Have you ever wondered why our forefathers lived longer? They grew old and remained strong even without access to clean water, good medical facilities, Cars and many of the luxury we enjoy today.
Life today compared with a couple of decades before is extremely stressful and as technology advances, humans are more exposed to dangerous elements that weaken our immune system. Not also forgetting that stress is one of the main causes of numerous ailments and early deaths.
So with all these challenges that we have to face daily especially when you live and work in a very stressful city like Lagos, how can one live a healthy life and expect to live longer?
Every single person has a huge role to play in staying healthy. A lot of factors contribute to a longer life and the number one person responsible for that is YOU.
Life is beautiful and you don’t want to bog yourself down with unnecessary health problems. Today, your vital organs (kidney, heart, lungs, gall bladder, liver, stomach, intestines, etc) may be working well, but they may not be tomorrow. Don’t take your good health today for granted. Take proper care of your body. Below are some vital tips that you will need to stay healthy and fit.
Be happy
Being happy won’t cost you anything especially when most of the things that trouble us are either out of our control or can be easily solved if only we approach them with an open mind. A happy mindset attracts positive people to you and with more happy people round you, the less ill you will become. Positive mental health is an important part of a healthy life.
You don’t need toxic people in your life. If you feel that a friend is overly critical or negative, let him or her go. Life is already stressful with all the terrible things happening daily, so there is no need to add bitterness to it.
Drink enough water
Water is essential for our body to function – Do you know over 60% of our body is made up of water? Water is needed to carry out our body functions, remove waste and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body. Since we lose water every day through urine, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing, we need to replenish our water intake.
Furthermore, drinking more water alone actually aids in losing weight. A Health.com study carried out among overweight or obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. The researchers believe that it’s because drinking more water helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.
Get enough sleep
Sometimes it’s had to sleep, not to talk about getting enough. But if you can plan your time well, you will be able to sleep well. When you don’t rest well, you compensate by eating more. Usually it’s junk food. Get enough rest and you don’t need to snack to stay awake. Also, lack of sleep causes premature aging, and you wouldn’t want that.
Exercise
Some of us get stuck in traffic for hours, then stay glued to our office chair for the rest of the day. Everyday exercise is very important. Movement is life. Research has shown that exercising daily brings tremendous benefits to our health, including increase of life span, lowering the risk of diseases, higher bone density and weight loss.
Increase activity in your life. Choose walking over transport for close distances. Climb the stairs instead of taking the lift. Join some aerobics classes. Take up a sport of your liking. Go to the gym. Move around your office. It will do you a lot of good.
Meditate
Meditation in the morning is very important. It helps you to mentally balance your daily activities and keeps you mentally and psychologically ready. Meditation quietens your mind and calms your soul. A simple quite time and morning prayers will keep you focused for the day.
Reduce intake of processed food
Processed foods are not good because most of its nutritional value is lost and secondly, the preservatives added are bad for our health. Many processed foods contain high amounts of salt, which leads to higher blood pressure and heart diseases. Processed foods are anything that are not in their raw form. In general, most of the food in supermarket are processed – the more the ingredients on the label (especially the ones ending with ‘ite’ or ‘ate’), the more processed they are.
Watch out for those with salt/sugar as the first 5 ingredients and go for natural foods as much as possible.
Love yourself
How much do you love yourself on a scale of 1-10? Why? How can you love yourself more starting today? Most people become depressed because they seek for love in other people and wait for people to tell them how to live their lives. You may have all the money in the world but if you don’t love yourself, you will still be bitter. This is one reason for the high rates of suicide among people you think have it all. Nobody knows you better than you, so learn to love yourself.
Onyeka Ibeanusi
