Practicing a healthy lifestyle is crucial for enjoying a comfortable and happy life. Medical expenses tend to be expensive, primarily if it occurs later in life. Your diet and physical activity are essential for keeping your body in top condition, so making the best choices for your health today will significantly impact your life years later.
Fortunately, it’s never too late to establish healthier routines for your body. Here’s a list of habits that will guarantee better health ten years from now:
Stop Smoking
Although most people are aware of smoking’s harmful effects, many sustain the habit. If you’re a smoker, stopping as soon as today drastically reduces your risk of contracting complicated medical issues, like subarachnoid hemorrhage.
It also dramatically reduces the risk of developing diabetes. If you stop today, you reduce your risk to that of a non-smoker in ten years if you are a man and five years if you are a woman. Additionally, smokers were twice as likely to die from lung cancer than those who quit.
Keep an Eye on Your BMI
Watching your weight and sustaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) are effective ways to protect yourself from certain diseases. According to the World Health Organization, having a high BMI increases your risk of several fatal diseases and medical conditions. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and numerous cancers.
Eating healthy foods and regularly exercising are productive ways to lower your BMI. The lower your BMI, the lower your risk of contracting illnesses, so it’s essential to keep it down.
Drink Alcohol in Moderation
Although liquor can have some benefits, like reducing cardiovascular disease risks, it can wreak havoc on your body if not taken in moderation. Heavy drinking leads to liver cirrhosis, heart muscle damage, and an increased risk of numerous cancers.
Drinking alcohol in moderation typically means one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.
Make Love
A healthy habit that may surprise you is having regular sex. The activity is known for its many benefits, including relieving pain, easing depression, and fighting certain cancers. People who engage in sex once or twice a week reportedly have an immune response that is 30 percent higher than those who do not engage in intercourse at all.
Reduce Hours in Front of the TV
Increased screen time can also increase your risk for several types of diseases, like heart disease, influenza, and liver disease. It can even lead to suicide. The sedentary nature of watching TV keeps you glued to your seat, keeping you from exercising. Reducing the hours spent watching television and allocating it to more physical activity will be incredibly beneficial for your health.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to keeping your body healthy and strong. Adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep a night to achieve full functionality. If you regularly struggle in getting enough sleep, this will lead to long-term consequences on your health, like obesity and high blood pressure. It will also significantly impact your wellbeing.
Exercise Regularly
Getting plenty of physical activity throughout the week will lower your risk of contracting diseases and cancer, making it an easy and accessible way to stay healthy. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week for adults. For those that prefer more strenuous workouts, the CDC recommends 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity is more beneficial.
Conclusion
Staying healthy is crucial for living a long and happy life. These seven habits are effective at giving your body the nourishment it needs to work long and well for the rest of your life. The choices you make today will impact your future tomorrow, so these habits are a great place to start for establishing a healthy routine.
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