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The benefits of a healthy lifestyle are well documented on social media, and in the wellbeing blogs we read. But how much does your lifestyle really affect your health?
A study by The Guardian which assessed 110,000 people who followed 5 healthy lifestyle habits found that women who adopted 4 or 5 healthy life activities could expect to live up to 10 extra years without developing conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, or Type 2 Diabetes, while men could enjoy an additional 7 years.
We know why we should live a healthy lifestyle, but do we know how?
Here are 5 easy tips to help you enjoy a healthy life.
1 – Avoid Smoking
There is no way that smoking could be considered part of a healthy lifestyle, so quitting is the only option.
This is easier said than done, but there is support available. The NHS has many free resources to help you to quit smoking. There are some healthy lifestyle tips for quitting smoking from a former smoker in this blog post.
2 – Maintain a Healthy Weight
A healthy BMI is between 18.5 – 24.9, and a BMI above 25 is considered overweight. There are many healthy lifestyle tips to reduce BMI, but the main contributing factors are regular exercise, and a healthy diet.
Managing weight and living a healthy lifestyle are easier when you try activities you enjoy. Exercise does not have to mean pounding the treadmill for hours. Find an activity you like! A brisk walk with a friend, a round of golf, or tennis – even running around with the kids for 30 minutes a day can contribute to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet will complement a regular exercise routine to contribute to having a healthy body. Avoid processed foods, saturated fat, and excess sugar and aim to eat at least 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. A good healthy lifestyle tip is to make sure that half of your plate includes fruit or vegetables. Keep red meat to a minimum and introduce more oily fish into your diet like salmon, or mackerel – these are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your heart health.
Another tip for managing a healthy weight is to monitor it with a set of scales like the Kinetik Wellbeing Bluetooth Digital Scales.
3 – Exercise
Regular exercise is important for a healthy lifestyle, it aids weight management, lowers blood pressure, and makes us feel good.
Aim for 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day. This can be achieved with some healthy lifestyle choices like a brisk walk or jog at lunchtime or walking to the shops instead of driving. Ask a friend to come swimming or find a YouTube workout channel that you love.
Using a fitness tracker will motivate you while exercising, the Kinetik Heart Rate Monitor gives real-time, continuous heart-rate data as you work out, and tracks the calories you burn.
4 – Manage Blood Pressure
A key healthy lifestyle fact is that healthy blood pressure will lower risks of serious health complications like heart attacks and strokes.
Invest in a blood pressure monitor and make time to check your numbers regularly. A healthy blood pressure reading is between 90/60 mmHg (90 over 60) and 120/80 mmHg (120 over 80). Find tips on how to check your blood pressure and understand your readings with our Blood Pressure Tool or read our Worried about Blood Pressure Guide.
Kinetik Wellbeing has a range of home blood pressure monitors to support your healthy lifestyle.
5 – Invest in Self Care
Reading this article demonstrates that living a healthy lifestyle is important to you which is a good start! The best person to take care of your health is you, and self-care is an important part of a healthy and happy lifestyle.
Your health is in your control, the best way to manage it is to check in with yourself regularly.
You can’t always visit a GP for a health check but you can do it at home. Check weight, blood pressure, and fitness levels by introducing a few health devices into the home.
Take time to look after yourself by exercising or cooking a nutritious meal and enjoy an early night once or twice a week.
Making a few small changes can make a big difference to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Find more healthy lifestyle tips on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.