fantastical worlds or by helping us to focus on our self-improvement journey (non-fiction). But the truly amazing thing about reading is that it comes with so many extra benefits such as:
- Better sleep
- Increased vocabulary
- Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
- Improved empathy
Somehow there are even many more benefits to reading than just those, meaning that it is a must-add to your daily routine. Just read for at least 15 minutes every day to gain all of these countless benefits.
Meditation
Meditation is another healthy habit for your brain and has been around for many, many years. For good reason, it significantly lowers stress levels and decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels. Meaning that when combined with reading they can quickly transform your mental health for the better. And good mental health is ultimately the foundation needed for a healthy lifestyle. Meditation needs regular practice, but unlike reading only as little as 10 minutes a day can make an enormous improvement to your mind. If you don't already practice meditation you are missing out, I can say from personal experience that within a matter of days, you can see the benefits. You find yourself with a much calmer mind, and all of your stress just miraculously disappears. Out of all in habits on this list, I would have to recommend meditation the most.
Fresh Air
It is vital to try and get fresh air whenever you can, but what do we mean by fresh air? Fresh air can be any form of exercise outside, ranging from low-intensity exercises such as walking or yoga all the way to high-intensity exercises like running or sports. Fresh air has many incredible benefits and when paired with regular exercise it is one of the most healthy activities that we can partake in. So what are these amazing benefits:
- Increased energy levels
- Regulates blood pressure and heart rate
- Reduced feelings of anxiety and depression
Much like meditation, it has many more benefits than only the ones highlighted above, and exercise, in general, is great but when you conduct it in an open 'fresh air' space as the benefits are increased drastically.
Yoga
Yoga is very similar to meditation and once you have done both that is something that you will understand further. They both focus on breathwork and emotional control, and both have very similar mental benefits such as decreased stress levels, but yoga is for those who look to focus more on their physical health as it has additional physical benefits such as improved cardiovascular health, increased muscle tone, and better metabolism. Therefore, if you are more of a physically orientated person yoga is the one for you, but similarly, if you are more focused on improving your mind then meditation is probably the one for you.
Artistic Practises
That leads us to our 5th and final habit, which may come as a surprise to a few but is 'Artistic Practises'. We say this in the broadest meaning of the word as we mean anything from creative writing to painting, whatever you enjoy the most. If you can make a regular practice of creativity the benefits are incredible, as many of these habits do it greatly decreases stress levels but it also increases concentration, confidence, and overall mood.
Conclusion
We all have different goals for our lifestyles and are at very different stages and situations in our lives. But at the end of the day it is your life and if you can just take 3 or 4 of these habits away with you and practice them on a regular basis, then in a very short amount of time you will have yourself that perfect healthy lifestyle which you have been waiting for.
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